How Personality and Mental Disorders Affect Driving Behavior

When it comes to car accidents, they can be caused by a variety of factors. Human factors are the main cause of crashes. This includes all sorts of human behavior. Human factors play a major role in causing accidents everywhere.

Driving is a complex activity and includes cognitive, visual, and bodily processes. The behavior of a driver is influenced by cognitive-behavioral characteristics. These include conscious and unconscious factors such as empathy, characteristics, and stress level.

Because of this, driving could be adversely affected by factors such as age and mental illness. Many studies have revealed that mental disorders such as depression or anxiety increase the risk of car crashes. Other studies have focused on the role of a person’s personality and visibility in driving behavior.

Studies were done to identify the possible impact of personality traits and mental illnesses on driving behavior and car accidents. The researchers surveyed 800 professional drivers and conducted various questionnaires.

Many researchers use the Manchester Driving Behavior Questionnaire (MDBQ) to determine a person’s behavior. The questionnaire covers the kind of behavior and the amount of risk posed to other drivers. Abnormal behaviors include lapse errors, deliberate violation, unintentional violation, and slips. These behaviors are classified as follows:

• Behaviors that pose no risk to others (low-risk probability).
• Behaviors that are likely to put others at risk (moderate-risk probability).
• Behaviors that positively put others at risk (high-risk probability).

Some researchers also use Smoking and Substance Abuse Questionnaires. This questionnaire consists of 12 items and surveys the amount of alcohol, drugs, stimulants, and hallucinogens that a person has consumed during the past year.

Based on the results of this study, older age reduces the occurrence of accidents. There was a significant relationship between age and driving errors. The risk of driving violations is higher in those between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. Therefore, the ability to drive safely and skillfully is a process that takes at least eight years.

The results also revealed that depression increased the odds of road accidents by more than two-fold. Furthermore, obsession disorder increases the odds of road accidents by 2.7-fold. Among the personality traits, neuroticism was more likely to increase the probability of a crash by 1.1-fold.

Having visited a psychiatrist or psychologist did not affect the risk of getting into a car accident. However, one study noted that tired, careless and anxious drivers have difficulty driving and are likely to get into an accident. Another study also stated that patients with psychiatric disorders had twice as many accidents compared to those without such disorders.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

Not everyone drives the same. Some people have different personalities or even mental disorders that make driving challenging. Some factors can increase the risk of car accidents.

In a crash? Get the help you need from a Houston auto accident attorney from The West Law Office, PLLC. We’ll work on financial recovery while you focus on physical recovery. To schedule a consultation with our office, call 281-347-3247 or fill out the online form.

Source:

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5337762/#:~:text=Human%20factors%20play%20a%20major,the%20risk%20of%20road%20accidents.