Attachment as a predictor of driving performance

• Attention and personality predict reported real-world and simulated driving.
• Attention to emotional information predicts speeding and number of accidents.
• Attachment style—a relational variable—predicts number of accidents and infractions.
• These results highlight the importance of individual differences in driving research.

The current study focuses on the value of attachment style—a personality trait most commonly associated with close relationships and affect regulation, but also with cognitive performance—as a predictor of both reported real-world driving and driving in a simulator. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures, including driving experience and violations (e.g., traffic violations, crashes), a cognitive task, and four driving scenarios where speeding, collisions, and lane violations were monitored. Attachment style, as well as driving style and performance on the cognitive task, were found to predict driving performance. The findings highlight the complex associations between personality, attention, and driving performance. Specifically, the results support the inclusion of personality variables such as attachment style in the study of driving performance or when planning interventions to improve driving.