Fear of Crime in Traffic: An Analysis of Gender-Based Perceptual Differences in the Case of İzmir

This study examines gender differences in fear of crime within traffic settings. To address the scarcity of traffic-specific research, we developed a 26-item Fear of Crime in Traffic Scale and surveyed 1,505 active drivers in İzmir (768 women; 737 men) using purposive and quota sampling. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure—Perceived Individual Insecurity in Traffic, Fear Related to Vehicle Types, and Spatio-Temporal Perceptions of Safety—explaining 79.19% of the variance (KMO = .973; Bartlett p < .001). Reliability was high for the total scale (α = .96) and strong across subdimensions (α = .95, .90, .88). Given non-normal distributions, gender comparisons employed Mann–Whitney U tests. No significant gender differences emerged for Perceived Individual Insecurity (U = 271,314, z = −1.388, p = .165) or Spatio-Temporal Perceptions of Safety (U = 273,649, z = −1.118, p = .265). However, men scored higher on Fear Related to Vehicle Types (U = 250,234, z = −3.919, p < .001, r = .101). Item-level patterns indicate women report greater concern about sexual harassment and verbal abuse, while men report higher concerns tied to public/heavy vehicles and the perceived effectiveness of enforcement. These results nuance the gender–fear literature by showing that, in “mobile public spaces” like traffic, gendered threat perceptions vary by subdimension. The findings inform transportation safety by highlighting the need for gender-sensitive interventions that address both interpersonal risks and vehicle/structural risks.