UNDERSTANDING RISKY OVERTAKING MANOEUVRES USING A THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR APPROACH

Car accidents represent a constant concern in the European Union. Romania ranks as fourth in the EU in terms of number of car accidents and fatalities. Young drivers' high accident involvement is particularly worrisome, as they represent only a very small percentage of the overall population. Generally, it is considered that there are two main reasons for young drivers' high accident involvement: the lack of experience and risk taking behaviors. These two aspects are especially involved in overtaking maneuvers of moving vehicles, which are some of the most dangerous maneuvers a driver must undertake. In order to better understand young drivers' risky overtaking maneuvers, the Theory of Planned Behavior was employed. The aim of this paper is to analyze self-reported intention and behavior related to risky overtaking. One hundred and eighty four young drivers (M=21.9 SD=2.16; 51.6% men) answered an online questionnaire that assessed drivers' intention to engage in risky overtaking maneuvers of moving vehicles, their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and self-reported behavior. Young Romanian drivers' consider overtaking maneuvers as being safe and pleasant. Moreover, analyses highlighted attitudes and subjective norms to be of particular importance in predicting the intention to engage in risky overtaking maneuvers. These results must be taken into consideration when designing safety campaigns interventions, and a closer attention must be given to peer influence on this behavior.