A model of Beijing drivers' scrambling behaviors

A major, but unstudied, cause of crashes in China is drivers that "scramble" to gain the right of way in violation of traffic regulations. The motivation of this study is to explore the features of drivers' scrambling behaviors and the attitudes and driving skills that influence them. In this study, we established a scrambling behavior scale, and developed a driving attitude scale and a driving skill scale using factor analysis of an Internet survey of 486 drivers in Beijing. A structural equation model of scrambling behavior toward cars and pedestrians/cyclists was developed with attitudes and skills as predictors of behavior. Skills and attitudes of approval toward violations of traffic rules did not predict scrambling behaviors, while the motivation for safety and attitudes against violating traffic rules led to reduced scrambling behaviors. The current work highlights this peculiar aspect of Chinese roads and suggests methods to reduce the behavior.