Role of Culture, Income Level and Governance Quality on Driver Behaviours

Abstract

The regional differences in road safety parameters have been attributed to cultural and economic factors. Nevertheless, there are differences in road safety outcomes between countries with similar cultural backgrounds and income levels. The current study examines this fact by considering the role of governance quality in the relationship between culture, income level, and driver behaviours. In this study, we modelled driver behaviour scores from 65 countries with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Schwartz’s cultural values, and the worldwide governance indicators from the World Bank’s database. Hayes’ PROCESS macro was utilised to analyse the moderation roles of governance quality and income level in the relationship between culture and driver behaviours. High governance quality can prevent or discourage drivers to commit non-speeding violations. Governance quality could regulate the relationship between cultural variables, income level, and driver behaviours. The Power Distance dimension was associated with non-speeding violations in high-income countries with medium or low governance quality. The embeddedness value was associated with speeding behaviours in countries with low governance quality and high/medium income. Governance quality is a critical factor of road safety in high- and middle-income countries. Where there is a lack of qualified governance to establish and enforce rules and individuals have access to social and material power, the culture becomes the determinant of aberrant driver behaviours. This is the first study relating governance quality to driver behaviours at the country level. The implications and limitations of the study were acknowledged.