Psychological predictors of seat belt usage among university student passengers and an examination of the differences between the front and rear seats

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the cognitive psychological process and to understand the decision-making process involved in university student passengers’ seat belt usage behavior and the difference between front and rear seat belt use. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), two extended variables, namely, perceived accident severity and safety consciousness, were introduced. From the perspective of social psychology, we explored the psychological factors influencing university student passengers’ seat belt usage behavior and the relationship between these factors.Methods: The reliability and validity of 544 valid questionnaires were tested, and the differences were analyzed in the scores of the TPB variables between university student transportation majors and other majors. Finally, structural equation models were established to compare the factors affecting seat belt usage in the front and rear seats.Results: The results show that the TPB could effectively explain and predict university student passengers’ seat belt usage behavior. Significant differences were observed in the TPB variables, the extended variables and the behavioral intention scores between the university students majoring in transportation and those with other majors. In addition, significant differences were observed between front and rear seat belt usage. All psychological factors had significant positive effects on the seat belt usage behavior of the university student passengers, and all factors directly or indirectly affected seat belt usage behavior.Conclusions: The present research adds further empirical evidence regarding the ability of the TPB to predict seat belt usage behavior. In addition, the current research results may provide a theoretical basis for policy-making aiming to improve university students’ seat belt usage.