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Speed is a critical risk factor, which makes its management the central point of the Vision Zero approach. Driving speed is influenced by speed choice, and in turn by the perception of the road parameters, as well as by the characteristics of drivers. Credible speed limits and self-explaining roads have been suggested as promising countermeasures; however, these rather theoretical concepts have only rarely been operationalized and quantified. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between speed indicators (official speed limit, perceived speed limit, preferred speed), as well as their differences, and to determine which road and personality characteristics influence them. Compared to previous studies, we introduced several innovative features, including a richer personality dataset based on three different questionnaires, a focus on all three types of roads (urban, rural, transition), and representative data on observed speeds. Using statistical models of the speed indicators, we found that both speed limit belief and speed choice, as well as their differences, are often influenced by the same characteristics. These are mainly more generous road design (higher road class, higher speed limit, and wider road) and the presence of additional elements (vegetation, pavements, and pedestrian crossings). These characteristics may help improve the credibility of speed limits and self-explaining performance.

Driver fatigue and stress significantly contribute to higher number of car accidents worldwide. Although, different detection approaches have been already commercialized and used by car producers (and third party companies), research activities in this field are still needed in order to increase the reliability of these alert systems. Also, in the context of automated driving, the driver mental state assessment will be an important part of cars in future. This paper presents state-of-the-art review of different approaches for driver fatigue and stress detection and evaluation. We describe in details various signals (biological, car and video) and derived features used for these tasks and we discuss their relevance and advantages. In order to make this review complete, we also describe different datasets, acquisition systems and experiment scenarios.

Background: The current levels of air pollution in European countries reduces life expectancy by an average of 8 months. People who actively travel by walking have a higher level of exposure to air pollution than those who use motor vehicles or electric buses. Some routes have higher air pollution levels than others, but little is known about pollution-aware route choice and intentions to actively avoid walking near polluted roads. An improved understanding of how air pollution influences intentions to walk or avoid polluted routes can inform interventions to decrease exposure. The present investigation has three aims: (1) compare experiences walking near roads with high levels of air pollution across countries; (2) identify groups of countries based on perceptions of air quality; and (3) examine how pedestrians develop their intentions of avoiding pollution using the extended TPB (demographics, social norms, attitudes, perceived control, and perceived risk).Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied. Pedestrians were asked about their experiences walking near roads with high levels of air pollution. To identify groups of countries with different levels of air pollution, a cluster analysis was implemented based on the perceptions of air quality. Finally, regressions were used to predict pedestrians’ intentions to avoid polluted roads per country group using the extended TPB.Results: 6180 respondents (Age M(SD)= 29.4(14.2); Males= 39.2%) ranging from 12.6% from Russia to 2.2% from Finland completed the questionnaire. The proportion of participants who reported never walking near air polluted roads was 12.4% (from 3% in Brazil to 54% in Japan). Seven groups of countries were identified using perceptions of air quality: G1(Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, Malaysia & Brazil), G2(Spain, Romania & Czechia), G3(Chile, Russia & Peru), G4(China), G5(Australia), G6(Finland), and G7(Portugal). Participants in China (G4) and Australia (G5) reported the worst and best air quality respectively. Across all countries, intentions to avoid polluted roads were associated with perceptions of risk. TPB-psychosocial factors such as social norms and perceived behavioural control also influenced intention in most groups. Favourable TPB-beliefs and low perceived risk increase intentions to avoid polluted routes.Conclusions: The willingness of pedestrians to walk on or near roads with high levels of air pollution differs significantly among countries in this study. Countries can be grouped based on their perceived air quality. Perceived risk was the only common predictor of intention to avoid polluted routes across the different groups of countries.

INTRODUCTION Psychological testing to examine potentially aggressive behaviour is a gold standard, but it is not sufficient. Testosterone might increase an aggressive behaviour. AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate whether testosterone along with psychological assessment of fitness to drive could help to identify aggressive drivers. METHODS Male participants (n=150) aged from 20 to 25, who possessed a driving license and drive at least 100 km per week, were evaluated in this study using an Inventory of traffic-relevant personality characteristics, the Sensation Seeking Scale and the Buss-Durkee Aggression Inventory. Saliva was collected for testosterone and cortisol measurements. The five binomial logistic models with dependent variables Caused an accident, Driving license taken away, Court trial, Intoxicated driving and Sporty self-report were tested in this study. RESULTS The 'Intoxicated driving' model, was found to be statistically highly significant, explaining 48.8 % of the dependent variable's variance (χ2(16)=36.145, p

