Abstract
Driving on the unfamiliar side of the road contributes to tourist road accidents and may deter self-driving tourists from travelling to certain countries. Experienced drivers usually drive on “autopilot” but under unfamiliar circumstances, drivers might generate instructions to avoid certain behaviour. Previous research has revealed that avoidant instructions can sometimes cause behaviour in the unintended direction (i.e., “ironic” behaviour). This study examined the effect of avoidant instructions (i.e., do not drift towards the centreline) while driving on the unfamiliar side of the road under high cognitive load. Participants (8 males, 9 females) drove on simulated roads under neutral and avoidant instructions, with or without a secondary task, in control and roadworks scenarios. Avoidant instructions did not lead to ironic behaviour (doing what one has been instructed not to do) but were associated with overcompensatory behaviour—driving further from the centreline compared to neutral instructions. Overcompensatory effects were not present when driving with a secondary task or in a roadworks scenario. The findings suggest that avoidant instructions do not lead to dangerous ironic behaviours. Further work needs to be undertaken on driving instructions given to tourists in other contexts like physiological fatigue.
Highlights
The incidence of tourist motor vehicle accidents reported in the media can negatively impact tourism by self-drivers
Roadworks (M = 88.46, SD = 16.32) conditions and in the avoidant instructions block in the control (M = 94.05, SD = 10.73) and roadworks condition (M = 95.01, SD = 6.83) were not significantly different from each other (p values > 0.05). Especially those who drive on the opposite side of the road, have been identified as an at-risk population
This study investigated whether consciously attempting to avoid a certain behaviour would lead to ironic effects in a highly automatised aspect of driving, especially when driving on an unfamiliar side of the road, as may be experienced by tourist drivers
Summary
The incidence of tourist motor vehicle accidents reported in the media can negatively impact tourism by self-drivers. The research has demonstrated that road traffic accidents constitute the most common type of accidents faced by tourists [4] and the tourist driver is at a higher risk than immigrant drivers and local drivers [5]. A number of factors have been proposed as causes for tourist motor vehicle accidents, including lack of knowledge of road rules, differences in driver behaviour, alcohol consumption, and driving on the unfamiliar side of the road [4,6,7,8]. The negative effects of alcohol on driving have been established [9]; there is limited empirical research examining the effects of driving on the unfamiliar side
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