چكيده به لاتين
Studies and statistics have been mentioned human factors as one of the main effective factors in the occurrence of accidents. The locus of control (what factors drivers attribute accidents to) is one of the key human factors that influence driving behavior. The aim of this study was to develop an appropriate tool to measure the drivers' locus of control and to investigate the relationship between it and behaviors and traffic accidents. The sample size of this study included 405 drivers (289 males and 197 females) who answered the questions of the newly developed Iranian Traffic locus of Control questionnaire, driving behavior questionnaire, questions related to overconfidence, the illusion of control, accidents and demographics. The construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed by factor analysis and the reliability of the instrument was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and the combined reliability coefficient. Factor analysis confirmed the existence of 5 components identified in the main questionnaire, which explain 54.8% of the total variance. Also, the reliability of the scale by Cronbach's alpha coefficient method for the internal locus of control was 0.80 and for the external locus of control which included four subscales of luck/chance, other drivers, environment and vehicle and religious beliefs, were obtained 0.79, 0.79, 0.76, 0.92 respectively. These findings showed the appropriate psychometric properties of the Traffic locus of Control questionnaire. Then, using this questionnaire, the relationships between the locus of control and driving behavior were examined. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the drivers' traffic locus of control is an effective variable in the behavior of Iranian drivers; Thus, the internal locus of control has a negative and significant relationship with all types of driving violations and errors (t> 1.96) and on the other hand, the components of the external locus of control, including luck and destiny, show a positive and significant relationship with more risky driving behavior and accidents. Overconfidence also moderates the relationship between internal locus of control and behavior; The negative relationship between the internal locus of control and behavior is greater for drivers with low overconfidence. According to the results of this study, strengthening the internal locus of control of drivers along with reducing their overconfidence, can lead to safer driving behaviors.
