Driving is an act of a certain complexity that requires proper functioning of our brain and also personal characteristics that promote caution. In a significant percentage of accidents we find what we can call“repeat offenders”, given their risky driving style and their frequency of traffic accidents.But what are these reckless drivers really like? How is your personality?
A recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE(2016) explain that there is not a single type of risky drivers but several, and that they have differential characteristics in terms of their personality, theircognitive processes and even at the neurobiological level. Thomas G. Brown, from the Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute of Montreal and other collaborators from different Canadian and American institutions, had the collaboration of four groups of conductors:
– Repeated drunk drivers
– Nonalcoholic reckless drivers
– Mixed group of risky drivers
– Control group of low risk drivers
In the study, information was collected on their criminal history, their personality, their driving behavior style, their cognitive processes (such as disinhibition or decision-making)and your cortisol response to stressful situations.
The results identified significant differences between the four groups of drivers in several of the measures. On the one hand, they found that the group of reckless drivers who are not drunk are clearly sensation seekers, very uninhibited and that they make worse decisions taking high risks.
On the other hand, there would be the group of drunk drivers, who are also uninhibited but who take risks when they mainly consume alcohol.
Third, the authors found that the mixed group of reckless drivers is more likely to abuse prohibited toxic substances while driving, possesses certain antisocial personality traits, and is highly sensitive to reward.
Finally, all these groups reacted differently from low-risk drivers to stressful situations, showing a lower increase in cortisol (stress hormone).
According to the authors of the article, knowing these profiles helps us to explain the different ways in which risky behavior occurs at the wheel and can be a way to create more accurate preventive measures. In this sense, we wonder if training certain mental capacities such as inhibition or cognitive control could be a useful strategy in preventing traffic accidents and promoting more prudent driving. Perhaps new research will provide us with more information about these possibilities in the not-so-distant future. For now, caution behind the wheel.
Marisa Fernández Sánchez, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
