The speed paradox: the misalignment between driver attitudes and speeding behaviour
(2005) The speed paradox: the misalignment between driver attitudes and speeding behaviour. In Proceedings Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.
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Abstract
This paper reports on a study investigating preferred driving speeds and frequency of speeding of 320 Queensland drivers. Despite growing community concern about speeding and extensive research linking it to road trauma, speeding remains a pervasive, and arguably, socially acceptable behaviour. This presents an apparent paradox regarding the mismatch between beliefs and behaviours, and highlights the necessity to better understand the factors contributing to speeding. Utilising self-reported behaviour and attitudinal measures, results of this study support the notion of a speed paradox. Two thirds of participants agreed that exceeding the limit is not worth the risks nor is it okay to exceed the posted limit. Despite this, more than half (58.4%) of the participants reported a preference to exceed the 100km/hour speed limit, with one third preferring to do so by 10 to 20 km/hour. Further, mean preferred driving speeds on both urban and open roads suggest a perceived enforcement tolerance of 10%, suggesting that posted limits have limited direct influence on speed choice. Factors that significantly predicted the frequency of speeding included: exposure to role models who speed; favourable attitudes to speeding; experiences of punishment avoidance; and the perceived certainty of punishment for speeding. These findings have important policy implications, particularly relating to the use of enforcement tolerances.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Keywords: | beliefs;speed limits;risks;driver behaviour;deterrence |
| Subjects: | 380000 Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences > 380100 Psychology > 380105 Social and Community Psychology |
| ID Code: | 3892 |
| Deposited By: | McMahon, Helen M |
| Deposited On: | 18 April 2006 |
| Alternative Locations: | http://www.rsconference.com/roadsafety/detail/527 |
| Copyright Owner: | Copyright 2005 (please consult author) |
| Copyright Statement: | The contents of this conference paper can be freely accessed online via the conference web page. Use hypertext link above. |