Citation

Penmetsa P, Pulugurtha SS. J. Road Safety 2020; 31(4): 4-12.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Australasian College of Road Safety)

DOI

10.33492/JRS-D-19-00231

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to evaluate drivers' risk perception toward crash related traffic rule violations and identify violations that are perceived as low risk to better educate drivers. Risk perceptions on crash related traffic rule violations was gathered from 3,593 participants as a part of Naturalistic Driving Study. The variations in risk perceptions by driver characteristics such as age, gender, education, and household income were studied. The risk perception of violating traffic rules was observed to increase with an increase in drivers' age, except for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Drivers older than 25 years perceive disregarding traffic signals as the riskiest traffic rule violation. Exceeding speed limit by 10 to 20 mph is perceived as the least risky among the considered traffic rule violations, irrespective of age, gender, education, and income level of the driver. The risk perception of disregarding traffic signals and following vehicle closely are statistically the same for both male drivers and female drivers. For all other traffic rule violations, female drivers' risk perception is greater than male drivers' risk perception. Participants with lower education level perceive violating traffic rules as not risky, except for DUI. Graduates or professionals with no advanced degree perceive risk of violating traffic rules greater than the average risk for the entire sample population. Dissemination of risk perception information as well as enhanced educational programs are necessary to increase awareness about the risk associated with violating traffic rules that are perceived as low risk by drivers.

Language: en