NORMATIVE INFLUENCES ON DECISIONS TO OFFEND

This paper summarises the results of a number of decision-making studi es which attempted to understand why normative information about the i ncidence of speeding reduces speed limit violation. All tests took pla ce in AIDE, an Animated Interactive Driving Environment, which allows drivers' decision making and tendencies to violate the traffic law to be conveniently studied. Drivers ''drove'' a predetermined route in th e presence of other traffic, encountering on some occasions Variable M essage Signs (VMS) which carried information about the percentage of d rivers who were not speeding or tailgating. Such VMS information was f ound to be effective in reducing speeding and tailgating violations, b ut only where the majority of other drivers present were complying wit h the traffic law specified on the sign. These results are discussed i n terms of the differential effects of normative information. contagio n models of speeding, and social comparison.