Whereas the majority of evaluations of self-service kiosks are based on interviews or observations and as such are burdened with personal bias, eye tracking was seen as a method for an objective analysis. To demonstrate the feasibility and usability of such an assessment technique, the task of purchasing a public transportation ticket from a modern ticket vending machine in Kraków, Poland was evaluated. The test participants relatively easily operated the machine with time taken to purchase a ticket ranging from 54 s for foreigners not familiar with the equipment to 29 s for local inhabitants. Even though the number of gazes recorded for the foreigners group was 2.4 times higher than for the local test participants, the fixation times were almost equal. Faulty or delayed operation of the payment terminal was a meaningful equipment issue encountered by eight test participants. The study demonstrated that the operation of the analysed ticket vending machine should not cause much trouble to anyone. The use of an eye tracker, which was employed for such an assessment for the first time, permitted the identification of possible operational ambiguities that could hinder the user experience without the bias associated with other assessment techniques. The used method was found to be efficient and the results provided valuable information.

The present study aims to explore what kind of information users of two advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have about the systems, how they acquired it, and which methods they would prefer for learning about the systems’ capabilities and limitations. Data was collected within the scope of a broader ADAS user experience study using in-depth interviews. Answers from 38 Czech owners of cars with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that most owners do not read the user’s manual and rely on their own trial-and-error on-road experience or information from the car dealership. Thereby, information about the limitations of the systems might not be known to them beforehand and could lead to surprises when these are experienced in real traffic. Therefore, prior education about the functions, control, and limitations of FCW and ACC is advised.

The aim of this study was to analyse how the complexity of the situational context in driving and the effect of alcohol influence the use of internal and external factors in prefactual thoughts and performance in a simulated driving task performed by optimistic and pessimistic drivers who attend rehabilitation courses. 72 drivers took part on a voluntary basis. 21 of them were offender drivers attending intervention, awareness, and rehabilitation courses for recouping points deducted from their licences. 43 drivers were attending courses for advanced professional driving licences or the like. The participants followed a route in a driving simulator. At the training stage, we adjusted the task difficulty to induce a high or low perception of control; in addition, we established the condition of alcohol intake or not. On the basis of the outcome obtained in this stage, the participants had to report the resources they required for improving their outcomes. We used different factor ANOVAs to analyse our results. In all cases, the tests were conducted a posteriori with Bonferroni adjustment in order to analyse the interactions. The most interesting differences are noted under the condition of high difficulty and no alcohol intake, where lower control is induced among the participants and where the drivers have not consumed alcohol. In contrast to non-offending pessimistic and optimistic drivers, optimistic offender drivers think their results would be better if there were external factors. We may contend that optimistic offender drivers think they are more likely to achieve the outcomes they want. This thinking may be motivated by the fact that this group does not perform better than the rest of the groups.

Alcohol is a global risk factor for road trauma. Although drink driving has received most of the scholarly attention, there is growing evidence of the risks of alcohol-impaired walking. Alcohol-impaired pedestrians are over-represented in fatal crashes compared to non-impaired pedestrians. Additionally, empirical evidence shows that alcohol intoxication impairs road-crossing judgements. Besides some limited early research, much is unknown about the global prevalence and determinants of alcohol-impaired walking. Understanding alcohol-impaired walking will support health promotion initiatives and injury prevention. The present investigation has three aims: (1) compare the prevalence of alcohol-impaired walking across countries; (2) identify international groups of pedestrians based on psychosocial factors (i.e., Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and perceptions of risk); and (3) investigate how segments of pedestrians form their intention for alcohol-impaired walking using the extended TPB (i.e. subjective norm, attitudes, perceived control, and perceived risk). A cross-sectional design was applied. The target behaviour question was “have you been a pedestrian when your thinking or physical ability (balance/strength) is affected by alcohol?” to ensure comparability across countries. Cluster analysis based on the extended TPB was used to identify groups of countries. Finally, regressions were used to predict pedestrians’ intentions per group. A total of 6,166 respondents (Age M(SD) = 29.4 (14.2); Males = 39.2%) completed the questionnaire, ranging from 12.6% from Russia to 2.2% from Finland. The proportion of participants who reported never engaging in alcohol-impaired walking in the last three months ranged from 30.1% (Spain) to 83.1% (Turkey). Four groups of countries were identified: group-1 (Czech Republic, Spain, and Australia), group-2 (Russia and Finland), group-3 (Japan), and group-4 (final ten countries including Colombia, China, and Romania). Pedestrian intentions to engage in alcohol- impaired walking are predicted by perceptions of risk and TPB-psychosocial factors in group-1 and group-4. Favourable TPB-beliefs and low perceived risk increased alcohol-impaired walking intentions. Conversely, subjective norms were not significant in group-2 and only perceived risk predicted intention in group-3. The willingness of pedestrians to walk when alcohol-impaired differs significantly across the countries in this study. Perceived risk was the only common predictor among the 16 countries.

