This article describes those personality factors associated with highway accidents. In general, the accident-haver is described as being emotionally less mature, less responsible, more asocial/anti-social, and not as well adjusted. He also tends to have a more disturbed history, such as an unhappy childhood, delinquency, family disruption, and uneven work record. A variety of specific behaviors is listed under these general terms. Many characteristics of the accident-haver are age related, and among “normal” people tend to be modified as one matures. The role of external stress and the concept of accident proneness are also discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsJ. R.Personality variables associated with highway performance. Paper presented at Annual Convention of American Psychological Association, San Francisco, California, 1968.
2.
BarchA. M.NangleJ.TrumboD.Situational characteristics and turn-signalling behaviorHighway Research Board1958, 172
3.
BarmackJ. E.PayneD. E.Injury-producing private motor vehicle accidents among airmenHighway Research Board1961, 285
4.
BillionC. E.Community study of the characteristics of drivers and driver behavior related to accident experienceHighway Research Board1958, 172
5.
BrownP. L.Driver behavior: Study of personality characteristics. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Minnesota, January, 1959.
6.
ButtiglieriM. W.Driving record of neuropsychiatric patientsJournal of Applied Psychology, 1967, 51, 96–100
7.
ButtiglieriM. W.WoodsonM. I. C. E.GuenetteM.ThomsonM.Driver accidents and neuropsychiatric patient.Los Angeles: Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering, University of California, Report No. 69–33, 1969.
8.
CarlsonW. L.KleinD.Familial versus institutional socialization of young traffic offenderJournal of Safety Research, 1970, 2, 13–24
9.
CaseH. W.StewartR. G.Development of a driving attitude scaleHighway Research Board1958, 172
10.
CongerJ. J.GaskillH. S.GladD. D.HasselL.RaineyR. V.SawreyW. L.Psychological and psycho-physiological factors in motor vehicle accidentsJournal of American Medical Association, 1959, 169, 1581–1587
11.
CrancerA.QuiringD. L.Driving records of persons hospitalized with suicidal gesturesBehavioral Research in Highway Safety, 1970, 1, 33–42
12.
CresswellW. L.FroggatP.The causation of bus driver accidents, an epidemiological study.London: Oxford University Press,1963.
13.
DahlstromW. G.Discussion of paper by F. L. McGuireIn North Carolina Symposium on Highway Safety, 1969, 1, 126–133
14.
FinchJ. R.SmithJ. P.Psychiatric and legal aspects of automobile fatalities.Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas.1970.
15.
FineB. J.Introversion-extroversion and motor vehicle driver behaviorPerceptual and Motor Skills, 1963, 12, 95–100
16.
ForbesT. W.The normal automobile driver as a traffic problemJournal of General Psychology, 1939, 20, 471–474
17.
GoldsteinL. G.MoselJ. N.A factor study of drivers' attitudes, with further study on driver aggressionHighway Research Board1958, 172
GreenwoodM.WoodsH. M.The incidence of industrial accidents upon individuals with special reference to multiple accidentsReport Industrial Research Board1919, 4
20.
GreenwoodM.YuleG. U.An inquiry into the nature of frequency distributions representative to multiple happenings with particular reference to the occurrence of multiple attacks of disease or of repeated accidentsJournal of Royal Statistical Society, 1920, 83, 255
21.
HaightF. A.Some comparisons between traffic death and suicideAutomobilismo, 1965, 13, 659–710
22.
HakkinenS.Traffic accidents and driver characteristics. Unpublished master's thesis, Institute of Technology, Helsinki, Finland, 1958.
23.
HaranoR. M.PeckR. C.McBrideR. S.The prediction of accident liability through biographical data and psychometric testsJournal of Safety Research, 1957, 7, 16–52
24.
HavilandC. V.WisemanH. A. B.Criminals who drive. Proceedings of the 18th Conference of the American Association of Automotive Medicine, 1974, 432–439
25.
HeathE. D.Relationships between driving records, selected personality characteristics and biographical data of traffic offenders and non-offenders. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1957.
26.
KraftM. A.ForbesT. W.Evaluating the influences of personal characteristics on the traffic accident experience of transit operators. Proceedings of 24th Annual Meeting of Highway Research Board, 1944, 278–291
27.
LauerA. R.SuhrV. W.Development of a criterion for driving performanceHighway Research Board1958, 172
28.
LeShanL. L.Dynamics in accident-prone behaviorPsychiatry, 1952, 15, 73–80
29.
LevonianE.CaseH. W.Attitude trends in relation to high school grade and driving experienceHighway Research Board1961, 285
30.
MacDonaldJ. M.Suicide and homicide by automobileAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 1964, 121, 366–370
31.
McFarlandR. A.Psychological and psychiatric aspects of highway safetyJournal of American Medical Association, 1957, 163, 233–237
32.
McGuireF. L.Psychological comparison of automobile driversU. S. Armed Forces Medical Journal, 1956, 7, 1741–1748.(a)
33.
McGuireF. L.The safe-driver inventory: A psychological test for selecting the safe automobile driverU. S. Armed Forces Medical Journal, 1956, 7, 1249–1264.(b)
34.
McGuireF. L.The McGuire safe-driver scale.Beverly Hills, California: Western Psychological Services, 1961.
35.
McGuireF. L.Suicidal impulses in the operation of motor vehiclesJournal of Mississippi State Medical Association, 1961, 2, 331–334
36.
McGuireF. L.A typology of accident pronenessBehavioral Research in Highway Safety, 1970, 1, 26–32
37.
McGuireF. L.The understanding and prediction of accident-producing behavior. InNorth Carolina Symposium on Highway Safety, 1971, 1, 116–118. (a)
38.
McGuireF. L.KershR. C.An evaluation of driver education: A study of history, philosophy, research methodology, and effectiveness in the field of driver education.Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1971.(b)
39.
McGuireF. L.Psychological and educational methods of influencing driver behaviorIn Proceedings of International Symposium on Psychological Aspects of Driver Behavior at Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, 1971, 2, II, 2.C.(c)
40.
McGuireF. L.A study of methodological and psycho-social variables in accident researchJSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1972, 2, MS No. 195.(a)
41.
McGuireF. L.Smoking, driver education, and other correlates of accidents among young malesJournal of Safety Research, 1972, 4, 5–11.(b)
42.
McMurryL.Emotional stress and driving performance: The effect of divorceBehavioral Research in Highway Safety, 1970, 1, 100–114
43.
MillerC.Comparison of personality characteristics of high-accident and low-accident bus and street car operators. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Western Reserve University, June, 1952.
44.
MooreR. L.CrawfordA.OdescalchiP.Turn signals for motor vehiclesHighway Research Board1958, 172
45.
PelzD. C.SchumanS. H.Dangerous young drivers.Ann Arbor: Highway Safety Research Institute, University of Michigan, Report No. 2, 1968.
46.
RaheR. H.Life crisis in health change.San Diego: Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, Report No. 67–4, 1969.
47.
RaheR. H.MeyerM.SmithM.KjaerG.HolmesT. H.Social stress and illness onsetJournal of Psychosomatic Research, 1964, 5, 35–44
48.
RaineyR. V.CongerJ. J.WalsmithC. R.Personality characteristics as a selective factor in driver educationHighway Research Board1961, 285
49.
RommelR. C. S.Personality characteristics and attitudes of youthful accident-repeating driversTraffic Safety1959. 13–14
50.
SchulzingerM. S.The accident syndrome.Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas,1970.
51.
SchumanS. H.Young male drivers: Impulse expression, accidents, and violationsJournal of American Medical Association, 1967, 200, 1026–1030
52.
SchumanS. H.EhrlichN. J.PelzD. C.SelzerM.The unmarried male driver under twenty-five.Ann Arbor: Highway Safety Research Institue, University of Michigan, Report No. 32933–1, 1966.
SchusterD. H.The development of attitude scales to predict accident repeater and moving violation drivers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California, January, 1961.
55.
SchusterD. H.GuilfordJ. P.An analysis of accident repeater and chronic violater drivers.Los Angeles: University of Southern California Traffic Project Report No. 1, 1959.
56.
SelzerM. L.PayneC. E.Automobile accidents, suicide, and unconscious motivationAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 1962, 119, 237–240
57.
SelzerM. L.PayneC. E.GiffordJ. D.KellyW. L.Alcoholism, mental illness, and the “drunk driver.”American Journal of Psychiatry, 1963, 120, 326–331
58.
SelzerM. L.RogersJ. E.KernS.Fatal accidents: The role of psychopathology, social stress, and acute disturbancesAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 1968, 124, 8
59.
ShawL.The practical use of projective personality tests as accident predictorsTraffic Safety Research Review, 1965, 9, 34–72
60.
TabachnickN.The psychoanalyst as accident investigatorBehavioral Research in Highway Safety, 1970, 1, 18–25
61.
TillmanW. A.The psychiatric and social approach to the detection of accident prone drivers. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Western Ontario, 1948.
62.
TillmanW. A.HobbsG. E.The accident-prone automobile driver: A study of the psychiatric and social backgroundAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 1949, 106321–331
