Could your personality cause you to crash?
Author: Tracy Wilkinson
Published: 22 June 2006
If you´re the type of person that keeps being involved in accidents, it may not be your fault. New research has shown that it´s not just your driving skills that can be the cause of accidents - it can come down to your personality type too.
The findings come from new information released by Direct Line Motor Insurance. Using The Centre for Future Studies think-tank to carry out the research, they have discovered that having a certain type of personality can make people more likely to be involved in car accidents.
The research was based on more than 100 studies into driving behaviour and the causes of crashes. Direct Line set out a personality quiz for drivers to see whether or not they have the personality types that make them a danger on the road. However, the company have been quick to insist that the quiz is just a bit of fun and that that they won´t be upping premium payments for anyone who turns out to be an accident waiting to happen!
The research shows several types of personality that can cause people to fall into high-risk groups.
Creative and Impulsive
This type are more likely to make up the rules as they go along - which isn´t great when it comes to careful driving. They tend to be more free spirited and imaginative than more conservative people and make snap decisions depending on the situations they find themselves in.Outgoing and chatty
They are less careful, tend to be thrill seekers, and have short attention spans - they are most likely to take risks - just getting through that red light at the last second, or overtaking that car in front a little too closely. Also likely to crash during motorway drives or long journeys where they get bored and start looking around for something to do - like changing CD´s, dialing various people on their mobiles, or reading the paper.
Cautious
You might think that this group would be safe as houses, but not so... they are so wrapped up in worrying what other motorists are up to that they are easily distracted and react badly to stress, which can make their reactions slower. Unfortunately being over-cautious can be just as dangerous as being under-cautious, which this type find out to their cost.
Irresponsible
Self explanatory, this type do exactly what it says on the tin. Their only aim is to satisfy their immediate needs and in doing so they ignore the consequences and only think about themselves and the situation they are in right there and then. Least likely to take notice of road signs and rules, their favourite word is me, and they really do think they own the road. And act like it.
Macho
These characters cause mayhem too. They are hostile, aggresive and emotional behind the wheel, all of which lead to a higher risk of accidents. Quick tempered, they find it hard to take notice of what other drivers are up to, and as they are so highly strung, they find fast moving situations hard to deal with. They are also the group most likely to be involved in road rage incidents so you may well find yourself with a black eye if you are unfortunate enough to end up in a collision with them.
The report showed that of Britain´s 10,000 daily accidents, 95% of them were caused by human error, and the evidence shows strong links to the 5 personality types and accidents.To comment on this story go to Personality type - Blogtorque
Source: Daily Express
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