Willingness to use intelligent speed assistance among UK drivers: the role of personality and driving attitudes

Speeding is a well-documented contributor to crash risk. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is an in-car system that helps drivers remain within the speed limit that is becoming more common in vehicles. This paper examines associations between personality, driving attitudes, and willingness to use ISA among UK drivers. A total of 176 participants (69% female; M age = 38.61, SD = 13.97), all of whom held a full UK driving licence with a mean of 20 years (SD = 13.5 years) of driving experience, completed an online questionnaire. Participants completed measures of attitudes to driving violations, impulsivity, sensation seeking, and the Big Five personality traits, as well as a new set of items developed for this study to measure willingness to use ISA. Principal component analysis identified two distinct and reliable components representing willingness to avoid ISA and willingness to override it. Regression modelling found that attitudes to driving violations were related to both willingness to avoid and override ISA. Mediation analysis found that agreeableness was related to willingness to avoid ISA indirectly through attitudes towards driving violations. These findings highlight a key challenge to realising the full potential safety impact of ISA. Drivers with positive attitudes towards violations, who would benefit most from ISA, are also the most likely to avoid using or override the system. Potential educational methods to address this challenge are discussed.