The association between risky driver and pedestrian behaviors: The case of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish road users

This study examines associations between the risky behaviors of two types of road users: drivers and pedestrians. Whereas these behaviors have traditionally been investigated separately, the aim here was to examine the connection between them. The sample consisted of 518 drivers and non-drivers from the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel (a sector in which having a driver’s license is not the norm), who completed a series of questionnaires relating to their tendency to take risks as drivers and as pedestrians. Results indicate that individuals who have a driver’s license are more likely to take risks as pedestrians than those who do not. In addition, among those with a driver’s license, strong correlations were found between various driving measures and the inclination for risky behaviors as pedestrians, indicating that the riskier the individual’s driving behavior, the more he or she tended to report dangerous pedestrian behavior. The findings suggest that different kinds of road-use behaviors are not entirely distinct from each other in respect to the degree of risk involved. Thus, the tendency to cross the road dangerously and the tendency to drive dangerously may reflect a more general propensity to take risks, at least in the context of road use.