Self-reported risky driver behaviour and the Big Five personality traits

Stephens, Victoria (2011) Self-reported risky driver behaviour and the Big Five personality traits. University of Worcester.

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Abstract

This study, similar to Arthur and Day (2009), aimed to investigate whether reported risky driving behaviours measured by driver violations, error and lapse (items of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) will differ across the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism). With a sample of 101 UK licensed drivers, a between-subjects (high or low risky driving) design was used. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to establish the difference between risky driving and the Big Five personality traits measured by the Big Five Inventory (BFI). The study found mixed results, as reported risky driving only differed across some of the Big Five traits. Drivers who reported low driver violation scored higher on conscientiousness and agreeableness. Drivers who reported high violations were more extraverted. Conscientious drivers also reported low driver error and lapse. Drivers high on driver lapse scored higher on neuroticism. There was no difference in DBQ items across openness. The study concluded that there are different elements of risky driving which differ across some of the Big Five personality traits, but the mixed findings may be due to limitations of the study, which are discussed.