Does the familiarity of road regulation contribute to driving violation? A simulated study on familiar and unfamiliar road intersections among young Chinese drivers

Abstract

Road accidents represent the primary cause of death among young drivers. To understand the emerging issue of young drivers’ involvement in traffic accidents abroad, risk-taking behaviors were investigated in familiar and unfamiliar driving situations. Twenty-two young Chinese drivers completed a road regulation test followed by a simulated test drive. The number of traffic violations and accidents in familiar and unfamiliar driving intersections were correlated to road regulation knowledge, risk perception scores and to self-assessment of driving skills. Significant number of mistakes was found in risk-taking situations, regardless of the familiarity of the situation, especially for drivers that presented high ratings of self-assessed driving skills. Results show that risk-taking behaviors while driving in unfamiliar conditions are mediated by psychological factors, like self-assessment of being a good driver, more than the actual knowledge of road regulation rules. Implications for international driving can be considered for future research development.