Risk Perception, Risk-Taking Attitude and Risky Driving Behavior among Drivers in Ghana

156 Pages·2015·8.86 MB·English

University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

RISK PERCEPTION, RISK-TAKING ATTITUDE AND
RISKY DRIVING BEHAVIOR AMONG DRIVERS IN GHANA

BY
SAMUEL OKOE OKWABI
(10260750)

THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MPHIL
PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE
(INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY)

JULY, 2014
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DECLARATION AND APPROVAL
Candidate’s Declaration
I hereby declare that, except for references to other peoples‘ works which have duly been
acknowledged, the novelty of this work is the true and the original research of Samuel Okoe
Okwabi and that it has not neither in whole nor in part been presented for the award of any merit
in this University or elsewhere.

Candidate‘s Signature…………………………………………………...Date…………………
Name: Samuel Okoe Okwabi

Supervisors’ Declaration
I declare that the preparation and presentation of this dissertation were supervised in
accordance with the guidelines on supervision of dissertation laid down by the University of
Ghana. I hereby declare that it has been submitted for examination with my approval as
supervisor.
Principal Supervisor‘s Signature………………………………………..Date…………………
Name: Dr. Robert Akuamoah-Boateng

Principal Supervisor‘s Signature………………………………………..Date…………………
Name: Prof. Samuel Danquah

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DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to all victims of road traffic accidents, especially, to those who suffered
various consequences of road accidents through the recklessness and negligence of drivers. It is
also dedicated to the numerous individuals, groups and organizations who have road safety at
heart.
Special dedication is to Naa Ahema, my dearest, for her sacrifices and endurance that saw the
successful completion of this work as well as the victory in my education.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
“Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Come before Him with joyful
songs. Acknowledge that the Lord is God He made us, and we are His, His people
and sheep of His pasture Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with
praise; Give thanks to Him and praise His name For the Lord is good, and His
love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generation”. Psalm 100
Foremost acknowledgement is to God who made this work a reality. Throughout my studies, I
hoped on His name and He never put me to shame. God almighty, His son Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit are well acknowledged for the strength and revival. The contribution and support of
the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is worth mentioning. This mission would not
have been fulfilled without the commission‘s support; both financial and non-financial. I cannot
forget my dedicated and trustworthy supervisor of this project, Dr. Robert Akuamoah-Boateng
who has also contributed greatly to the success of this work. His ideas, vision and insight was
enough to raise my enthusiasm for the topic. His comments and criticisms had a lot to offer to
the timely completion of this work. Similar appreciation also goes to Prof. Samuel Danquah for
his counsel and direction regarding valuable sources of data and information. Prof. C. C. Mate-
Kole was a lifeline to a deadline, who at the final moment offered valuable feedback to see the
researcher finish up the work. I express gratitude to the prof.
I cannot forget the immense support of the management, driving and non-driving staff and
people of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) for their assistance and support towards the success of
this work. With the peace of God, I finally appreciate and thank all those who in one way or the
other have contributed to the success of this project.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
List of Figures ...….......................................................................................................................viii
List of Tables .................................................................................................................................ix
List of Abbreviations ...…………………………………………………………………………...x
Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................xi
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background of the Study ……...........................................................1
Introduction ….……………………………………………………………………………1
Background of the Study ………........................................................................................1
Risk Perception (RP) ………...…….……...........................................................................2
Risk-taking Attitude (RtA) …...…….……………………………………….....................4
Risky Driving Behavior (RDB) ……….……….................................................................7
Socio-demographic Variables …..…………………………….…………………….…….9
The influence of Gender …..……….……………….……………………….......9
The influence of Age ….………..……………………………………………...11
The influence of Vehicle type operated …………………………………….....12
The influence of Experience ………………………………..………………….13
The influence of Educational level ………………………………………….…14
Statement of the Problem ………......................................................................................15
Consequences of Road Traffic Accidents ……….............................................................15
Relevance of the Study ……….........................................................................................18
Aims of the Study ………….............................................................................................21
Chapter 2: Literature Review …………........................................................................................22
Introduction …………..……….........................................................................................22
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Theoretical Framework ………...……………..................................................................22
Social Cognitive Theory ...………………………………………………………23
Theory of Planned Action ….……...…………....................................................26
The Psychometric Paradigm……..........................................................................26
Risk Homeostatic Theory .....................................................................................27
Literature Review …………………………………………………………….…............29
Rationale of the Study ……….........................................................................................38
Statement of Hypotheses ..…….…………...…………………………………………....38
Operational Definition of Key Variables ..……………………..………………………41
Chapter 3: Methods ………..........................................................................................................42
Population ……….............................................................................................................42
Sample and Sampling Procedure ……..............................................................................42
Research Design ………....................................................................................................47
Research Instruments .………………………………….……………………………......47
Procedure .…………………………………………...……………………………….….52
Data Collection .………………………….....………………….…………………….….53
The Pilot Study .……………………………………………….…………………….…..53
Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria …….....................................................................................55
Research Ethics .…………………………………………………………….…….……..55
Chapter 4: Results ……….............................................................................................................57
Introduction ……….......................................................................................................................57
Preliminary Analysis ….…................................................................................................57
Hypothesis Testing ……....................................................................................................61
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Summary of Research findings .........................................................................................80
Chapter 5: Discussion ...................................................................................................................82
Introduction ......................................................................................................................82
Research Summary............................................................................................................82
Discussion of Results ........................................................................................................83
Implications for road safety ...…………………………………...…………………....…95
Recommendations for Future Research ...……………………….…………………........99
Conclusions ……….........................................................................................................100
Limitations ………..........................................................................................................101
References....................................................................................................................................104
Appendices...................................................................................................................................117

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Distribution of fatalities by Road Users……………………………………………….17
Figure 2: Distribution of fatalities by Age……………………………………………………….19
Figure 3: Social Cognitive Theory Model……………………………………………………….24
Figure 4: Proposed Conceptual Model………………………………………………………......40
Figure 5: Moderation Graph for Risk Taking Attitude……..……………………………….……………………...68
Figure 6: Moderation Graph for Gender……………………..……………………………………………………..….…71
Figure 7: Moderation Graph for Experience……....……………………………………………………..…………….74
Figure 8: Moderation Graph for Type of Vehicle………………………..…………………..…..76
Figure 9: Final Conceptual Model……………………………………….……….…………..….80

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Frequency Distribution of Demographic Characteristics of Respondents……………..46
Table 2: Summary of Descriptive Statistics, Skewness and Kurtosis…………………………...58
Table 3: Correlation Matrix for key study variables…………………………………………….59
Table 4: Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis on RP-RDB Relationship..……………….62
Table 5: Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis on RTA-RDB Relationship..……………..64
Table 6: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB as a of Function of RP and RTA…..………..67
Table 7: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB Function of Risk perception and Age………69
Table 8: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB Function of RP and Gender…….…………..70
Table 9: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB Function of RP and Educ. Level...…………72
Table 10: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB Function of RP and Experience…….……..73
Table 11: Moderator Regression Analyses for RDB Function of RP and Vehicle type
operated …..……75
Table 12: Summary of Independent t-test showing the Type of Vehicle on RDB………..……..77
Table 13: Summary of Means and Standard Deviations for Age and Gender on RDB…..……..78
Table 14: A Summary of the 2-Way ANOVA for the effect of Age and Gender on RDB……...78

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