The 20th and 21st joint COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP 2020-21)

Drivers from different backgrounds are exposed to different behavior norms, law enforcement environments, and traffic systems, which may form various attitudes and behaviors of driving. There are many studies investigating the impact of demographics and driving experience on driver behavior has been investigated. However, research on the effect of drivers’ attitudes on driving behavior still needs many works. Therefore, in this study, the effects of drivers’ perceptions and attitudes towards traffic safety policy and law-abiding degree of others and themselves are studied, together with further discussion on how such effect works on driver violation behaviors. A targeted questionnaire, Driver risk taking and Driver Attitude Questionnaire (DAQ) was designed to assess individual characteristics and driving history, Then, a total of 1517 samples was obtained through on-line survey, covering 30 provinces in China. Multiple regression analysis was used for analysis and the result showed that attitude towards traffic safety policy and traffic law-abiding degree perception of self and others had significant impact on driver violation behaviors (i.e. errors, violations). Attitudes towards some driving regulations on driving speed and phone use varied greatly from person to person, which account for the difference in driving violation intents. Moreover, it was verified that covariates (i.e. age, gender, and driving experience) had great effects on violations and accidents. From such findings, it is suggested that driving violation behavior and traffic accidents can become explainable with its relationship with attitudes towards traffic safety policies and perception of traffic law-abiding degree of self and others. Key words: driver attitudes, traffic safety policy, law-abiding, violation and accident

CICTP