Sensation seeking and impulsiveness as a predictor of risky driving behavior among young people

Abstract

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati odnos traženja uzbuđenja, impulzivnosti i rizičnog vozačkog ponašanja mladih, kao i razlike s obzirom na spol vozača. Sudionici su bili studenti svih godina Kulturologije i Elektrotehničkog fakulteta u Osijeku, N=105, od toga 60 muškaraca i 45 žena, raspona dobi od 19 do 28 godina. Korišteni instrumenti su sociodemografski upitnik, konstruiran za potrebe ovog istraživanja, skala Traženja uzbuđenja (SSS), Barrattova skala impulzivnosti (BIS) i Upitnik o ponašanju vozača (DBQ). Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da postoji pozitivna povezanost između traženja uzbuđenja i rizičnog vozačkog ponašanja, te pozitivna povezanost između impulzivnosti i rizičnog ponašanja. Kao značajni prediktori pokazali su se spol, čestina upravljanja motornim vozilom, Dezinhibicija (subskala Traženja uzbuđenja) i Motorika (subskala Impulzivnosti). Također, pronađena je statistički značajna razlika između muškaraca i žena u rizičnom vozačkom ponašanju i traženju uzbuđenja, dok kod impulzivnosti nema razlike. Rezultati nude praktične implikacije za uvođenje dodatnih testiranja prilikom polaganja vozačke dozvole.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of sensation seeking, impulsivity and risky driving behavior among young people, in addition to gender differences between above mentioned variables. The participants were students of Cultural Studies and Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Osijek, N=105, 60 of them were male and 45 female, with the age range 19-28. The instruments used are socio-demographic questionnaire, designed for the purposes of this study, Sensation seeking scale (SSS), Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS) and Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). The results indicated that there is a positive correlation between sensation seeking and risky driving behavior, and positive correlation between impulsivity and risky behavior. Gender, frequency of driving a motor vehicle, Disinhibition (subscale of Sensation seeking) and Motor-impulsivity (subscale of Barratt impulsiveness) were proven as significant predictors of risky driving. Furthermore, there was statistically significant difference between men and women in risky driving behavior and sensation seeking. The results offer practical implications of the introduction of additional testing when taking the driving test