This survey investigated driver risk assessment in Finland and Michigan. Specifically, 335 drivers in Lahti, Finland, and 272 drivers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, answered questions presented in a mailed survey form. The response rate was 45% in Lahti and 29% in Ann Arbor. The main findings are summarized as follows. Both men and women in the two cities ranked risks rather similarly (except for the strong and weak points of driving skills). The results concerning the mean values of the assessments of each scale showed that drivers in Lahti assessed risks higher than drivers in Ann Arbor. This was the case whether the scale concerned external or internal risks, or strong and weak points of driving skills. On the other hand, drivers in Lahti were less worried about difficulties in traffic than were drivers in Ann Arbor. In conclusion, the generally high rank correlations between cities suggest that drivers in Lahti and Ann Arbor assess different risks in traffic relatively similarly. Small differences in the level of assessments were interpreted to be caused by cultural factors, such as a general assessment of risks in traffic compared to risks of other activities.
Abstract