How accurately do drivers evaluate their own driving behavior? An on-road observational study

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention Vol. 63; pp. 65 - 73
• Main Authors: Amado, Sonia, Arıkan, Elvan, Kaça, Gülin, Koyuncu, Mehmet, Turkan, B. Nilay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Automobile Driving - psychology; Automobile Driving - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; Driving skills; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; On-road observation; Over-positive appraisal; Prevention and actions; Psychomotor Performance; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Self-Assessment; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; Driving skills; Self-assessment; Over-positive appraisal; On-road observation; Observational study; Self evaluation; Vehicle driving; Highway; Observation; Vocational aptitude; Behavior
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2013.10.022

•Driver self-evaluations and expert's evaluations of driving skills had low to moderate correlations.•94.8% of the drivers evaluated their performance to be better than the assessments of the observer.•Over-positive appraisal was higher among drivers with higher error/violation score and with the ones that were evaluated by the expert as “unsafe”.•Improving self-awareness by training and feedback in traffic environments may decrease risk. Self-assessment of driving skills became a noteworthy research subject in traffic psychology, since by knowing one's strenghts and weaknesses, drivers can take an efficient compensatory action to moderate risk and to ensure safety in hazardous environments. The current study aims to investigate drivers’ self-conception of their own driving skills and behavior in relation to expert evaluations of their actual driving, by using naturalistic and systematic observation method during actual on-road driving session and to assess the different aspects of driving via comprehensive scales sensitive to different specific aspects of driving. 19–63 years old male participants (N=158) attended an on-road driving session lasting approximately 80min (45km). During the driving session, drivers’ errors and violations were recorded by an expert observer. At the end of the driving session, observers completed the driver evaluation questionnaire, while drivers completed the driving self-evaluation questionnaire and Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). Low to moderate correlations between driver and observer evaluations of driving skills and behavior, mainly on errors and violations of speed and traffic lights was found. Furthermore, the robust finding that drivers evaluate their driving performance as better than the expert was replicated. Over-positive appraisal was higher among drivers with higher error/violation score and with the ones that were evaluated by the expert as “unsafe”. We suggest that the traffic environment might be regulated by increasing feedback indicators of errors and violations, which in turn might increase the insight into driving performance. Improving self-awareness by training and feedback sessions might play a key role for reducing the probability of risk in their driving activity.