• Australia
• Belgium
  • ISA in Ghent
  • First results
    • Basic Attitudes
    • Speeding behaviour
    • Driving behaviour
    • Acceptance of ISA
    • Role models
  • ISA and policy
  • Future of ISA
• Denmark
• France
• The Netherlands
• Spain and Hungary
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• Reports

Basic attitudes and perception on speed and speeding

Basic attitudes

The basic attitudes mean how drivers see mobility and transportation; in particular the perception on speed of motorised vehicles. A car is not only a way of transportation but also a consumer good with a symbolic meaning. In this symbolic meaning, satisfaction and social positioning are the most significant roles. Although we can not neglected the instrumental dimension, we assume that also speed will have an important roll in this symbolic meaning. The following basic attitudes are taken in the questionnaire: driving is only satisfying with a nice car; speeding is exciting; drivers have got to be to much aware of other road users; if I drive, I live it up; driving fast, saves time; a car is only for use of transportation; driving fast is liberating; People should be stimulated to use the car less; driving fast is fun.

ISA had a certain effect on the drivers’ opinion on basic attitudes. Basically, most of the drivers didn’t think that driving fast is fun (average, more than 70%), or exciting (average, more than 53%). Their opinions about these issues did not change dramatically during or after the trial. More people agreed on ‘driving fast is liberating’ during (79%) than before (69%) or after (71%). More than 75% did not agree with the attitude ‘if I drive, I live it up’, although this opinion increased (84%) during the trial and decreased (74%) after the trial. Before the trial 1 out of 5 drivers thought that ‘driving fast saves time’, during the trial only 5% were agree and after the trial, only 1 out 10 thought that ‘driving fast saves time’. Before (84%), during (82%) and after (86%), a huge majority agreed that ‘people should be stimulated to use the car less’ and that ‘a car is only a way of transportation’ (around 70%). Before the trial, 38% thought that ‘driving is only satisfying in a nice car’. During the test most of them (43%) were neutral, while after the trial most did not agree.

Perception on speed and speeding

To measure the perception on speed and speeding, four basic items are distinguished: attitudes on speed and speeding; feeling of insecurity according to different roles in traffic; perception of speed limits; the importance of taking actions against speeding.

• Attitudes on speed and speeding

• The attitudes on speed and speeding were analysed before, during and after the trial. The following possible attitudes were given to the test-drivers: ‘speeding is dangerous’; ‘speeding is sportive’; ‘speeding is reckless’; ‘speeding causes the most traffic accidents’. Although their opinions changed during and after the trial, the most drivers thought that speeding is ‘dangerous’, ‘reckless’ and ‘not sportive’. The most remarkable changes were about their opinion of ‘speeding causes the most traffic accidents’: 74% were agree before, 69% during, and 56% after the trial.

• The feeling of insecurity

• The drivers were asked if they feel safe or unsafe, when they see other cars driving to fast in different speed areas. Also the respondents were given different roles of road users: as a pedestrian, bicycler or driver. The respondents will feel never save in the roll of pedestrian in any speed area when other cars are driving to fast. The test-drivers feel the most insecure as pedestrian in 30 area (94%) and pedestrian area (90%). As driver, 49% feel unsafe on highways, 70% in urban area when they see other cars driving to fast. As bicycler 87% feel unsafe in urban area, 83% outside urban and 30 area, 79% in pedestrian area. In general we can say, that our drivers feel mostly insecure when they noticed other vehicles driving to fast.

• Perception of speed limits

• The test-drivers were asked how they think about the different speed limits in different areas (highway (120), outside urban (90), urban (50), 30, pedestrian (15)). 7 on 10 drivers declare that the speed limits are good in all area. Only 2 on 5 says that the speed limit on highways is to low. We can say that there is a good acceptance of the speed limits taken in different areas.

• Measures taken against speeding

• Two main questions were asked at the test-drivers about measures taken against speeding: how important is it to take actions against speeding in different speed areas, which methods are the most appropriate? The test-drivers declare that taking action against speeding in urban areas (53%) is a priority, followed by 30 zones (51%), pedestrian areas (47%), outside urban areas (34%) and highways (28%). The respondents do not find it that much important to take measures against speeding on highways. The best methods taken against speeding are police controls and cameras, followed by speed bumpers. The worst method is road-safety campaigns as billboards and TV adds. If we ask to order these same methods and ISA in order of effectiveness in traffic safety, ISA is the most chosen (1 on 2 drivers).