The influence of driving safety attitudes on risky driving behavior: a driving simulator study

Context and relevance. Road traffic accidents and violations of traffic regulations continue to be a frequent occurrence on highways, particularly among motor vehicle operators who demonstrate a tendency to disregard fundamental driving safety practices. Objective. The aim of this study is twofold: first, to explore the impact of the aforementioned factors on the subject's performance; second, to assess how driving safety attitudes influence driving risks through simulations. The hypothesis of this study is that a higher level of safety in driving behaviour will be associated with a lower frequency of risky driving behaviour in the simulation environment. Methods and materials. The study's participants comprised drivers who were in possession of a valid driving licence. In this study, researchers employed the City Car Driving 5 software and utilised a driving simulator, a driving risk scale, and a driving safety attitude scale. The subjects were divided into two groups. One group was subjected to a traffic density level and a pedestrian density level of 75%, which was designed to act as a form of disturbance. Following the utilisation of the driving simulator, subjects were required to complete a driving risk questionnaire and a driving safety attitude scale. The results obtained from this study are as follows. The findings of the study demonstrate a substantial relationship between driving safety attitudes and driving risks, with a value of 0,000 and a negative correlation value of -0,804. The study also indicates a 70,6% influence of driving safety attitudes on driving risks. Conclusions. The findings indicate that there remains a significant risk associated with driving, and there is no observed difference in risk between men and women, as both groups demonstrate equivalent levels of risk.