Attitudes, driving behavior, and accident involvement among young male drivers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between accident involvement, driving behaviors, and young male drivers’ attitudes towards traffic safety in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study utilizes a primary dataset of 287 young drivers from ages 18 to 24. The study employs a structural equation modelling approach to quantify the relationships between attitudes, driving behaviors, and accident involvement. The findings indicate that the driving behavior of young Saudi male drivers is classified in three distinct categories: error making, aggressive driving, and speedy driving. Unlike error making, both aggressive and speedy driving behaviors are significantly influenced by drivers’ attitudes towards traffic safety, and both have a significant influence on accident involvement. In contrast, attitude has no direct or indirect influence on accident involvement. In addition, driving experience, level of education, and socioeconomic status showed no significant effects on accident involvement. Tailored solutions, including policy interventions that involve the local Saudi driving community, are advocated based on the empirical evidence.