Theory of Planned Behaviour and Young Romanians’ Self-Reported Speed

Authors: Alexandra Gheorghiu, Marie-Line Félonneau

Abstract:

Speeding represents one of the main concerns for road safety and it still is a subject for research. The need to address this problem and to understand why drivers over speed increases especially in Romania, where in 2011, speed was the main cause of car accidents. This article addresses this problem by using the theory of planned behaviour. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of young Romanian drivers (18 to 25 years) and several path analyses were made in order to verify if the model proposed by the theory of planned behaviour fits the data. One interesting result is that perceived behavioural control does not predict the intention to speed or self-reported driving speed, but subjective norms do. This implies that peers and social environment have a greater impact on young Romanian drivers than we thought.

Keywords: Speed, traffic safety, theory of planned behaviour, young drivers.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1083381

References:

[1] M.Peden, R.Scurfield, D. Sleet et all "World report on road traffic injury prevention.," World Health Organization, 2004, Geneva.
[2] L.Aarts and I. van Schagen "Driving speed and the risk of road crashes: A review", Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2006, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 215-224.
[3] J. Garvill, A. Marell, and K. Westin, "Factors influencing drivers- decision to install an electronic speed checker in the car," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2003, vol. 6 no. 1, pp. 37-43.
[4] I. Ajzen, "The theory of planned behaviour", Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 1991, vol.50, no.2, pp. 179-211.
[5] M. Fishbein and I. Ajzen, "Formation of Intentions, in Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research," Reading, Mass. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1975, pp. 288 - 334.
[6] C.J. Armitage and M. Conner, "Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta-analytic review," British Journal of Social Psychology, 2001, vol 40, no. 4, pp. 471.
[7] M. Conner and C.J. Armitage, "Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Review and Avenues for Further Research," Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1998 vol. 28, no 15, pp. 1429-1464.
[8] H. Warner and L. Aberg, "Drivers decision to speed: A study inspired by the theory of planned behaviour," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2006 vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 427-433.
[9] D. Parker, A.S. Manstead, S.G. Stradling, and T.J. Reason, "Intention to commit driving violations: An application of the theory of planned behaviour," Journal of Applied Psychology, 1992, vol 77; no. 1, pp. 94- 101.
[10] H. Wallén Warner and L. Åberg, "Drivers- beliefs about exceeding the speed limits," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2008, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 376-389.
[11] S.E Forward, "The theory of planned behaviour: The role of descriptive norms and past behaviour in the prediction of drivers- intentions to violate," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2009, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 198-207.
[12] M.A. Elliott and C.J. Armitage, "Promoting drivers' compliance with speed limits: Testing an intervention based on the theory of planned behaviour," British Journal of Psychology, 2009, vol. 100, no. 1, pp. 111-132.
[13] F. Letirand and P. Delhomme, "Speed behaviour as a choice between observing and exceeding the speed limit," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2005, vol.8, no. 6, pp. 481- 492.
[14] M.L. Félonneau, F. Aigrot and E. Causse, "Factors that dissuade young drivers from committing traffic violations", Psychological Reports, 2009, vol. 101, pp. 489-499.
[15] "Young drivers the road to safety," Organization for Economic Developement and Cooperation, 2006.
[16] CNADNR http://www.cnadnr.ro checked on December 2010.
[17] European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/observatory/trends_en.htm checked on January 2011.
[18] Road Management - Directia Rutiera : Car accident statistics http://www.igpr.ro/DPR/dinamica_accidentelor_an.htm, checked on January 2012.
[19] J. Reason, A. Manstead, S. Stradling and all., "Errors and violations on the roads: a real distinction? Ergonomics,"1990, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1315 - 1332.
[20] C. Havarneanu, A. Gheorghiu, and M. Hohn, "Theoretical validity of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire," Social Psychology Revue (Psihologie sociala - Revista laboratorului de Psihologia Campului Social) 2010, vol. 25, pp. 137-153.
[21] C. Havarneanu and A. Gheorghiu, "The behavior in traffic - relations with socio-demographic variables," Anals of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Psychology Section 2010, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 51-62.
[22] G.M. Havârneanu and C.E. Havârneanu, "When norms turn perverse: Contextual irrationality vs. rational traffic violations," Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2012, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 144-151.
[23] M. Manning and B.A. Bettencourt, "Depression and medication adherence among breast cancer survivors: Bridging the gap with the theory of planned behaviour," Psychology and Health, 2011, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 1173-1187.
[24] M. Malmberg, G. Overbeek, A. Vermulst and all., "The theory of planned behavior: Precursors of marijuana use in early adolescence?," Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2011, in press- corrected proof.
[25] I. Ajzen, "Constructing a theory of planned behavior questionnaire. Brief description of the Theoryof Planned Behavior," 2006 http://people.umass.edu/aizen/tpb.html, checked on February 2010.
[26] Road Management - Directia Rutiera : Road accidents prevention campaign http://www.igpr.ro/DPR/campanie_prevenire.htm checked on May 2011.