Latent Driving Style Profiles and Road Safety Outcomes Across Generational Extremes: The Role of Driving Exposure in Accidents and Traffic Infractions

Road safety is a global priority, and driver behavioral factors are among its most critical determinants. Although the literature has advanced in characterizing driving styles using psychometric instruments such as the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI), an empirical gap persists in the simultaneous integration of latent behavioral profiles, driving exposure, and road safety outcomes, particularly in Latin American contexts and across generational extremes. This study examined the relationship between latent driving style profiles and road safety outcomes among young (18–25 years) and older (≥65 years) licensed drivers in Ecuador, while evaluating the moderating role of driving exposure. A structured survey based on the MDSI was administered to 833 active drivers, and data were analyzed using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and binary logistic regression. The six-profile solution was selected according to the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC = 11,655.07), with acceptable classification quality (entropy = 0.860; minimum posterior probability = 0.808); for inferential parsimony, these profiles were subsequently consolidated into three analytically interpretable categories: Predominantly Careful, Predominantly Risky, and Distress-Reduction. The Predominantly Risky profile was significantly associated with higher odds of traffic accident involvement (OR = 2.76, 95% CI [1.55, 4.93]), whereas the Distress-Reduction profile showed substantially higher odds of receiving traffic infraction fines (OR = 4.74, 95% CI [1.69, 13.34]). The composite driving exposure index was a robust predictor across both models (accident model: OR = 2.82, 95% CI [1.60, 5.14]; fine model: OR = 1.87, 95% CI [1.29, 2.74]). In addition, a significant interaction was observed between the Predominantly Risky profile and driving exposure in the model predicting traffic infraction fines, suggesting that exposure amplified sanction risk within this behavioral category. Older drivers showed a substantially higher representation of the Distress-Reduction profile than young drivers. These findings underscore the utility of person-centered approaches for identifying heterogeneous driver configurations and for designing profile-differentiated road safety interventions; from a practical perspective, these results support the development of targeted road safety programs that integrate behavioral profile screening with exposure-based risk management for young and older drivers.