The relation between self-reported driving style and driving behaviour : a simulator study

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI) for driving behaviour in a driving simulator, in terms of speeding, braking, steering, lateral positioning and maintaining distance to a preceding vehicle. Eighty-eight participants, mainly from the Netherlands and Belgium, filled in the MDSI and drove in a simulator for thirty minutes. Different driving behaviours, including complying with the maximum speed, lateral position and the distance to preceding vehicles, were recorded. The objective data retrieved from the simulator were compared with scores resulting from the questionnaire data. The analysis revealed modest correlations between the self-reported driving styles and the driving behaviour in the driving simulator, similar to those reported in the literature. It is concluded that the current study supports the use of the MDSI as a diagnostic tool for screening participants with different driving styles for simulator studies.