The Relationship between Dispositional Affect and Traffic Locus of Control in Driving

Abstract

The locus of control and dispositional affect of drivers has been claimed to influence driver behaviors. The positive affect and internal locus of control were usually claimed to be related to safety behaviors, whereas negative affect and external locus of control were shown as related to risky behaviors. To investigate the locus of control in the traffic context, multidimensional traffic locus of control (T-LOC) was developed with four dimensions; self, other drivers, vehicle/environment, and fate. In the current study, these four dimensions were used to investigate traffic locus of control. Even though traffic locus of control and affect factors are widely referred to as related to driver behaviors, their relationship has not been investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between drivers' traffic locus of control and dispositional affect. The results showed that positive affect was related to attributing to other drivers and fate rather than their behaviors. On the other hand, negative affect led drivers to attribute causes of accidents to their behavior. The implications of the results, the limitations of the study, and the future directions were discussed.

Keywords

• road safety
• driver safety
• traffic locus of control
• negative affect
• positive affect.

Sürücülerin Genel Duygu Durumu ve Trafik Kontrol Odakları Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Sürücülerin kontrol odaklarının ve genel duygu durumlarının sürücü davranışları üzerinde etkisi olduğu düşünülmektedir. Genel olarak, pozitif duygu durumu ve içsel kontrol odağı güvenli davranışlarla ilişkilendirilirken, negatif duygu durumu ve dışsal kontrol odağı riskli davranışlarla ilişkili bulunmuştur. Kontrol odağı faktörünü sürücülük kapsamında incelemek için Çok Boyutlu Trafik Kontrol Odağı Ölçeği geliştirilmiştir. Bu ölçekte dört boyut ortaya çıkmıştır; benlik, diğer sürücüler, araç/çevre ve kader oluşturmaktadır. Literatürde genel duygu durumu ve trafikte kontrol odağı faktörlerinin sürücü güvenliği ile ilişkisi sıkça bahsedilmiş olmasına rağmen bu faktörler arasındaki ilişki henüz çalışılmamıştır. Bundan yola çıkarak, çalışmanın amacı sürücülerin trafik kontrol odakları ile duygu durumları arasındaki ilişkini incelemektir. Çalışmanın sonuçlarına göre, pozitif duygu durumu, sürücülerin kaza sonuçlarını kendi davranışlarından ziyade diğer sürücüler ve kader faktörlerine atfetmeleri ile ilişkili bulunmuştur. Diğer yandan, negatif duygu durumu ise sürücülerin kazaları kendi davranışlarına atfetmesi ile ilişki bulunmuştur. Sonuçlar ile birlikte çalışmanın kısıtlılıkları ve gelecek çalışmalar için öneriler tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

• yol güvenliği
• sürücü davranışları
• kontrol odağı
• pozitif duygu durumu
• negatif duygu durumu

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