The influence of fatalistic beliefs and risk perceptions on road safety attitudes in Latin America; a two-country study
The influence of fatalistic beliefs and risk perceptions on road safety attitudes in Latin America; a two-country study
Road safety is a major challenge in the Latin American region; however, there is a significant lack of research undertaken there. To contribute to addressing this gap, this paper reports on an exploration of the antecedents of traffic safety attitudes in two Latin American contexts: Brazil and Ecuador. Building on related work undertaken in other countries, the research explored the relationships between fatalistic beliefs, traffic risk perceptions, and road safety attitudes, while accounting for age, gender, and exposure to the road environment. Data from 2432 individuals, analysed using Structural Equation Modelling, revealed differences in the extent to which different fatalistic belief constructs (including divine control, luck, helplessness, internality, and general fatalism) were related to road safety attitudes. Moreover, fatalistic beliefs were found to influence road safety attitudes both directly and indirectly through their influence on risk perceptions. Those that reported more fatalistic beliefs also reported more dangerous attitudes to road safety and a lower perception of on-road risk. Mirroring findings from work undertaken in other countries, we found males compared to females and younger compared to older respondents to report more dangerous attitudes to road safety, with inconclusive results for risk perceptions. We also found very similar patterns of results in the data from the two countries included in the research. Results are discussed with regards to informing the design of road safety interventions aimed at influencing individual road user attitudes and, ultimately, human behaviour and system performance.
road safety, traffic risk perception, fatalistic beliefs, Latin America, road safety attitudes
84 - 99
McIlroy, Rich C.
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Mont'Alvao, Claudia
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Corovez, Simone P
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Vasconez-Gonzalez, Jorge
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Ortiz Prado, Esteban
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October 2022
McIlroy, Rich C.
68e56daa-5b0b-477e-a643-3c7b78c1b85d
Mont'Alvao, Claudia
151915b6-03c5-4922-af7a-39359a3fdd5a
Corovez, Simone P
0df3369f-47b7-41ca-a94e-33d92dc39d3f
Vasconez-Gonzalez, Jorge
07ce0679-a054-4cb9-9d72-f4f557a10917
Ortiz Prado, Esteban
4c82ee3e-fe8a-48bd-beee-170176a9efdc
McIlroy, Rich C., Mont'Alvao, Claudia, Corovez, Simone P, Vasconez-Gonzalez, Jorge and Ortiz Prado, Esteban
(2022)
The influence of fatalistic beliefs and risk perceptions on road safety attitudes in Latin America; a two-country study.
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 90, .
(doi:10.1016/j.trf.2022.08.003).
Abstract
Road safety is a major challenge in the Latin American region; however, there is a significant lack of research undertaken there. To contribute to addressing this gap, this paper reports on an exploration of the antecedents of traffic safety attitudes in two Latin American contexts: Brazil and Ecuador. Building on related work undertaken in other countries, the research explored the relationships between fatalistic beliefs, traffic risk perceptions, and road safety attitudes, while accounting for age, gender, and exposure to the road environment. Data from 2432 individuals, analysed using Structural Equation Modelling, revealed differences in the extent to which different fatalistic belief constructs (including divine control, luck, helplessness, internality, and general fatalism) were related to road safety attitudes. Moreover, fatalistic beliefs were found to influence road safety attitudes both directly and indirectly through their influence on risk perceptions. Those that reported more fatalistic beliefs also reported more dangerous attitudes to road safety and a lower perception of on-road risk. Mirroring findings from work undertaken in other countries, we found males compared to females and younger compared to older respondents to report more dangerous attitudes to road safety, with inconclusive results for risk perceptions. We also found very similar patterns of results in the data from the two countries included in the research. Results are discussed with regards to informing the design of road safety interventions aimed at influencing individual road user attitudes and, ultimately, human behaviour and system performance.
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Latin American attitudes risk and fatalism for Pure (1)
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Accepted/In Press date: 8 August 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 August 2022
Published date: October 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR; 16/137/122) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The authors would also like to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES - Finance Code 001) and Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) for the financial support of this study. We also thanks field researchers and volunteers, that participate in this research.
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR; 16/137/122) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
Funding Information:
The authors would also like to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES - Finance Code 001) and Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) for the financial support of this study. We also thanks field researchers and volunteers, that participate in this research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
Keywords:
road safety, traffic risk perception, fatalistic beliefs, Latin America, road safety attitudes
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 469847
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469847
ISSN: 1369-8478
PURE UUID: a0d7f6c4-64d0-48e4-9051-a7facc216d21
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Date deposited: 27 Sep 2022 16:38
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:29
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Contributors
Author:
Claudia Mont'Alvao
Author:
Simone P Corovez
Author:
Jorge Vasconez-Gonzalez
Author:
Esteban Ortiz Prado
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