The role of safety culture/climate and social cognitive factors for driving behaviors of Turkish professional drivers transporting petroleum products

The present study aimed to examine and compare the role of safety culture/climate and social cognitive factors on driving behaviors in a group of Turkish professional drivers transporting petroleum products. A questionnaire survey was conducted in a sample of 119 male drivers working for an oil company. The questionnaire included items related to demographic information and driving history; perceptions about the safety culture/climate of the company; fatalism; traffic risk perception; road safety attitudes; and driving behaviors. The results showed that being a truck driver compared to being a tanker driver was positively related to driving violations, while commitment to the management safety was negatively related to driving violations. On the other hand, safe attitudes towards speeding were negatively related to driving errors/lapses. Fatalism was positively related to both driving violations and errors/lapses. Also, compared to tanker drivers, truck drivers reported more violations and errors/lapses, a lower traffic risk perception and higher fatalism. Implications for the safety of professional drivers working for oil companies are discussed.     

Safety attitudes,behaviour, anxiety and perceived control among professional and non-professional drivers

The current study aimed to investigate differences in psychological safety factors such as attitudes and behaviour among professional and non-professional drivers. Differences in accident involvement and the number of speeding tickets were also investigated. An additional aim was to study factors associated with risky driver behaviour and speeding tickets in these groups. A questionnaire survey was distributed by mail to a randomly selected sample from the Norwegian population registry (N?=?6203). The response rate was 30% and the final sample consisted of 1864 individuals. Adjusted for demographic characteristics and road traffic exposure the results showed that professional drivers (n?=?113) reported significantly less seat belt use and watchful driving than non-professional drivers (n?=?1594). Professional drivers reported significantly less fun riding and safer attitudes regarding addressing the unsafe driving of others. The professional drivers also reported significantly safer behaviour related to drink driving, but lower priorities of road traffic safety. Professional drivers perceived significantly more control and had been involved in more accidents than the non-professional drivers. The results suggest that professional drivers may constitute a risk group in road traffic. Further research could focus on barriers of seat belt use and mechanisms, which could promote safety priorities in this driver group. The knowledge gained by such studies could be utilised by company managers in order to promote safer behaviour among professional drivers.     

An analysis of reported driver behaviour in samples of domestic and expatriate Iranians

Objective: Few studies have examined the differences in self-reported driver behaviour between drivers of one nationality who live in their country of origin (domestic drivers) and those who live abroad (expatriate drivers). This study aimed to explore the differences in self-reported driver behaviour among domestic and expatriate Iranian drivers. In addition, we explore the factors associated with self-reported accident involvement including personal injuries in these groups. Methods: A web-based version of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) measuring self-reported driver errors and violations was distributed to respondents by availability sampling in social networks and by bulk email services. About 1000 individuals living in all provinces in Iran were invited to participate in the survey. We also invited Iranians living in more than 20 countries. A total of 634 domestic Iranians and 135 expatriate Iranians responded to our enquiry. The measure of driving behaviour asked the respondents about violations and error conduct during the last two years on any kind of road. The sample of domestic and expatriate drivers did not differ significantly in gender, age, education and driving hours per day. Domestic drivers were more likely to have experienced an accident in their lifetime. Both samples were relatively young of age (Domestic M integer?=?28.53, SD?=?6.85; Expatriate M integer?=?29.21, SD?=?7.71). Results: The results suggested that emotional violations were more common among the drivers living in Iran. Emotional violations and driver errors were related to self-reported accident involvement among domestic drivers while ordinary rule violations were associated with such accidents in the expatriate group. Conclusions: Iranian expatriate drivers reported less emotional violations than domestic drivers. A potential reason is that road traffic infrastructure and regulation enforcement in high-income developed countries do not facilitate emotional violations. Implications for road traffic safety and methodological limitations of the study are discussed.     

Traffic risk perception,road safety attitudes,and behaviors among road users: a comparison of Turkey and Norway

The present study aims to investigate differences in road safety attitudes, driver behavior, and traffic risk perception between Turkey and Norway. A questionnaire survey was conducted among a sample of Norwegian (n?=?247) and Turkish (n?=?213) road users. The results show that Turkish respondents perceived traffic risk to be higher than Norwegian respondents. Turkish respondents reported safer attitudes towards drinking and driving than Norwegian respondents, while Norwegians reported safer attitudes towards speeding. Turkish respondents reported a lower frequency of speeding behaviors than Norwegian respondents, whereas Norwegian respondents reported a lower frequency of drinking and driving. Traffic risk perception was related to road safety attitudes and behaviors among Norwegian respondents but not among Turkish respondents. The results were discussed with respect to differences in traffic safety, traffic culture, and the development levels in Turkey and Norway.     

