Sensation seeking, risky driving and behavioral adaptation

A study on the relationship between sensation seeking (SS) and risky drivin g, aggressive driving and behavioral adaptation is reported on. College stu dents completed a questionnaire concerning their driving behavior and level of sensation seeking. Results indicated that high SS's were significantly more likely than low SS's to speed., not wear belts, drink frequently, driv e after drinking. perceive a low risk of detection for impaired driving, an d perceive that they could drink more beer before being impaired. High SS's were also more likely to report aggressive driving habits. High SS's were significantly more likely than low SS's to say that they would drive faster on highways and on wet roads and drive after drinking, if operating a vehi cle equipped with anti-lock brakes. The results are consistent with previou s research. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.