The association between national culture, road safety performance
and support for policy measures

Why We Conduct Research?

At The Culture Factor Group, we believe in unlocking culture with data. Our research advances the understanding of how culture shapes decisions, organizations, and societies. By analysing large-scale data, we refine existing models, challenge  assumptions, and provide insights that drive better leadership, HR policies, and global strategies.

Globally, over 1.35 million people die in road traffic incidents annually, making road safety a universal public health issue. Yet despite shared global goals, countries vary widely in both road fatality rates and the public’s support for safety policies. While wealth is a known factor, this study investigates whether national culture explains differences in safety outcomes and policy acceptance, even after controlling for economic prosperity.

This research is relevant to policy makers, traffic safety authorities, behavioural scientists, and cultural analysts aiming to understand how cultural factors impact public support for regulations and the effectiveness of national safety strategies.

Purpose of the research

The study’s aim is to examine the association between:

• National culture and road safety performance

• National culture and public support for road safety policy measures

• It uses Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, both original and revised, and links them to data from the WHO Global Road Safety Report, ESRA2 surveys, and Gross National Income (GNI) to identify statistically significant relationships across a large number of countries.

Findings

A. Culture and Fatality Rates

• Three dimensions: Power Distance,

•  Individualism, and Long-Term Orientation, correlate strongly with national road fatality rates.

• Higher fatality rates are observed in countries that are more collectivist, short-term oriented, and with high power distance.

• The revised measure of individualism shows an even stronger negative correlation with fatality rates (r = –0.751), meaning more individualistic countries tend to have fewer road deaths.

B. Culture and Public Support for Road Safety Policy Measures

Figure 1: All cyclist should wear a helmet and Individualism. 

• The study analysed support for 15 road safety measures (e.g. alcohol interlocks, mandatory helmets, speed assistance systems).
• Support is generally lower in individualistic countries, particularly for measures perceived as restrictive (e.g. intelligent speed assistance).
• Flexibility (vs. monumentalism), also shows a negative correlation with support levels for several measures.

C. Road Offending and Enforcement

• In countries with higher self-reported speeding, support for anti-speeding policies is significantly lower.
• Higher perceived police enforcement correlates with higher support for speed-related measures, but not consistently for other offences (e.g. drunk driving or phone use while driving).

Implications

For Policy Makers: Cultural context must be considered when designing road safety strategies. Measures successful in one culture may fail in another due to differing levels of public acceptance.

For Safety Campaigns: Efforts to increase support for new regulations should address cultural attitudes towards authority, individual freedom, and compliance.

For Researchers: The study offers quantitative evidence linking national cultural dimensions to public health and policy support, inviting further cross-disciplinary exploration.

Methodology

• Data Sources:
  • Road fatality rates: WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018
    Cultural values: including revised scores for individualism and long-term orientation
  • Public support: ESRA2 survey (29 countries)
• Analytical Techniques:
  • Pearson correlations and partial correlations controlling for GNI
  • Exploratory correlation analyses between culture and support for 15 specific policy measures

Research Limitations/Implications

• Analyses rely on correlation, not causation; no regression models were used due to multicollinearity and sample size limits.
• Some cultural values are self-reported and subject to bias.
• Findings are strongest where support for policy measures varies significantly; less variation means weaker explanatory power for culture.
  
  

What is peer reviewed?

This research has undergone a rigorous peer-review process, ensuring that its methodology, findings, and conclusions meet the highest academic standards. Peer review involves independent evaluation by experts in the field, ensuring objectivity, reliability, and scientific integrity.

• Authors: Wouter Van den Berghe, Michael Schachner, Veronica Sgarra, Nicola Christie
• Journal: IATSS Research
• Publisher: Elsevier // International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences
• Publication Date: September 2020
• DOI: 10.1016/j.iatssr.2020.09.002