ABSTRACT
GOALS: The goal was to gain a picture of current driver behaviour, and of the links between committed violations and accident history. It was also to identify how driver behaviour has changed over the last 20 years. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of a sample of 1161 drivers about the frequency of violations and the perception of the dangers and penalties associated with them was used in 2005. Self-reported violations and mental representations were also compared to the results of Biecheler who used similar methods (Biecheler-Fretel, 1983). RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS: Road traffic violations are frequent in France, particularly among male drivers. Several violations are linked with history of accidents in our sample. Frequently or fairly frequently exceeding the speed limit by 10 km/h (a violation reported by almost 53% of our sample), increases accident occurrence by a factor of 1.4. Progress in drivers' behaviour has been slow and nonuniform, and appears in part to be related to safety campaigns that have been run (seat belts, alcohol). The results could inform future campaigns. In particular, a campaign on the use of indicators would seem worthwhile.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Traffic/psychology , Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data , Automobile Driving/legislation & jurisprudence , Automobile Driving/psychology , Self Disclosure , Accidents, Traffic/legislation & jurisprudence , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dangerous Behavior , Female , France , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Risk-Taking , Sex Factors , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
This paper sets out to describe the drivers attending driving licence points recovery courses (PRC), in order to modify the psychologist's approach during the sessions. The paper describes a questionnaire-based survey of a representative sample of 853 drivers taking a "course designed to raise awareness about the causes and consequences of road traffic accidents". The data are analyzed in part by applying a multiple correspondence analysis. Among those taking part in PRC, recognizing whether they commit violations or not seems to be independent from the perceived probability of sanctioning and the perceived danger. The group of course-takers is divided into two main clusters ("offenders" and "victims") which require a completely different approach on the part of the training staff.
