A perceptual map for understanding concern about unsafe driving behaviours

The objective of this paper is to develop a model that can help explain the public's level of concern associated with six dangerous driving behaviours (drinking and driving, speeding, distracted driving, using a cell phone while driving, fatigued or drowsy driving, and using illegal drugs while driving). Understanding the genesis of concern can be useful in addressing it and leveraging it to improve safe driving. Building on a risk perception model that was developed previously, the study investigated the relationship between the level of concern about the unsafe driving behaviours and the perceived level of concern of others about the dangerous driving behaviours, the perception of the prevalence of the dangerous driving behaviours, the perception of the level of risk imposed by these dangerous driving behaviours, and the perception of the severity of injuries that can result from them. Data from two independent samples were modeled using multidimensional scaling and logistic regression analysis. Both samples come from telephone surveys; one was administered to a random sample of 750 drivers in the province of Ontario, Canada in November 2006, the other to a random sample of 1201 drivers across Canada in September 2006. Two dimensions in particular were found to fit the data well: perceived risk and the perceived level of concern of others. The results from these analyses are summarized using a perceptual map. The relevance of such a map is illustrated by explaining the factors that impact levels of concern regarding several of the unsafe driving behaviours.