Coogan rpo2012

The Challenge of a ‘Rural Driving Culture’

in Northern New England

A presentation by

Matthew A. CooganThe New England Transportation Institute

National Rural Peer Learning Conference Burlington, Vermont

April 25, 2012

An International Research Project

• A project of the New England Transportation Institute, White River Jct., Vermont

• In cooperation with– INRETS, France– VTI, Sweden

• Survey undertaken by– Resource Systems Group, White River Jct, VT

Three Questions for the NADO Conference

• 1. Is the question important for leaders in rural transportation?

• 2. Is there a culture of bad driving behavior in the rural areas of New England?

• 3. How can we understand what is unique about bad driving behavior in the rural population?

Source: SmartMobility, Inc. for NETI

Male Death 20-24years: Most Rural

Male Death 20-24years: Most Urban

• Yes, the cost of bad driving behavior is too high to ignore

• 2. Is there a ‘culture of bad driving behavior’ in the rural areas of New England?

What We are Looking For

• Seeking to understand the differences in attitudes and culture which might affect driving behavior– Risky driving behavior in specific

• Seeking to understand the differences in attitudes and behavior between our ‘rural’ sample and the non-rural sample

Our Survey Instrument

• 1050 surveys, one half hour each• Entirely Internet-based• Full coverage of

– Rural (Non-metropolitan) • Within village• Isolated from village

– Urban (Metropolitan)

The Logic of a “Culture of Driving Behavior”

Driving Behavior

Culture of

Behavior

Driving Behavior

Culture of

Behavior

Holding Regional Variables Constant

• All 1,000 participants are from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont,– (and adjacent areas in

the Northeast)

Holding Regional Variables Constant

• This statistical process allows the urban/rural dimension to be examined separately from regional variation

Three Categories of Location

Our survey questions will appear here

Pro-safety direction

Anti-safety direction

The Meaning of the Arrows

Upward arrow means a PRO

SAFETY REPONSE

Downward arrow means an ANTI-

SAFETY REPONSE

NO arrow means response was not

significant

Let’s Start

• We are looking for evidence of a rural driving culture that would explain accident patterns

Suburban Rur

Logic of Speeding

“Driving over 45 mph through the towns would help to get me home in time for dinner”

Suburban Rur

Logic of Speeding

“Driving at the higher speed in the passing lane would get me home a lot faster.”

Suburban Rur

Subjective Norm

“The people I like to be around would never obey these town speed limits.”

Social Norm for Speeding

“I would feel ashamed to be pulled over by the police for tailgating the slow car.”

“If I told my friends at dinner that I broke the speed limit to get home, they would …. disapprove….” R

Suburban

“My parents would find the idea of me speeding... unacceptable”

Illusions of Self Power

“These rules make no sense for me, as I am a very precise driver who brakes quickly.”

Intention to Speed

“I intend to go through similar towns at the higher speed in the next two months.”

Suburban

Reported Low Speeding

“I usually go through towns at the higher speed (over 45 mph).”

Suburban

Attitudes to Drink and Drive

“Driving after having a few drinks is acceptable.”

Attitudes to Drink and Drive

“It is dangerous to drink and drive..”

Driving Behavior: Speeding

“Disregard the speed limit on a two-lane highway.”

Perceived Effectiveness of Aggressive Driving

“If I follow the car in front of me closely, then it is very likely that the car would move out of the left lane.”

Driving Behavior– Speed

“Go more than 75 mph on an interstate….”

Suburban

Driving Behavior– Speed

“Go more than 80mph on an interstate….”

Alcohol- Behavior

“Drive home after having drunk more than the legal limit.….

Dangerous Driving – Phone

“Use your cell phone while you are driving.”

BUT….Efficacy of the Seatbelt

“Driving without a seatbelt is dangerous.”

