NCJ Number
81337
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (1981) Pages: 291-297
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Part of a large-scale study of disqualified drivers, this research focuses on determinants of offenders' decisions for or against driving during the disqualification period.
Abstract
It was predicted that four types of factors would operate to produce a decision. In particular, it was anticipated that three factors -- assessment of risk, perceived disruption, and evaluation of the relation between perceived ability and sanction legitimacy -would combine to produce a fourth factor -- anxiety -- which, in turn, would be related to driving behavior during the sanction period. A sample of 1,552 drivers completed a mail questionnaire designed to provide data about these factors. Multiple regression analysis indicated general support for the predicted relations between factors, although the variables of perceived ability and awareness penalty added little to the final predictor equation, and these relations were found not to be affected by driver demographic and background variables. Apprehension anxiety was confirmed to be the most potent factor in decisions regarding driving while disqualified. Implications of these findings suggest that compliance with the sanction of disqualification could be improved by increasing offenders' anxieties about being caught by the police while driving illegally. Effective measures could well be ones that influence offenders' perceptions of risk, such as more police visibility on the roads or well-publicized random license checks. Tables and 10 references are given.