Risk preference, risk perception as predictors of risky driving behaviors: the moderating effects of gender, age, and driving experience

Studies that measure individual differences leading to risky driving behaviors in pre-crash phase will make contributions to accidents prevention. The primary concern here is what induces drivers to engage in risky behaviors. In this research, 441 valid questionnaires were distributed to examine the impact of risk preference, risk perception, and their interaction on risky driving behaviors, and the moderating effects of gender, age, and driving experience were measured accordingly. Results from the ordered logit regression model analysis demonstrate that the data fit well with our theoretical model. Risk preference and risk perception both predict risky driving behaviors with risk perception having greater predictability, and their interaction significantly affects risky driving behaviors when gender and age variables were added to the model separately. Gender and driving experience moderate the influence of risk perception on risky driving behaviors. The predictive effect of risk perception on risky driving behaviors was more significant for females than males. The effect of risk perception on risky driving behaviors was more pronounced for drivers with 1-3 years of driving experience compared with others. These interesting findings suggest that interventions need to be directed to all parts of the causal chain.