Drivers' risk assessments and their impact on seat belt use

In this study, the repertory grid technique is used as the main research instrument for eliciting drivers' knowledge to explore the factors that have impact on seat belt use. Principal components analysis identified five factors underlying drivers' risk assessments: severity, predictability / foreseebility, fault, frequency / unsafe behavior, and bit / air bag impact. Our results also show that the perceived risk and perceived importance of seat belt use are influenced by situational factors the direction of collision, the location of collision, and the existence of an air bag system. The implication of this study is that belt use campaigns might be more successful if they focused on modifying perceived risk.