The relationship between awareness of road safety measure and accident involvement in pre-drivers: the basis of a road safety programme

Objectives: This research aims to carry out a first validation of the QAR-Precon screening questionnaire applied in Catalonia during the drivers’ initial training, analyse the differences in risky road user behaviour according to two main variables: whether they had any experience of an accident and sex and examine the different risky road user patterns of pre-drivers. Methods: In order to group the questionnaire variables together, an exploratory factorial analysis (principal component analysis (PCA)) was used. Subsequently, the reliability coefficients of the questionnaire and the subscales were calculated. Lastly, ANOVA models were used to compare differences in the whole sample and a cluster analysis was performed to identify different risky pre-driver groups. Results: The factorial analysis (PCA) reveals the existence of five risk factors (speed and risk, external circumstances, distraction, alcohol and driving and other elements of driving) that explain 44.6% of the variance. More males than females reported that they had a higher tendency to take risks in all the risky factors exposed and injured pre-drivers reported less awareness of road safety than pre-drivers who had not been injured. A two-cluster solution indicated that it was possible to distinguish a group of pre-drivers who engaged in high risky behaviour (high group) from the group who engaged in moderate and low levels of risky road user behaviour (low group). Conclusions: The implications of these findings for programme designs and training initiatives to improve efficiency in reducing the accident rate are discussed.     

The link between personality,aggressive driving,and risky driving outcomes – testing a theoretical model

This study tested a theoretical model of the relationship between the Big Five Personality Factors, aggressive driving and ‘risky driving outcomes’ (accidents, traffic tickets, and license suspension). It also tested the mediation effect of aggressive driving in the relationship between the five factor personality model and risky driving outcomes. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the 293 participants’ responses. Bivariate correlations showed that aggressive driving was negatively related to emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and positively related to risky driving outcomes. Agreeableness was negatively related to accidents, tickets, and license suspension. Conscientiousness was negatively related to tickets. The structural model was supported by data in which agreeableness predicted risky driving outcomes. Emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness predicted aggressive driving, which in turn predicted risky driving outcomes. Aggressive driving was shown to be a mediator in the relationship between agreeableness and risky driving outcomes.     

The role of perceived costs and perceived benefits in the relationship between personality and risk‐related choices

This paper considers how perceptions of costs and benefits can influence the association between personality and risky choice behaviour. We assessed perceptions and behaviours in six domains (ethical; investment; gambling; health and safety; recreational; social) using the DOSPERT and measured personality using the NEO PI‐R. Results from structural equation modelling showed that personality had a direct effect on risky choice behaviour in four domains (social, ethical, gambling and recreational risk‐taking). In addition, perceived costs and benefits mediated the relations between personality and risk‐taking in the five domains (social, ethical, gambling, recreational and investment risk‐taking). Evidence for a mechanism that integrates both direct and indirect effects of personality on behaviour is discussed.     

Modeling the relationships among emotional intelligence,sensation-seeking and risk-taking attitudes of university students in Hong Kong

This study investigated the risk-taking attitudes of 305 Chinese university students in Hong Kong by the prediction of sensation-seeking. To further understand the prediction of sensation-seeking, emotional intelligence (EI) was applied. First, the 30-item DOPSERT scale was used to examine the risk-taking attitude of students in different domains (ethical, financial, health/safety, social, and recreational). Then, a 12-item sensation-seeking subscale taken from the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale was applied to examine the participants’ levels of sensation-seeking. In this study, sensation-seeking was divided into the categories of exciting activities seeking and novel activities seeking (NAS). Finally, the 16-item Wong and Law’s Emotional Intelligence Scale was applied to examine participants’ use of self-emotion appraisal, others’ emotion appraisal, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion. The results of this study showed that for this group of Chinese university students, the use of emotion and regulation of emotion could significantly predict exciting activities seeking. NAS, however, could predict recreational risk-taking attitude and health and safety risk-taking attitude. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model was applied to understand the relationships among EI, sensation-seeking and risk-taking attitudes. The variables of EI and sensation-seeking were considered as factors within an ontogenic system of the ecological model. Few studies to date have focused on the relationship between EI and risk-taking. The results of this study provided support for a clear relation between EI and risk-taking. To be more specific, the use of emotion and the regulation of emotion had an effect on exciting activities seeking. This study also indicated how educators and counselors can make use of the findings to better control the risk-taking attitudes of young people, so they will be less likely to engage in risky behaviors.     

