| Abstract: | A series of four field studies were conducted to examine how motorists behaved at intersections. In each study, the proportion of drivers who pulled out in front of oncoming cars at varying temporal distances was recorded. In the first study, it was found that the proportion of turns in front of an approaching car was related to the log of the temporal distance between the subjects and the oncoming cars by a normal ogive. The remaining studies examined the effects that the presence of various types of audiences had on this risk-taking function. It was found that being forced to wait in a line of cars before being allowed to turn substantially increased the risks that drivers took, whereas the presence of other cars behind and/or beside the subject's car had no effect on the risk-taking function. A hypothesis explaining these effects in terms of the frustration of being forced to wait was supported while a social facilitation hypothesis was not. It was also discovered that males take more risks than females, a fact which could explain the higher accident rate for males. |
