Effect of drivers' attitudes to traffic safety ⁵²⁹¹

The article examines psychological peculiarities of drivers as traffic participants. The aim of the research: to study certain psychological peculiarities of drivers and their notions of education system in Russian driving schools. The object: psychological peculiarities of drivers. The subject: regularities of influence of the driver’s psychology on the traffic security. Law enforcement officials participated in the empirical research. Methods of the empirical research: interview, questionnaire. Hypothesis: there is a direct correlation between psychological peculiarities of the drivers and their behavior while driving, and one of the factors which have a negative effect on the traffic security is the imperfect system of driver education. The main conclusions: characteristics which influence the traffic security are the negative psychophysiological conditions, certain psychological qualities - tendency toward unreasonable risk, victim behavior, carelessness, urge to exceed the set speed limit. The modern system of driver education in Russia requires improvement of its practical orientation, optimization of the methods of teaching in driving schools; psychological component of driver’s education should be amplified and the culture of road behavior should be nurtured.

Keywords: driver’s psychology, traffic security, psychophysiological condition, tendency toward unreasonable risk, victim behavior, carelessness, speeding, road advertising, driver education, culture of driving.

Column: Juvenile Legal Psychology