A study has been conducted to investigate the relationships between risk, perception of hazard, and perceived control in a driving context. To facilitate this, a theoretical model of responding to risk was developed that postulated four stages : hazard detection, threat appraisal, action selection, and implementation. This model was initially tested through the use of a specially developed computerised test battery - CADS (Computerised Assessment of Driving Skills) that incorporated some 30 tests, mostly of a general psychological nature. A sub-sample of subjects who completed these tests then undertook an observed test drive, and a questionnaire survey was carried out that examined on a large scale some of the concepts from the model. Results from these tasks showed that the four-factor model had statistical integrity and reliability, and also had predictive validity in terms of both subjective and objective measures of driver behaviour. (Author/Publisher)
Abstract