Comparative optimism and risky road traffic behaviors among high‐risk sports practitioners

This study examines the relationship between participation in risky sports, comparative optimism (CO), and risky road traffic behaviors among a sample of adult men. We surveyed high‐risk (n = 313) and low‐risk (n = 53) sports practitioners, and non‐sportsmen (n = 89), assessing their CO, as well as their self‐reported risky behaviors and their accident experiences while driving a car. Results show that high‐risk sports practitioners expressed CO regarding the quality of their reflexes while driving and their vulnerability to traffic accidents. High‐risk sportsmen reported more risky behaviors while driving a car than the members of the other groups, and some of them, namely BASE‐jumpers, have experienced more traffic accidents. High‐risk sportsmen’s risky behaviors and accident experiences did not prevent them from expressing CO regarding their vulnerability to road accidents. Results are discussed, as well as putative psychological mechanisms underlying high‐risk sport practitioners’ CO and risky behaviors while driving.     

Not all gamblers are created equal: gambling preferences depend on individual personality traits

Previous studies have presented evidence revealing that the dispositional personalities of consumers, or the traits associated with their gambling behaviors and risk preferences, differ across various gambling types. Those studies leave open the question of whether and how personality differences affect domain-specific gambling preferences. Using latent class analysis (LCA), we explored the latent classes of risk preference for different gambling types and the effects of personality traits on these classes. A total of 732 Macau residents completed a questionnaire assessing 13 gambling types and personality traits. Preferences for gambling shown by the participants varied between three latent classes of games: chance gambling, entertainment gambling, and technical gambling. Moreover, not all personality traits consistently predicted preferences for these gambling classes. For instance, aggression-hostility positively predicted a general preference for both chance gambling and technical gambling, but impulsive sensation-seeking positively predicted only a preference for chance gambling. However, neuroticism-anxiety traits showed no such predictive effect for any of the three gambling classes. This study suggests that personality patterns emerge for overall and specific gambling types and underscores the value of LCA to help resolve the longstanding debate over whether gambling is domain specific.     

Personality traits,basic individual values and GMO risk perception of twitter users

Abstract

The present study investigates how the most foundational factors to individual differences – personality traits and personal values – affect the perceived safety of genetic modification and their relative importance. Publicly available communication data from 522 Twitter accounts discussing genetically modified foods and their safety was processed in two steps. First, accounts were categorized by the researchers as viewing GM foods as either safe or not safe. Second, using the IBM Watson platform, the Twitter communication data were subjected to lexical analysis to assign scores according to the Five Factor Model for personality traits and Schwartz’s basic individual values to the individual accounts. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine how perceived GM food safety is linked to personality traits and individual values. Although both traits and values significantly contribute to explaining GM attitudes, personality traits strongly moderate the effect of individual values on risk perception.     

Biological and Psychobehavioral Correlates of Credit Scores and Automobile Insurance Losses: Toward an Explication of Why Credit Scoring Works

The most important new development in the past two decades in the personal lines of insurance may well be the use of an individual's credit history as a classification and rating variable to predict losses. However, in spite of its obvious success as an underwriting tool, and the clear actuarial substantiation of a strong association between credit score and insured losses over multiple methods and multiple studies, the use of credit scoring is under attack because there is not an understanding of why there is an association. Through a detailed literature review concerning the biological, psychological, and behavioral attributes of risky automobile drivers and insured losses, and a similar review of the biological, psychological, and behavioral attributes of financial risk takers, we delineate that basic chemical and psychobehavioral characteristics (e.g., a sensation‐seeking personality type) are common to individuals exhibiting both higher insured automobile loss costs and poorer credit scores, and thus provide a connection which can be used to understand why credit scoring works. Credit scoring can give information distinct from standard actuarial variables concerning an individual's biopsychological makeup, which then yields useful underwriting information about how they will react in creating risk of insured automobile losses.     

Personality variables as predictors of budget system characteristics

Personality measures, perceptions of organizational climate, and attitudes toward the budgetary system were gathered from 97 operating executives with heavy budgetary responsibilities in 18 companies, along with data concerning the degree of rigidity or degree of participation in the budgetary system of each company. The personality traits of authoritarianism, need for independence, and flexibility were found to be correlated with the individual's perception of organizational climate and with certain attitudes toward the budgetary system. A discriminant analysis of these personality variables indicates that they have predictive ability concerning the rigidity or participativeness of the budgetary system but have no predictive ability concerning the individual's attitude toward the system.     

