Interpreting the association between national culture and road safety

It is well known that the culture of a society impacts on driving behavior and road safety performance. However, it is difficult to quantify culture and to assess how culture interacts with other phenomena that affect road safety performance. This study aimed at understanding the relationship between national culture and road safety performance. It has used data from different sources to study these associations: WHO data on road crash fatality rates and gross national income, the values of the new Hofstede-Minkov dimensions of national culture, and ESRA data on behavior in traffic and support for policy measures in road safety. The paper discusses the associations between national culture and road crash fatalities, between risky behavior and road crashes, between national culture and subjective safety of road users, and between national culture and support for policy measures. The robustness of the impact of culture on road safety and public support for policy measures after controlling for fatality rate and economic development is also examined. The study shows the strong connection between road safety performance and national culture, in particular the tendency for independent thinking and judgement. This link is somewhat indirect because the underlying cause is partially the economic development level.