A wearable eye tracker was utilised to study paths and observation of directional signs at main railway station in Katowice. For the purpose of identifying confusion points due to inadequate signage, the task of finding the railway station from a tram stop, finding train schedule, ticket office, and then platform was assigned to 16 young people who were either familiar or not familiar with the area. No meaningful differences were found between the two groups in terms of time to complete the task and the distance travelled. The simple and logical layout of Katowice railway station made the task easy, which is in stark contrast with prior similar experiment done at Krakow Glowny railway station, where the differences were very significant and major confusions were recorded. Approximately 50% of directional signs and displays that were visible to test participants were observed, with no meaningful difference between the two groups, which is similar to the prior experiment. The outcome confirms that simplicity of transportation hub design is critical in minimising confusion amongst passengers.

A new, simple methodology for naturalistic assessment of speeds of overtaking and overtaken vehicles and road signage quality from the point of view of a driver, as recorded by a dashboard camcorder, is described. The methodology was applied for evaluation of a 65 km long major road construction zone associated with upgrade of a dual carriageway unlimited access road to a motorway in Poland. The recording from dual camcorder revealed that during several drives at the posted speed limit the test vehicle was overtaken by 374 vehicles (including no-overtaking violations by 10 articulated lorries), thus giving average 2.46 overtaking events per 1 km. Whereas the speed limit was 60 km/h, average speed of overtaking vehicles was 97 km/h, with fastest vehicle travelling at 162 km/h; 82% were speeding more than 20 km/h. At the test stretch, there were 2,022 road sings (13.28 per 1 km of road or 18.05 per intersection interval or 12.67 per minute of driving). In 70 cases road signs were positioned incorrectly, 644 of them were giving inaccurate information, and 728 were unnecessarily redundant. Horizontal road markings were mostly in very poor condition and in several cases major signage errors were observed, forcing all drivers to break the rules of the road. This combination of high speeds and inappropriate signage can be major contributing factors to extremely poor road safety record in Poland. The proposed simple methodology exemplified in this study should help in identification of deficiencies in signage and driver behaviour that could ultimately improve road safety.

A wearable eye tracking device was used to study path and focus of 25 young people from three nations who were given the task of finding their way at the new main railway station in Krakow, Poland (the station is located underground, with access through a shopping gallery). Preliminary analysis demonstrated that almost all of the test participants became confused in the station hall area. The signs in that space inadequately point the direction to the ticket counters, as was evidenced by the test participants stopping and turning around in search for visual information. The test participants were confused between 2.0 and 35.4 s at the entrance to the station hall and between 4.0 and 39.7 s inside the station hall. Their average speed decreased by approximately 25%. Consistently, test participants from Croatia for longer time did not know which way to go than those from Russia. The test participants from Russia were more likely to stop and look for visual guidance while those from Croatia kept going without knowing which way to proceed, most frequently using as a cue the prevailing movement of other people. Test participants from Poland were least confused most likely due to their familiarity with the area; nonetheless 83% of them became confused at some point during their wayfinding task.

Transport is one of the sectors that contributes to global warming. To tackle this issue, one of the most important tasks is to enhance/support a mode shift from individual car use to more sustainable traffic modes. To achieve this, psychology-based measures are needed. We need to understand what keeps people from walking, and what motivates people who do walk to do so, or to define the barriers and the preconditions that are needed for walking or cycling. These preconditions are perceived in a different way by different people. As the motivation of individual citizens differs greatly, the preconditions have to be targeted precisely. In this paper a scheme is presented that deals with this issue&mdash, i.e., to enhance/support a mode shift to sustainable traffic modes with the following steps: To identify and improve the preconditions for walking, to communicate information, and, to provide opportunities or incentives. As a theoretical background we use a classical marketing model presented by Philip Kotler, which has strong connections with communication and social psychology. Through the case of supporting sustainable traffic modes&mdash, the product which will be &ldquo, sold&rdquo, &mdash, we present the different steps of the model (information, product, communication, incentives, and distribution). With all aspects we emphasize that a holistic approach (a combination of all these aspects and steps) is necessary for a successful marketing process that in fact makes citizens &ldquo, buy&rdquo, the idea of walking (more). The main suggestion of this paper is to implement the steps suggested in it in the frame of a pilot project in a city or a province and then to evaluate. Evidence that the suggested measures work when applied appropriately and&mdash, as strongly underlined&mdash, in a concerted manner can only be achieved by trying in practice.

This paper summarizes the current situation in eleven European countries in the field of driver offender courses. As a background, driver behaviour models are presented, followed by the description of behaviour, performance, and personality factors as contributory factors to crashes, risky driver behaviour, and groups of risky drivers. Selected enforcement and rehabilitation models are listed. Data was collected using a questionnaire, which was elaborated on the basis of the opinions of experts discussed at international expert workshops. The study covered a total sample of eleven participants - TPI members representing each country. The data was analyzed systematically using a modified version of the Editing Analysis Style and thematic analysis as a tool for pattern recognition across qualitative data. The results are presented according to different countries and their specifics, followed by a summary of common approaches and groups of countries with the same approaches. The most common driver improvement courses are those for deviant drivers (dealing with drivers' bad habits) and for drivers who drove under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Driver improvement courses are obligatory in six out of the eleven countries, while in three countries they are optional. We conclude that it must be ensured that there are no negative side effects and that the courses lead to benefits for the public. Therefore, all driver improvement courses must be driven by theory and evidence and designed to avoid overconfidence and increased risk exposure - risky behaviour should be normalized and evaluated.

The aim of this work is to describe pedestrian-driver encounters, communication, and decision strategies at marked but unsignalised crossings in urban areas in the Czech Republic and the ways in which the parties involved experience and handle these encounters. A mixed-methods design was used, consisting of focus groups with pedestrians and drivers regarding their subjective views of the situations, on-site observations, camera recordings, speed measurements, the measurement of car and pedestrian densities, and brief on-site interviews with pedestrians. In close correspondence with the literature, our study revealed that the most relevant predictors of pedestrians' and drivers' behaviour at crossings were the densities of car traffic and pedestrian flows and car speed. The factors which influenced pedestrians' wait/go behaviour were: car speed, the distance of the car from the crossing, traffic density, whether there were cars approaching from both directions, various signs given by the driver (eye contact, waving a hand, flashing their lights), and the presence of other pedestrians. The factors influencing drivers' yield/go behaviour were: speed, traffic density, the number of pedestrians waiting to cross, and pedestrians being distracted. A great proportion of drivers (36%) failed to yield to pedestrians at marked crossings. The probability of conflict situations increased with cars travelling at a higher speed, higher traffic density, and pedestrians being distracted by a different activity while crossing. The findings of this study can add to the existing literature by helping to provide an understanding of the perception of encounter situations by the parties involved and the motives lying behind certain aspects of behaviour associated with these encounters. This seems necessary in order to develop suggestions for improvements. For instance, the infrastructure near pedestrian crossings should be designed in such a way as to take proper account of pedestrians' needs to feel safe and comfortable, as well as ensuring their objective safety. Thus, improvements should include measures aimed at reducing the speed of approaching vehicles (e.g. humps, speed cushions, elevated crossings, early yield bars, and narrow lanes), as this would enhance yielding by motor vehicles. Other measures that specifically rely on the subjective perception of different situations by the parties involved include the education and training of drivers, the aim of which is to promote their understanding and appreciation of pedestrians' needs and motives.

In order to determine whether an experimentally induced experience has the potential to change future travel mode choice, we recruited 10 families living in a middle-sized city who used a car at least four times a week, and made them stop using the car for one month. Each adult family member kept a travel diary and interviews were conducted prior to the experiment, after one month without a car, and then three months and one year after the experiment ended. The results suggest that the participants&rsquo, attitudes towards different transportation modes did not change during the period of the study, but their actual travel behavior did. In this respect, several factors were identified that influence travel mode choice, once the participants are made aware of the decision process and break the habit of car use.

Globally, pedestrians represent 23% of all road deaths. Many solutions to protect pedestrians are proposed, in this paper, we focus on technical solutions of the ADAS–Advanced Driver Assistance Systems–type. Concerning the interaction between drivers and pedestrians, we want to have a closer look at two aspects: how to protect pedestrians with the help of vehicle technology, and how pedestrians–but also car drivers–perceive and accept such technology. The aim of the present study was to analyze and describe the experiences, needs, and preferences of pedestrians–and drivers–in connection with ADAS, or in other words, how ADAS should work in such a way that it would protect pedestrians and make walking more relaxed. Moreover, we interviewed experts in the field in order to check if, in the near future, the needs and preferences of pedestrians and drivers can be met by new generations of ADAS. A combination of different methods, specifically, an original questionnaire, on-the-spot interviewing, and expert interviews, was used to collect data. The qualitative data was analyzed using qualitative text analysis (clustering and categorization). The questionnaire for drivers was answered by a total of 70 respondents, while a total of 60 pedestrians agreed to complete questionnaires concerning pedestrian safety. Expert interviews (five interviews) were conducted by means of personal interviews, approximately one hour in duration. We conclude that systems to protect pedestrians–to avoid collisions of cars with pedestrians–are considered useful by all groups, though with somewhat different implications. With respect to the features of such systems, the considerations are very heterogeneous, and experimentation is needed in order to develop optimal systems, but a decisive argument put forward by some of the experts is that autonomous vehicles will have to be programmed extremely defensively. Given this argument, we conclude that we will need more discussion concerning typical interaction situations in order to find solutions that allow traffic to work both smoothly and safely.

Background: There is agreement that road user behaviour is the most important contributing factor for traffic accidents. It is therefore essential to understand better the causes of accidents and design remedies that can efficiently treat them. The fatality rate per 10,000 people is about 30 times higher in developing countries than in high-income countries These differences, beside other factors, can be explained in terms of different traffic safety cultures. Objective: The general mission of this work was to contribute to traffic safety by gaining an understanding of the differences in traffic culture in countries worldwide. Furthermore, we sought to explore and understand the needs and beliefs concerning traffic safety in different countries worldwide and the implications for the objective traffic safety situation (Traffic Safety Index – TSI) and for the stage of the economic development of the country (Gross Domestic Product – GDP). Methods: A simple questionnaire with three questions focused on beliefs and opinions about traffic safety was used. Altogether, 142 respondents from 36 countries filled in the questionnaire. The data was analysed using both statistical methods and qualitative analysis of the responses. Results: The results indicated major differences in the traffic safety cultures embraced by different countries. In general, two approaches to traffic safety culture can be identified. In the first case, traffic safety culture is viewed as an objective reality which the respondents conceive of as leading to greater safety. The second case involves the emphasis being placed particularly on the elimination of a threat to life and health. Conclusion: People from countries with a poorer traffic safety record tend to underline the importance of traffic safety. No evidence of a relationship between the economic performance of the country (GDP), the traffic safety culture standard, and the Traffic Safety Index was found. Finally, the implications of the results for practice are discussed with a view to the practical implementation of measures to improve traffic safety.

The text introduces a topic of psychological assessment of drivers in the Czech Republic – a number of assessment procedures, a range of the assessed, reasons for the assessment and assessment outcomes. The results further analyse driving licence revocation – i.e. a number of drivers with revocation, their SES and reasons for the revocation. The research included data from 2471 drivers who were assessed in 2013 and 2014 and also data from Central index of drivers conducted by the Ministry of transport between 2006 and 2013. Approximately 7000–10,000 assessments of drivers are carried out every year in the Czech Republic. The most frequent reasons for the assessment are driving licence revocation (50%) and/or assessment of professional drivers (40%). In more than 70% of cases drivers were considered legally competent, in 20% of cases drivers were described as conditionally competent and/or incompetent. The most common offences include speeding, use of alcohol and other drugs. A driving licence was revoked to 56,289 persons between 2006 and 2013.

