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Personality traits and risky behavior among motorcyclists: An exploratory study

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  • Daniel Luiz Romero
  • Daniel Martins de Barros
  • Gabriel Okawa Belizario
  • Antonio de Pádua Serafim

Abstract

Background: Personality traits have been associated with a series of dysfunctional behaviors, ranging from violence to drug abuse and other risky behaviors. However, few studies have investigated motorcycle riders’ personality traits, and no research using the psychobiological model of personality was found. Thus, we investigated the association between temperament and character traits and the occurrence of Motorcycle Accidents (MAs). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a randomly selected of 153 Brazilian motorcycle riders (116 male and 37 female) with a mean age of 31.8randomly selected from the driver’s license register, between 2015 and 2018. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were used. Results: Of the 153 participants, 146 (95.4%) reported having been involved in previous accidents, with the main causes as follows: “other drivers’ careless behavior” (34.9%); “personal disrespect of traffic rules” (18.5%) and “personal careless behavior” (20.6%). Motorcyclists exhibited higher scores for the temperament factors of novelty seeking and persistence and lower scores for harm avoidance and reward dependence in comparison to the Brazilian population). Considering the reason for motorcycle use, the group of riders that used their motorcycles for work exhibited more temperament factors associated with risk behaviors than those who did not. It was observed that 68.9% of them had low Harm Avoidance (HA) factor scores, whereas 72.1% had high Novelty Seeking (NS) factor scores. Discussion: The present study highlighted the influences of different personality traits on behaviors, decision-making and risk attitudes that can be potentially harmful to an individual and others. The results provided evidence that a lack of knowledge and experience in riding a motorcycle or any other vehicle, combined with personality traits, contribute to the adoption of risky behaviors that may act as triggers for most causes of Motorcycle Accidents.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Luiz Romero & Daniel Martins de Barros & Gabriel Okawa Belizario & Antonio de Pádua Serafim, 2019. "Personality traits and risky behavior among motorcyclists: An exploratory study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(12), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0225949
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225949
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dee, Thomas S., 2009. "Motorcycle helmets and traffic safety," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 398-412, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carina Goldbach & Christin Hoffmann & Julia Hoppe & Thomas Pitz & Kirsten Thommes, 2020. "The fast and the furious—An experimental investigation of the pace of life and risky speed choice in traffic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Lee Vien Leong & Shafida Azwina Mohd Shafie & Peng Kheng Gooi & Wins Cott Goh, 2021. "Assessing Self-Reported Risky Riding Behavior of Motorcyclists at Unsignalized Intersections for Sustainable Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-31, August.

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