New NUI Galway research has found that advertising campaigns showing the carnage on the nation’s roads could actually lead to young male drivers taking more driving risks.
The findings of the research could have implications for road safety campaigns that target young males through messages that portray the consequences of fast or dangerous driving.
The study carried out by psychology student Ms Rachel Carey and Dr Kiran Sarma at the School of Psychology, NUI Galway, investigated how awareness of death among young male drivers, together with personality factors, can influence intentions to take driving risks. Findings suggest that many young males perceive ‘fast driving’ as central to who they are and when told that they should not drive fast because of the carnage that can be caused they rebel against the message with intent to take more risks. It was found that young drivers exposed to dangerous driving facts have a greater intention to drive fast after exposure than had they been presented with neutral facts.
Eighty male university students (aged between 17 and 24, all of whom were in possession of a full driver’s licence ) were asked to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire first assessed the relevance of driving for participants’ self-esteem. Half of the participants were then exposed to images of car crashes and facts about the potential death-related consequences of driving such as “17 to 24-year-old males account for over one in five driver deaths.” The other half were presented with neutral driving facts. Participants then completed a personality inventory which measured impulsivity. Finally, they reported their intentions to take driving risks in real-life scenarios.
“It would appear that young Irish males can view fast driving as part of their personal identity - who they are,” said Ms Carey, who is from Headford, Co Galway, and is currently completing her final year of a BA in psychology.
“Driving is tied up in their self-concept and telling them not to drive fast because they might die, or they may kill others, is perceived as being an assault on their self-esteem. They react defensively by reporting a more marked intention to drive fast because, for many, doing so bolsters their self-esteem,” said Ms Carey.
