What does your driving style say about you?

Are you thrill-seeking or conscientious? Research carried out at an OU Affiliated Research Centre, the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), demonstrates links between personality and driving style.

OU PhD student, Steve Skippon, is investigating drivers’ perceptions of vehicle performance using TRL’s driving simulator and test track facilities. Participants completed four drives on rural A-roads in the simulator, with the simulator’s engine power and responsiveness adjusted for each of the drives. They were also asked to complete questionnaires aimed at gathering information about self-reported driving behaviour and personality characteristics.

Correlating the simulator and questionnaire results revealed that a faster more dynamic style of driving is associated with less agreeable and higher thrill seeking personalities. A slower, smoother driving style is associated with more agreeable and conscientious personalities. The study and its outcomes are published in Driver Behaviour and Training, Volume IV.

This research is part of Shell’s programme to understand how personalities affect driving behaviour, with a view to understanding how future changes in vehicle propulsion can be best delivered.

Useful links:
OU Affiliated Research Centres
Transport Research Laboratory

S.M. Skippon, N. Reed, T. Luke, R. Robbins, M. Chattington and A.H. Harrison. October 2010. ‘Relationships between driving style, self-reported driving behaviour and personality’. In L. Dorn (Ed), Driver Behaviour and Training, Volume IV.

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