Socio-cognitive determinants of safe road-crossing behaviors: an application of the prototype willingness model

BACKGROUND: Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users that potentially are at risk for road traffic injuries and deaths. The present paper reports an application of the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) to the prediction of road-crossing behaviors among students from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) in the west of Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 315 medical students who were randomly selected from seven faculties of KUMS in 2017 according to their size, and who filled out a self-administered questionnaire containing a scenario depicting a potentially hazardous road-crossing behavior, followed by items measuring the PWM constructs. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 at 95% significant level. RESULTS: The mean score of safe road-crossing behaviors was 9.57 [95% CI: 9.10, 10.05], ranging from 0 to 16. Attitude, subjective norms, and prototype accounted for 15% and 9% of the variation of willingness and intention, respectively. Willingness was a stronger predictor of the safe road-crossing behaviors (P less than 0.001). The road crossing behavior of female student pedestrian was safer than that of their male counterparts (P less than 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The results have a number of implications. In particular, PWM-based interventions should focus on willingness in order to encourage safer road-crossing behavior among pedestrians.