A mixed-methods examination of the effect of responsibility and social intelligence on driving behavior of young drivers

• Impact of responsibility and social intelligence on driving behavior is studied. • Drivers with higher social awareness engaged in less frequent dangerous driving. • Higher social skill resulted in less frequent negative cognitive/emotional driving. • Higher social responsibility led to more negative cognitive/emotional driving. • Understanding others has a noticeable role in preventing dangerous driving. Dangerous driving behaviors have been shown to be the main reason for vehicle crashes, especially among young drivers. Although research has focused on psychological determinants of dangerous driving behavior in recent years, social and interpersonal factors have had limited attention in the literature. Combining quantitative (i.e., multiple hierarchical regression) and qualitative (i.e., thematic analysis) methods, this study investigates the effects of responsibility and social intelligence on dangerous driving behavior among young drivers. A total of 404 US drivers aged 18–35 participated in this study and completed an online survey that included demographic questions, the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI), Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS), Responsibility Questionnaire (RQ), and open-ended questions. The quantitative results indicated that higher social awareness, social skill, personal responsibility, and social responsibility are correlated with less frequent dangerous driving behavior. Also, young drivers with higher social awareness engaged in less frequent dangerous driving and negative cognitive/emotional driving. Furthermore, higher social skill resulted in less frequent negative cognitive/emotional driving. Higher personal responsibility led into less frequent negative cognitive/emotional driving, while higher social responsibility showed an opposite impact. The qualitative results showed that responsibility and understanding and perceiving others’ choices and perspectives have a noticeable role in preventing dangerous driving behavior. Incorporating responsibility and social intelligence into the development of driving education programs and driver assessment methods may reduce dangerous driving behaviors. Also, the findings can be useful for the revision of driving behavior categories and/or development of a new driving behavior measurement that includes responsibility and social intelligence.