• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Listserv
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Login/Register
workzonesafety.org

National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • Crash Information
    • Work Zone Fatal Crashes and Fatalities
    • National Estimates of Total and Injury Work Zone Crashes
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
    • Other Work Zone Crash Related Resources
  • Flagger Information
    • Flagger Training and Certification Requirements by State
    • Flagging Resources Developed Under the FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant Program
    • Classes
    • Videos
    • Job Resources
  • Training
    • FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant Products
    • Roadway Safety Training Program
    • Online Learning Management System
    • Training Courses and Programs
    • Training Videos
    • ARTBA
    • ATSSA
    • NHI
    • NSC
    • LTAP/TTAP
    • WSU
  • Events and Conferences
    • National Work Zone Awareness Week 2021
    • Work Zone Safety Conferences
    • Other Work Zone Related Conferences
    • 2021 Transportation Construction Safety Events Calendar
  • Data Resources
    • Searchable Databases
    • Public Awareness
    • Laws, Regulations, Standards, and Policies
    • Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
  • Hot Topics
    • Improving Large Truck Safety in Work Zones
    • Smarter Work Zones
    • Transportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Rear End Crashes
    • Minimizing Construction Interferences with Traffic
    • Managing Speeds
    • Mobile/Short Duration Work Zones
    • Reducing Worker Run-overs and Back-overs
    • Working at Night
    • Reducing Worker Fatigue and Distraction Risks
You are here: Home / Publications / Speed Preferences in Work Zones: The Combined Effect of Visible Roadwork Activity, Personality Traits, Attitudes, Risk Perception and Driving Style

Speed Preferences in Work Zones: The Combined Effect of Visible Roadwork Activity, Personality Traits, Attitudes, Risk Perception and Driving Style

Author/Presenter: Steinbakk, Renata Torquato; Ulleberg, Pal; Sagberg, Fridulv; Fostervold, Knut Inge
Abstract:
One of the most common safety issues at work zones is high speed variation. Nevertheless, few studies have addressed psychological variables to deepen the understanding of drivers’ speed choice in work zones. The present study examined whether work zones represent a type of situation that may trigger the expression of certain personality traits resulting in large individual differences in speed preferences. An additional aim was to study whether the expected relationship between personality traits and speed in work zones was dependent upon the presence of visible roadwork activity. Four sub-scales of the UPPS-Impulsivity scale (perseverance, premeditation, negative urgency and sensation seeking), a measure of altruism and a measure of normlessness were chosen for this purpose. A video-based experiment of real work zones was used where drivers (N = 815) stated their preferred speed in conditions with and without roadwork activity present. Afterwards, they answered an online questionnaire with the study variables. The presence of roadwork activity was the strongest predictor for speed, resulting in a relatively large reduction in preferred speed. The effect of roadwork activity was also found to moderate the relationship between normlessness and speed as well as perseverance and speed, suggesting that the presence of this contextual factor to some extent influences the relation between personality traits and preferred speed. A serial mediation model showed that sensation seeking, altruism and normlessness had weak, but statistically significant indirect effects on preferred speed in work zone through attitudes towards speeding. Negative urgency had an indirect effect on preferred speed through risk perception, but in the opposite direction as expected. The practical implications such as in planning countermeasures are discussed, as well as in interventions targeting attitudes and risk perception specific for work zones.
Source: Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
Volume: 62
Publication Date: February 2019
Source URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Driver Behavior; Perception; Speed Control; Speeding; Traffic Speed; Work Zones

Copyright © 2021 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Legal Notices/Policies · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute