SELF-REPORTED SEATBELT USE AND RELATED ATTITUDES

A total of 954 drivers were surveyed via telephone regarding general road safety and seatbelt-related attitudes and behaviours. Agreement ratings on a 0-10 scale were made for 19 items. From these, factor analysis extracted three factors: perceptions of personal seatbelt use and attitudes, perceptions of personal driving ability, and perceptions of other driving-related behaviours and attitudes. Cluster analysis identified three profiles of drivers based on these factors. Overall, two groups of drivers reported a strong commitment to seatbelt use and positive seatbelt-related attitudes. For one of these groups, perceptions of personal driving ability were very positive while for the other group they were only moderate. The third group of drivers reported less positive seatbelt-related attitudes and behaviours, however, scores were still quite high and suggested that this group of drivers quite often used seatbelts, but were likely to do so inconsistently. These drivers also had a moderate regard for their driving ability. Age and sex differences across the groups and implications for road safety will be discussed.