Traffic (safety) culture and alcohol use: cultural patterns in the light of results of the SARTRE 4 study

Abstract

Culture is put centre stage not only in contemporary social science, but also in safety research. In this paper we ask whether a safety culture exists in contemporary traffic systems across Europe and how it might look like by constructing a conceptual scheme of traffic safety culture with reference to Talcott Parsons’ theory of social action. We refer to cultural patterns of alcohol use as alcohol is one of the most important safety issues alongside with speeding and fatigue. Culture is internalised by car drivers in terms of attitudes which organise motivational processes. Cognitive, emotional (cathectic) and evaluative attitudes can be distinguished. We apply this scheme to data that were collected in the course of the SARTRE 4 survey in which attitudes and opinions concerning road safety and accident causation in 18 European countries were measured. Countries differ with reference to cognitive, emotional and moral dimensions. The results are organised in a comprehensive scheme of emotional and moral cultural orientations which is by far not complete, but which shall guide analysis in future research. The analysis does not dig deeply into the national cultural systems of road traffic at a national level, but it is sufficiently clear in order to distinguish different configurations of cultural patterns along the three dimensions of cognition, emotion and morality. Understanding these dimensions is useful in order to construct symbolic or cultural leverages (e.g. media campaigns) in order to make our streets safer.