Urban Mean=5.96Rural Mean=5.92(Difference not significant)

Badness of Attitude vs.Badness of Driving Behavior

• Factor analysis was applied creating two separate factors

• A ‘Culture of Risky Driving Index” was created to reflect attitudes and cultures

• A ‘Behavior of Risky Driving Index” was created to reflect self reported driving behavior

The Culture of Risky Driving Urban/Rural Differences by Age and Gender

Under 30 Male Over 30 Male Under 30 Female Over 30 Female

Urban Rural

The Behavior of Risky Driving Urban Rural Differences by Age and Gender

Under 30 Male Over 30 Male Under 30 Female Over 30 Female

•• No. Our survey did NOT reveal a consistent

pattern in which rural cultures are worse

Application of Social Psychology

• NETI built a model of driving behavior based on theories in Social Psychology– With the cooperation of research agencies in Sweden and

France

• Models of behavior help us understand differences in attitudes between two groups and their relationship to Risky Driving Behavior

BadDriving

Behavior

Go more than 80 mph on an interstate

0,err14

Speed on atwo-lane highway.

0,err15

Pass a slow driver on the right

0,err17

Speed on aresidential road.

0,err16

Race away from traffic lights

0,err18

• Five aspects of risky driving behavior were reported

Hurting someone else with mycar would (NOT) scar me for life.

0,Speed isdesirable

Driving at the higher speed in the passing lane would get me home a lot faster.

Speeding through the towns would allow me to arrive home much sooner.

Driving over 45 mph through the towns would help to get me home in time for dinner.

0,Denial of

RiskThe risk of dying in a traffic crash is so low that you can ignore it.

When I speed, I'm only putting myself in danger, not others.

0,SensationSeeking

PersonalityI prefer friends who are

exciting and unpredictable.

How often do you do exciting things even if they are dangerous?

How often do you do dangerous things for fun?

There is no danger in following close, as I am a very precise driver.

Social Norm(Pro Speed)

If I told my friends at dinner that I broke the speed limit to get home, they would...

The people I like to be around will tailgate a slow car in the next two months.

People who are important to me will drive over45 mph through such towns in the next two months.

• Factors were defined that explained Risky Driving Behavior

• A key element of the model is the concept of Denial of Risk

• A Structural Regression Model was created to explore the relationships among the factors that influence Risky Driving Behavior

• The Urban Model

• The Rural Model

Conclusions from the Model

• “Denial of Risk” is more important for the Rural Group than for the Urban Group

• “Sensation Seeking” is more important for the Urban Group than for the Rural Group

Hurting someone else with mycar would (NOT) scar me for life.

0,Speed isdesirable

Driving at the higher speed in the passing lane would get me home a lot faster.

Speeding through the towns would allow me to arrive home much sooner.

Driving over 45 mph through the towns would help to get me home in time for dinner.

0,Denial of

RiskThe risk of dying in a traffic crash is so low that you can ignore it.

When I speed, I'm only putting myself in danger, not others.

0,SensationSeeking

PersonalityI prefer friends who are

exciting and unpredictable.

How often do you do exciting things even if they are dangerous?

How often do you do dangerous things for fun?

There is no danger in following close, as I am a very precise driver.

Social Norm(Pro Speed)

If I told my friends at dinner that I broke the speed limit to get home, they would...

The people I like to be around will tailgate a slow car in the next two months.

People who are important to me will drive over45 mph through such towns in the next two months.

• A key element of the model is the concept of Denial of Risk

Implications

• The pattern of “Denial of Risk” in the rural group might explain– Lower use of seat belts in rural populations– Lower support of enforcement procedures

• And possibly..– A different role for alcohol…

Conclusions for NADO

In our sample of Northeastern Rural States…• No negative rural driving culture was found• No negative rural behavior pattern was found

• But…• Urban group seeking sensation• Rural group denying the reality of risk• Differences in specific patterns do exist

• Thanks…• ...to the team from NADO and local

hosts of this conference…

Coogan rpo2012

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