Robert B. Isler and Samantha A. Newland

School of PsychologyUniversity of Waikato

The link between Happiness and Safe Driving Behaviour

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People drive the way they live.

Video

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Driver violations intentions predict risky driving behaviour leading to crashes. to crashes:Driver Behaviour Questionnaire:In the future how often would you expect to do each of the following?Never - 0 Certain - 4 1. Speed over the legal limit2. Be angry about a bad driver3. Deliberately violate a road rule4. Cut off other drivers5. … etc.,

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People drive the way they live.

Mental Languishing Moderate Flourishing Disorder Mental Health

Mental Health

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Are flourishing people low-risk drivers?

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Three Orientations to Happinessand Life Satisfaction

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First Pathway to Happiness:Pleasure

PLEASURE:Hedonic definition of well-being: More experienced pleasure is equivalentto higher well-being.e.g.,- Life is too short to postpone the pleasure it can provide- I go out of my way to feel euphoric

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Second Pathway to Happiness: Meaning

MEANING:Finding meaning in one’s life is an important determinant of psychological well-being. e.g., - I have a responsibility to make the world a better place- What I do matters to the society

1 = Strongly disagree ……. 5 = Strongly agree

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Third Pathway to Happiness:Engagement

ENGAGEMENT:Well-being through engaging in activities that are engrossing and absorbing- creating flow feelings.e.g., - I am always very absorbed in what I do- Regardless what I am doing, time passes quickly.

1 = Strongly disagree ……. 5 = Strongly agree

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Questionnaire

1. Demographics: Age, Gender, Licence type, Mileage2. Driving History: Fines, Near Misses and Crashes (Incidences) 3. Driver Behaviour Questionnaire: Driver Violations Intentions (20 Questions)4. Three Dimensions of Well-being: Pleasure, Engagement, Meaning (18 Questions)

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Sample

- 160 first, second and third year students- Age range: 17 - 48 years; Mean: 24 years- 17-25 years (N=140); >25 years (N=20) - 116 females, 44 males

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Incidences and mileage, by Groups

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Pleasure, Meaning and Engagement, by Groups

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r = -0.6719, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.45

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r = -0.5850, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.34

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r = 0.3163, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.1

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r = -0.532, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.28

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People engage in maladaptive coping strategiesin order to cope with psychological issues -by doing too much of something – or not enough e.g.,:

Starving ---------- IndulgingDriving too slowly ---------- Driving too fastInsomnia (Fatigue) ---------- OversleepingProcrastination ---------- WorkaholicAbstinence ---------- Drink-DrivingBored ---------- Stress

Maladaptive coping strategies

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• The happiness dimensions of meaning and engagement strongly relate to low-risk driving behaviour

• The happiness dimension of pleasure may predict risky driving - possibly relating to sensation and thrill seeking

Conclusions

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