Susceptibility to distracted driving: The role of personality and individual factors

The present study aimed to investigate the association between the Big Five personality dimensions with the susceptibility of distracted driving (i.e., engagement in voluntary distraction, attitudes toward distraction, and susceptibility to involuntary distraction) comparing samples of Australian and Italian drivers. Distracted driving remains a significant global challenge to road safety, contributing to the occurrence of motor-vehicle crashes with serious consequences on public and environmental health. Despite efforts to explore factors underlying distracted driving, less is known on the role of the driver's personality in affecting the tendency to report distraction. Five hundred and fifty-one participants (55 % females; age range: 18-82 years; M +/- sd: 40.4 +/- 17.5) from Australia and Italy completed an online survey including questionnaires on personality and distracted driving. The invariance of the tested model was assessed through a multigroup path analysis considering personality traits as predictors and different facets of the susceptibility to distracted driving as outcomes, in a unique model. The effects of age, gender, and education were also controlled in the analyses. Results showed differences among nationality groups in personality traits as well as in susceptibility to distraction. The tested model showed invariance across nationality groups, suggesting positive effects of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness on all dimensions of susceptibility to distracted driving. Furthermore, Conscientiousness was found to affect attitudes toward distraction, perceived control, and perceived social norms. Finally, the tendency to report susceptibility to involuntary distraction was influenced by Openness. These results provide insights on the usefulness of assessing personality profiles to achieve road safety improvements and represent a valuable source of knowledge for the study of individual risk exposure.