Perceived Safety and Driving Confidence on UK Motorways

UK motorways are well known for their safety to the motorists, but data showed that they are not on track for Global Vision Zero on road safety. This discrepancy calls for further investigation on the safety perception that motorists have towards UK motorways. This research study seeks to find the main factors influencing UK motorways' perceived safety and driving confidence. Perceived safety is a feeling when a motorist feels safe and does not worry about unsafe circumstances on the motorway. Alternatively, driving confidence correlates to enjoying driving without being nervous and making errors. There are fourteen independent variables gathered from relevant studies which have a possible impact on safety and confidence. Online close-ended questionnaires were given to 225 motorists who have driven on UK motorways by using a convenience sampling approach. After recoded data, reliability tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were conducted. A simple thematic analysis about comments related to motorways was also performed. The results from this sampling group showed that motorists who perceived UK motorways as safe were those males in the 17-35 age group holding their driving license for more than five years. Speed cameras, glare from other drivers' headlights, and HGV presence on motorways were the main factors influencing perceived safety. Then again, motorists who felt very confident driving on UK motorists were only males. This confidence was affected due to police presence and road lighting. Therefore, motorway operators need to focus on these influential factors to provide safe motorways for everyone.