Full Throttle: Are Motorcyclists as Risk-Taking as we Think?

Background: Motorcycling, whether as a leisure activity, hobby, or social activity, plays a role in individual lives in various ways. When conceptualized as part of one’s identity, motorcycling has been associated with a specific image or stereotype, wherein riders’ personalities are characterized as rebellious, prone to risk- taking behaviour, and masculine. The congruence between these perceptions and actual personality profiles is unknown. Thus, the purpose of this project was to generate personality profiles of motorcyclists from a basic trait perspective and assess congruence with the general public's perceptions of the “typical” motorcyclist. Participants and procedure: A cross-sectional online survey (N = 376) consisting of motorcyclists (N = 194) and car drivers (N = 182) collected information on personality traits (self-report or perceived), riding behavior (motorcyclists only), and well-being. Results: Results suggest that car drivers perceive motorcyclists to be more disinhibited, less open, more neurotic, less agreeable, and less conscientious than motorcyclists self-report. In addition, motorcyclists are generally as sensation seeking and extraverted as expected by car drivers. Compared to car drivers, motorcyclists scored higher in well-being suggesting they enjoy more positive mental health. Conclusions: Future research would benefit from using qualitative methods to better understand the reasons behind these perceptions. Overall, the current study found that vehicle drivers perceptions of motorcyclists aremore negative than motorcyclists’ actual personalities, suggesting a specific judgement towards the community.