Assessing Psychological Fitness to Drive for Intoxicated Drivers: Relationships of Cognitive Abilities, Fluid Intelligence, and Personality Traits

Abstract

Our study explores the relationships between traffic-psychological driving-related personality traits, fluid intelligence, and cognitive abilities for drivers whose driver license has been revoked due to intoxicated driving (alcohol and/or drugs). We were able to show that high significant impacts on cognitive functions derive from the participants' age and fluid intelligence. In addition, driving-related personality traits like emotional instability, sense of responsibility and self-control contributed significantly to some of the cognitive abilities that are important for the fitness to drive. Additionally, mediating effects of fluid intelligence in the model are discussed. Traffic psychologists can use this knowledge in their assessment of drivers, mainly regarding the possible compensation of cognitive deficits regarding the fitness to drive.

The Impact of Two MMPI-2-Based Models of Personality in Predicting Driving Behavior. Can Demographic Variables Be Disregarded?

“…First, as observed in recent studies [ 77 ], a significant and negative effect of age was expected on measures of the fitness to drive in both models. Moreover, a gender effect was expected on measures of resilience of attention in favor of females and on motor speed in favor of males [ 81 ].…”

“…Relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between normal or pathological personality traits and cognitive functions related to driving. By using a driving-specific computerized tool (e.g., the Vienna Test System) [ 76 ], Nechtelberger et al [ 77 ] recently investigated the relationship between personality traits, cognitive abilities, and fluid intelligence in drivers with a revoked driving license due to intoxicated driving (alcohol/drug consumption). Authors found that participants with higher emotional instability showed lower hand–eye coordination, poorer selective attention, and poorer resilience of attention, as well as lower perceptual and motor speed, compared with those lower in emotional instability.…”

“…Both studies [ 5 , 77 ] used the Inventory of Driving-related Personality Traits (IVPE) [ 79 ], which is a standardized questionnaire consisting of 39 items measuring four driving-related personality traits, namely sensation seeking, social responsibility, self-control, and emotional stability. Results from both studies pointed out the predictive role of social responsibility, emotional stability, and self-control on both cognitive prerequisites for the fitness to drive and the on-road driving performance.…”

“…Finally, recent studies have reported age and gender differences in cognitive functions implied in the fitness to drive, such as memory, perceptual speed, motor reaction times, resilience of attention, executive functions, and visuospatial skills [ 77 , 80 , 81 ].…”

“…Significant results are expected for an inverse relationship of aggressiveness, psychoticism, and neuroticism on measures of the fitness to drive [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 84 ]. In light of previous studies that employed the IVPE [ 5 , 77 , 78 ], it was hypothesized that (a) sensation seeking would negatively affect all prerequisites of driving fitness due to a decreased ability to adapt responses to the task’s demands [ 106 ] and (b) social responsibility, emotional stability, and self-control would positively affect resilience of attention, motor and reaction speed, and perceptual speed independently of age and gender [ 5 , 77 ].…”