Effects of altruism and burnout on driving behavior of bus drivers

Xia Shi; Liang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.aap.2017.02.025

Effects of altruism and burnout on driving behavior of bus drivers

Accid Anal Prev. 2017 May:102:110-115. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2017.02.025. Epub 2017 Mar 6.

Authors

Xia Shi¹, Liang Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Tianjin, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhangl@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 28268203
DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2017.02.025

Abstract

Personality traits predict driving behaviors. However, the mechanism underlying this relationship has not been adequately investigated in professional drivers. The current study investigated the relationship between altruistic personality and aberrant driving behaviors, and the potential role of burnout. A total of 194 bus drivers completed questionnaires including measures of altruism, burnout and aberrant driving behaviors (aggressive violations, ordinary violations, errors, and lapses). The results showed that altruism was negatively correlated with burnout, and with all the four subcategories of aberrant driving behavior. Burnout fully mediated the relationship between altruism and aggressive violations, and partially mediated the relationship between altruism and lapses. These findings can be applied in the bus drivers' selection and interventions for burnout in order to improve the safety of public transport.

Keywords: Aberrant driving behaviors; Altruism; Burnout; Bus drivers.

MeSH terms

Accidents, Traffic*
Adult
Aggression*
Altruism*
Automobile Driving*
Burnout, Professional*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Motor Vehicles*
Occupations
Personality
Risk-Taking
Safety*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult