Dual nature of sensation seeking in driving situations: Relationship with risky driving and mental workload

Abstract

Characteristics of sensation seeking were examined in driving situations. The relationships among sensation seeking, risky driving, the mental workload of driving, experiences of human errors and traffic accidents were assessed. Participants were older (n=104), middle-aged (n=104), and young drivers (n=104). Path analyses indicated that high sensation seekers tended to engage in risky driving, and risky driving led to increased human errors. Moreover, male drivers that caused accidents tended to engage in risky driving. On the other hand, low sensation seeking older drivers tended to feel a higher level of mental workload, which led to increased human errors. These results suggest that both high and low levels of sensation seeking predicted different problems in driving situations.