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Investigating driver willingness to drive through flooded waterways
Marti Pearson1, Kyra Hamilton1
1School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|August 17, 2014
Summary
Driving through flooded waterways remains a significant risk, often leading to drowning deaths. Understanding the psychological factors, including perceived risk and past behavior, is crucial for preventing this dangerous behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Road Safety
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Motor vehicle accidents account for approximately 40% of drowning fatalities.
- Driving through flooded waterways is a prevalent and dangerous behavior globally, particularly in Australia.
- Understanding the psychological determinants of this risky behavior is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the motivational factors influencing the decision to drive through flooded waterways.
- To apply an augmented Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model, incorporating perceived risk and past behavior.
- To differentiate determinants in both low and high-risk flood scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an augmented Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework.
- Assessed attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), perceived risk (susceptibility and severity), and past behavior.
- Surveyed 174 participants regarding their willingness to drive through flooded waterways in varying risk conditions.
Main Results:
- Attitudes, subjective norm, and PBC significantly predicted behavioral willingness to drive through flooded areas.
- Perceived severity was a significant predictor in high-risk scenarios but not low-risk ones.
- Past behavior was a significant predictor of willingness in both low and high-risk scenarios, while perceived susceptibility was not.
Conclusions:
- An augmented TPB effectively explains individuals' willingness to engage in risky driving behavior through flooded waterways.
- Interventions should consider psychological factors such as attitudes, social norms, perceived control, perceived severity, and past behavior.
- A multi-strategy approach is recommended to mitigate the incidence of driving through flooded waterways.
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