TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in seatbelt use after licensing
T2 - A developmental hypothesis for novice drivers
AU - Matsuura, Tsuneo
AU - Ishida, Toshiro
AU - Ishimatsu, Kazuma
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - This study tested the hypothesis that seatbelt use reflects a person's driving style or attitude towards safety, and that novice drivers' attitudes become inappropriate temporarily after licensing, and go back to being appropriate when more experience has been gained. We examined seatbelt use by university students (N = 387) at a university parking lot for 19 days between April and November. Personal information about the participants was obtained from parking stickers and supplementary questionnaires asking about their driving history and attitudinal variables, such as self-assessed skill and safety. A longitudinal study indicated that seatbelt use decreased among novice drivers, but remained the same for more experienced drivers. Cross-sectional studies revealed a U curve change in seatbelt use after licensing. Regression analysis showed that overconfidence about driving skills accounted for the novice drivers' tendency to avoid using seatbelts. These results supported the hypothesis, especially for male novice drivers. The reason and implications of the changing attitude of novice drivers towards safety are discussed in terms of driver development.
AB - This study tested the hypothesis that seatbelt use reflects a person's driving style or attitude towards safety, and that novice drivers' attitudes become inappropriate temporarily after licensing, and go back to being appropriate when more experience has been gained. We examined seatbelt use by university students (N = 387) at a university parking lot for 19 days between April and November. Personal information about the participants was obtained from parking stickers and supplementary questionnaires asking about their driving history and attitudinal variables, such as self-assessed skill and safety. A longitudinal study indicated that seatbelt use decreased among novice drivers, but remained the same for more experienced drivers. Cross-sectional studies revealed a U curve change in seatbelt use after licensing. Regression analysis showed that overconfidence about driving skills accounted for the novice drivers' tendency to avoid using seatbelts. These results supported the hypothesis, especially for male novice drivers. The reason and implications of the changing attitude of novice drivers towards safety are discussed in terms of driver development.
KW - Attitudes
KW - Driving experience
KW - Novice drivers
KW - Overconfidence
KW - Seatbelt use
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U2 - 10.1016/S1369-8478(02)00002-5
DO - 10.1016/S1369-8478(02)00002-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0036097915
SN - 1369-8478
VL - 5
SP - 299
EP - 311
JO - Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
JF - Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
IS - 1
ER -