The article deals with the issue of traffic-psychological assessment, especially the part concerning psychological diagnosis. It presents an overview of diagnostic approaches at the European Union level and defines individual steps of traffic-psychological assessment. Special attention is paid to the definition of personality and performance traits that need to be examined as a part of traffic-psychological assessment. In addition to summarising them, we also consider the ways in which such traits may be assessed and what crucial variables may be used for such assessment. We explore the issue of adaptive testing and the possibility of the utilisation of neural networks in the assessment process. Finally, we emphasize the essential role of a case study-level professional assessment conducted by an experienced traffic psychologist and the conclusions drawn from such examination.

Article deals with sensation seeking concept, its relevance to risky driving behavior and issues of its diagnostics in Czech Republic. Sensation seeking is ‘a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences’. Example could be speeding or driving under influence of drugs. There is significant proof and strong correlation between high in sensation seeking and risky driving – especially in speeding, breaking laws, DWI and number of accidents. For diagnostics we can use Zuckerman’s SSS V (Sensation seeking scale V), Arnett’s AISS (Arnett Inventory of Sensation seeking), Cloninger’s personality questionnaire TCI-r or WRBTV (Wien test of risky driving).

Considering the human contribution to car crashes, it seems necessary to make a distinction between different forms of aberrant driver behaviour and its different psychological origins. The aim of the present study was to determine the factors that affect driving behaviour, to prepare a factor model, to identify the role of age, gender, kilometres driven per year, and social status, and to examine the relationship between self-reported driver behaviour in DBQ and self-reported accident involvement and offences among Czech drivers. For this purpose the original 50-item version of DBQ was translated and adjusted to the Czech driver population. A total of 2,684 Czech drivers participated in the study, 1,791 men and 893 women. Responses to the 50 items were submitted to a principal components analysis with a varimax rotation. Our research confirmed a three-factor approach as the most appropriate for the interpretation of data. In our case, the three-factor solution can provide an explanation for 31.75 % of the total variance. While Factor 1, “Dangerous Violations”, and Factor 2, “Dangerous Errors”, are consistent with the findings of other authors, Factor 3, interpreted as “Not Paying Attention to Driving, Straying, and Loss of Orientation”, has been identified as a new one. In addition, predictors of (driver behaviour) factors defining the driver groups prone to engaging in specific types of driving behaviour are further discussed. Practical implications for the education, training, and assessment of drivers, preventive measures, and on-board assistance systems are addressed.

The presented article reflects a scientific approach to the concept of a traffic system known as Vision Zero, which was postulated in 1997 by prof. Kare Rumar in Sweden. The implications of this approach are explored in terms of psychology. Other documents of the European Commission (including "Towards a European Road Safety Area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020") and the development of traffic safety in the Czech Republic are also discussed. The article seeks to provide information about the vision of traffic safety in European countries, which is based on the tenet that each road fatality is unnecessary - "Vision Zero". Attention is focused on the period 2012-2020, trends pursued by the European Union in this area, and the practical implications of such efforts for the Czech Republic, with a view to specific implementation measures. Drawing on their experience, the authors point out the existence of fragmentary and inconsistent approaches to the issue of road safety in the Czech Republic, specifically at the level of practical application (assessment in terms of traffic psychology, driver recruitment, prevention, training, law enforcement, rehabilitation, etc.), where organisations and/or individuals carry out measures which are not beneficial to road traffic safety, or there is no evidence of their contribution to road safety. The roles of psychology, traffic psychology, and traffic psychologists in designing the traffic system inspired by Vision Zero are underlined. The article provides a general background to the topic of traffic safety and the measures that can be adopted to improve it.

The main cause of traffic accidents is the human element. This implies that the most significant traffic safety factor is the driver's behaviour and their psychological qualifications for driving (Antusek, 1998; Havlik, 2005; Stranský, 2000; Stikar, Hoskovec & Stikarova, 2003). Generally, the driver's behaviour reflects their personality characteristics and the specific situation. The present article focuses on the personality variables which, according to recent research, are particularly associated with the driving of motor vehicles. The personality characteristics, of which the understanding is important for the development of a methodology for the selection of suitable candidates for the position of a driver, are described. The role of personality in a narrow sense, the specific qualities of a driver and a risky driver, the individual traits posing risk in terms of driving, and aggressiveness are also addressed.