Understanding risky driving among motorized two-wheeler drivers: The role of time-related anxiety and impunctuality

Abstract

Motorized Two-Wheeler (MTW) drivers significantly contribute to road fatalities due to their vulnerability and the higher severity of crashes. Risky driving behavior, such as violations and errors, is a key precursor to road crashes. Understanding the factors that influence such risky behavior can shed light on opportunities for risk management. In this investigation, data from 460 motorized two-wheeler drivers were collected through an online questionnaire, exploring Red Light Running (RLR), lane sharing, and turning without indicating driving tendencies, latent psychological factors, and demographic attributes of the participants. The analysis was conducted in two steps: (a) decision trees were developed to classify risky driving behavior, and (b) binary logistic regression models were developed to quantify risky driving choices based on demographic and latent psychological variables, as well as interaction variables. The results showed that as driver anxiety increased, the probability of lane sharing rose from 76.3% to 87.9% in normal driving situations and from 80.3% to 96.6% in time-pressure driving situations, respectively. Furthermore, the results revealed that the odds of running red lights and lane sharing decreased to 0.57 and 0.68, respectively, for older drivers compared to young drivers. Overall, this study quantified the impact of underlying psychological factors and demographic parameters, as well as their combined effects, on assessing traffic violations, traffic errors, and non-illegal dangerous driving behaviors among motorized two-wheeler drivers. Additionally, the study discusses the implications and policy interventions related to the legalization of lane sharing and the risks associated with time-pressure driving in online food delivery systems. These findings can inform evidence-based policymaking to achieve road safety goals.