Traffic safety climate factors in explaining driving behaviours and traffic crash involvement: comparative study among male and female drivers

Abstract

The study examined the explanatory power of Traffic Safety Climate factors in driving behaviours and the probability of traffic crash involvement among male and female drivers in China, taking into consideration different clusters of age. A total of 887 license drivers aged between 24 and 64 completed Chinese version of traffic climate scale, driving behaviours scale, and crash involvement. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted. The result established that male driver’s, reported high emotional engagement, driving violations and traffic crashes than female drivers. Perceived external affective demand (EAD) was more likely to be related to aberrant driving behaviours (ADB), but less likely to be related to positive driving behaviour (PDB) with young and middle-aged male drivers more affected. Perceived EAD was less likely to be associated with ADB and traffic crash involvement of female older drivers. The perceived internal requirement was positively related to PDB, but negatively related to ADB for both sexes with young females expressing high PDB and low probability of traffic crash involvement than male drivers. Perceived traffic system functionality (FUN) was negatively related to ADB, but positively related to PDB for both sexes with male drivers in all age brackets expressing more PDB. As a remedial measure, traffic authorities have to direct their attention towards the modification of traffic infrastructure designs.