How You Deal with Your Emotions Is How You Drive. Emotion Regulation Strategies, Traffic Offenses, and the Mediating Role of Driving Styles

Andrei C. Holman and Simona A. Popușoi
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Andrei C. Holman: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi 700506, Romania
Simona A. Popușoi: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi 700506, Romania

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Past research indicated the importance of traffic safety and driving behaviors for the sustainability of the traffic system. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of emotion regulation on drivers’ tendency to obey or transgress traffic rules. A sample of 554 Romanian drivers completed a set of measures assessing their driving styles, traffic offenses, and their habitual use of three emotion regulation strategies. The results of the mediation analyses showed that two of these strategies, i.e., reappraisal and experiential avoidance, are associated with less traffic offenses, and that specific driving styles mediate these effects. While the behavioral effects of experiential avoidance were mixed in valence, reappraisal was found to diminish the use of maladaptive driving styles and to foster careful driving. Overall, this pattern of results indicates the potential benefits of future interventions aiming to develop drivers’ abilities to regulate their emotions, especially through reappraisal, for increasing traffic safety.

Keywords: traffic outcomes; traffic offenses; driving style; emotion regulation strategies; reappraisal; avoidance; traffic safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:4929-:d:372560

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