Young drivers and speed selection: A model guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior

Past research shows that speed selection is an important factor associated with road accidents. But the role of attitudes, norms, and perceived control on individual speed selection remain unclear. This is especially true in the case of young drivers and people living in countries other than in North America or Western Europe.Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, the present study was designed to determine if it was possible to model speed selection in a sample of young drivers from Costa Rica.A sample of 210 Costa Rican drivers aged 18–30 years were administered a questionnaire survey that measured a series of constructs based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In order to situate the hypothetical conditions presented in the questionnaire, a video depicting a real driving situation was showed to the participants while completing the questionnaire. This technique proved simple to use yet powerful. Issues related to ecological validity, a non-standard measurement of the normative influences, and potential self-selection of the participants are addressed as possible limitations in this study.Results showed that two components of the Theory of Planned Behavior – norms and perceived behavioral control – can explain intention to decrease speed and actual speed selection in the studied group. However, a third component of the theory – attitudes toward speeding – did not predict reported speed selection.Based on these results, an alternative behavioral model was developed. That model retained most of the original variables with different causal paths and showed acceptable levels of fit to the data.Besides testing a model, the study findings show that significant others play an important role in speed selection during the presentation of a video showing an actual driving situation. In particular, the hypothetical circumstances of having parents in the car or pedestrians walking along the road are significant deterrents of speeding for the studied participants. In the case of perceived control, the idea of traveling on a well-known road with no cracks or holes, and the idea of driving in their own cars are pre-conditions to increase the hypothetical chosen speed for this sample of young drivers.

► The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to model two different outcomes.
► Intention to decrease speed and actual speed selection were measured in young drivers.
► Norms and perceived behavioral control significantly explained both outcome variables.
► Attitudes toward speeding did not predict actual speed selection.
► Pedestrians walking along the road are significant deterrents of speeding behavior.