Research on the Illegal Occupancy Behavior of Motorway Emergency Lane Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

The current study aims to explore the impact of social psychological factors on the behavior that drivers illegally occupy the emergency lane. The research on the illegal occupancy behavior of motorway emergency lanes was conducted based on an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). A sample of 221 drivers from the general population, aged 21–55 years, completed the questionnaire. The results of an independent t test showed that there are significant differences in intention, perceived behavioral control, risk perception, and conformity tendency between drivers having illegal occupancy experience and those without illegal occupancy experience. The hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that attitude (p=0.000), perceived behavioral control (p=0.000), risk perception (p=0.024), and conformity tendency (p=0.000) were significant predictors of intention. Attitude, perceived behavioral control, perceived risk, and conformity tendency were regarded as the main social psychological factors affecting the illegal occupancy behavior in emergency lanes.