RISK PERCEPTION AS MEDIATOR OF THE RELATION BETWEEN DRIVING STYLE AND RISKY BEHAVIOR IN TRAFFIC

Several studies have shown that risky driving behaviors are often associated with the involvement in road crash fatalities. Therefore, a deeper understanding of influential factors is required to inform targeted countermeasure implementation. While considerable research has examined the role of personality and situational factors associated with risky behavior in traffic, less is known about the mechanism underlying the relation between personal driving style and risky driving behavior. The present study attempts to take into account both driving style and risk perception as sources of variation in risky behavior in traffic. We hypothesized that risk perception would operate as a mediator between personal driving style and risky behavior. A total of 286 drivers completed measures of driving style, risk perception and risky behavior in traffic. The results emphasized the importance of perceiving irrationality of norms' compliance, risky, and distract driving style as positive predictors of risky driving behavior. Moreover, careful driving style is a negative predictor of risky driving behavior. The results of a structural equation model suggested that the relation between driving style and risky driving behavior is mediated by risk perception. The implications of these findings for initiatives to reduce risky driving behavior are discussed.