There are 7 different personality types on the roads, which are you?
Goodyear has teamed up with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to conduct an ongoing study on the social psychology of road safety.
Through focus groups and in-depth interviews with drivers, researchers found seven personalities which frequently manifest themselves. These personalities’ emerge in different situations when drivers interact with others on the road.
Dr. Chris Tennant, social psychologist, who is leading the research project at LSE, says, “Much of the time we can sit happily in the comfortable bubble of our car, but around any corner we may have to interact with other drivers. This makes the road a challenging and uncertain social environment. While we may worry about others’ driving, this research suggests that their behavior also depends on what we do. We create the personalities that we don’t like. >From a psychological point of view, these different types of personalities represent different outlets that drivers use to deal with their frustrations and strong feelings. We are not always entirely one or the other. Depending on the situation and the interaction with others, most of us will find several of these profiles emerge.”
Olivier Rousseau, Goodyear Vice President Consumer Tyres in Europe, Middle East and Africa, says, “Most of these behaviors can lead to dangerous situations on the road. Understanding what type of behavior we exhibit and what situations provoke it is a first step for all of us to better control it, thereby creating a safer driving environment for ourselves and others on the road. Besides effective enforcement of laws against aggressive driving; education and life-long learning remain the most powerful public strategies to address this social and emotional aspect of driving and to achieve the greatest improvements in road safety.”
Relating this to South Africa is easy to do says Tracy Maclear, Marketing and Brand Manager for Goodyear South Africa. “Although the research was conducted in Europe, these driver personalities are visible on South African roads as well. We are all able to identify with at least one personality type. The research is therefore valuable in understanding one’s own driving style and being aware of that during the upcoming festive season, when many of us take to the roads for the holidays.”
Also interesting to note from prior research done on young drivers (under 25):
- 65% of young drivers have more in-car distractions today than ever before
- 40% of young drivers are willing to take more risks
- 29% of young drivers are less likely to follow the advice they received during driver training
- 29% of young drivers do not see the value in driving lessons
- 76% of driving instructors want parents to set a better example for their children.