Examining car drivers’ intention to pay for traffic safety improvement: an integrated TPB-HBM framework

Understanding whether road users are willing to financially support road safety improvement is important for designing feasible and socially acceptable traffic safety policies, especially in resource-constrained urban contexts. This study examines car drivers' intention to pay (ITP) for traffic safety improvement in Peshawar, Pakistan, by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Belief Model (HBM). A face-to-face survey of 554 car drivers was conducted, and the proposed framework was tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The results show that attitude, perceived behavioral control, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action, and health motivation positively influence ITP, whereas perceived barriers reduce it. Subjective norm is not statistically significant. Multi-group analysis further reveals meaningful heterogeneity across age, family size, income, and accident-experience groups. In addition, the contingent valuation results are converted into fatal and severe-injury risk reduction values, providing evidence that can support road safety appraisal and financing decisions. The findings demonstrate that integrating TPB and HBM offers a broader explanation of drivers' support for traffic safety funding than either framework alone and suggest that risk communication, affordability, and transparent program design are central to increasing public support for safety interventions.