Cross-cultural differences in Drivers' self-assessments of their perceptual-motor and safety skills: Australians and Finns

Abstract

Australian ( N = 201) and Finnish ( N = 203) drivers completed Type-A and Sense of Coherence questionnaires, Driver Behaviour Inventory, Driver Social Desirability Scale, self-reported number of accidents, penalties and driving speed and the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI), which measures driver's self-assessment of his/her perceptual-motor and safety skills. The English version of the DSI had the same factor structure and reliability as the original Finnish version and is, therefore, a viable instrument for measuring drivers' self-assessment of their perceptual-motor and safety skills in English-speaking countries. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the number of accidents and penalties as well as the self-reported driving speed were predicted by safety skills whereas perceptual-motor skills predicted the number of penalties. Perceptual-motor skills were positively related to life-time mileage, being male, driving aggression and alertness, and sense of coherence, but negatively to dislike of driving and age. Safety skills were predicted by impression management, nationality, driving aggression and alertness. Results suggest that drivers with strong trust of their perceptual-motor skills have an emotional attitude to driving and overestimate their driving abilities, but drivers emphasising safety skills have a matter-of-fact attitude to driving.