Human decision-making and seat belt use

The methodologies used by researchers to analyze drivers' behavior have changed dramatically over the years. Several driver-behavior models focusing mainly on motivational and cognitive aspects of driving have been developed to identify major factors causing drivers to behave in unsafe manners. Furthermore, the factors revealed by these models have been taken into account in the design of traffic safety campaigns and have led to the introduction of mandatory seat belt use laws in almost all states. On the other hand, low seat belt use rates are still being observed. People often fail to use belts because of strong beliefs and opinions. This study was conducted in two main parts. In the first part, the triadic technique was used for construct elicitation to structure the repertory grid. In the second part, each subject first rated the perceived usefulness of seat belts in each accident scenario on a 7-point scale. Each subject then rated all accident scenarios on each construct on the 7-point scale. Three independent variables were used to specify accident scenarios that were used in the second part. These variables included the direction of collision, the type of road, and the presence of an air-bag system. Three hypotheses were formulated for this study. These hypotheses were: first, perceived usefulness of seat belts is influenced by situational factors such as the direction of collision, the type of road, and the presence of an air-bag system; second, the relationship between the perceived usefulness of seat belts and the situational factors can be described with a set of rules; third, perceived usefulness of seat belts is influenced by perceived risk. The results indicated that the three hypotheses of this research were supported. Based on the results obtained, a conceptual model for the role of situational, individual and several other factors in drivers' behavior towards seat belt use was developed. The model indicated that (1) drivers' seat belt use is habitual in nature, and (2) drivers' decision making process when judging the risk level and usefulness of seat belts differs from those that determine actual behavior.