Perceived risk and personality traits explaining heterogeneity in Dutch dairy farmers’ beliefs about vaccination against Bluetongue

When designing effective voluntary vaccination strategies against animal disease epidemics, policy-makers need to take into account that different groups of farmers base their participation decisions on different considerations. Using the past Bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic of 2006–2009 in Europe as an example, this paper uses the Reasoned Action Approach to identify a set of attitudinal beliefs being the major drivers behind the intended decision to participate in voluntary vaccination. The results show that there is heterogeneity among farmers in these beliefs. In particular, perceived risk, which was captured by a risk attitude and a risk perception of the farmer, and personality traits are associated with variability in beliefs about vaccination against Bluetongue. The patterns found between perceived risk, personality traits and other farm and farmer characteristics were discussed in relation to the governance of animal health.     

The influence of the CEO's value perception towards auditing on audit demand in private firms

Audit demand is generally considered to be a direct reflection of the level of agency conflicts. This study examines the CEO's value perception towards auditing as additional driver for both auditor reputation demand (appointing a Big 4 auditor or not) and audit effort demand in private firms. Examining the CEO's value perception in a multidimensional way, the regression results indicate that the CEO's functional value perception towards auditing positively affects the demand for audit effort, while the CEO's social value perception towards auditing negatively affects the demand for audit effort but positively affects the demand for auditor reputation.     

The role of affective processes on young drivers’ risk perceptions: a dual process model approach

Young adults continue to be over-represented in injury and death statistics associated with transport-related crashes. The current paper investigates the application of the dual process model of risky judgement to the processing of transport-related risky behaviours. One hundred Australian participants completed an online survey exploring four transport-related risky situations. Participants were assessed on their cognitive and affective evaluations of the risky situations as well as their self-reported likelihood of participation in them. The findings indicate that perceptions of risk for specific transport-related behaviours are not processed in a consistent manner. Predictive factors, including gender, affective and cognitive processing, as well as the subsequent self-reported likelihood of engaging in the behaviours, varied between situations. The research indicates that driver interventions may need to be individually targeted to specific transport-related risky behaviours to compensate for the variation in predictive factors.     

Not all high-alexithymia individuals are risk-takers: private self-consciousness moderates the relationship between alexithymia and risk-taking behaviours

This article concerns the influence which alexithymia exerts on risk-taking. In particular, alexithymia is seen as a factor which encourages risk-taking as it allows high-alexithymia individuals to feel emotions which are sufficiently intense to compensate for their deficit of emotional awareness. In this connection, we make the hypothesis that alexithymia’s influence is moderated by private self-consciousness (SC). This is because private SC increases the likelihood that high-alexithymia individuals become aware of their risk-taking tendency and that this tendency is discrepant with their pro-safety standards (‘putting someone in danger is bad’) or self-schemas (‘I am a responsible person’). Thus, private SC is likely to enable and motivate them to consciously regulate their behaviour in a safer direction. This hypothesis was empirically tested by a questionnaire amongst 372 French drivers, whose SC, alexithymia, as well as their current adoption of eight risky behaviours (with a more detailed analysis of speeding). The use of conditional process analyses reveal no main effects of alexithymia and private SC but strong interaction effects, while controlling for other predictors. More precisely, when private SC is low high-alexithymia individuals break more the speed limits and adopt more frequently risky behaviours than low-alexithymia drivers. Conversely, when private SC is high, they are less risk-prone. As practical implication, we recommend the use of techniques increasing private SC amongst high-alexithymia persons.     

CEO personality traits and debt contracting: Evidence from pilot CEOs

Using pilot certificates as a proxy for the personality trait of sensation seeking, which captures the desire for varied, novel, and complex personal sensations and experiences, we find that firms with pilot CEOs use longer-maturity debt financing even when it is more costly than shorter-term debt. Our findings are robust to controlling for potential endogenous matching between firms and CEOs. Our evidence indicates that CEOs with sensation-seeking personality traits prefer long-term debt financing to avoid the liquidity risk associated with short-term debt financing that may hamper other corporate activities motivated by their sensation seeking.     

Risky asset pricing based on safety first fund management

We study a portfolio selection model based on Kataoka's safety-first criterion (KSF model in short). We assume that the market is complete but without risk-free asset, and that the returns are jointly elliptically distributed. With these assumptions, we provide an explicit analytical optimal solution for the KSF model and obtain some geometrical properties of the efficient frontier in the plane of probability risk degree z _α and target return r _α. We further prove a two-fund separation and tangency portfolio theorem in the spirit of the traditional mean-variance analysis. We also establish a risky asset pricing model based on risky funds that is similar to Black's zero-beta capital asset pricing model (CAPM, for short). Moreover, we simplify our risky asset pricing model using a derivative risky fund as a reference for market evaluation.