Traffic safety culture in Norway and Hellas

The present study compares national traffic safety culture in Norway and Greece in order to investigate to what extent this can explain the different traffic safety level in the two countries. Our study indicates that the most important differences between Norwegian and Greek traffic safety culture are related to higher prevalence of aggressive driving and less compliance with traffic rules in Greece. The study suggests that national traffic safety culture affects traffic safety behavior through drivers’ perception of what is “normal” and expected from drivers in their own country. Based on the qualitative interviews, we suggest that the different national traffic safety cultures may be due to differences in: 1) Interaction, 2) police enforcement, 3) infrastructure, 4) driver's emotional state, and more specifically the financial crisis in Greece, 5) driver training, and 6) the composition of road user groups. We also found a relationship between aggressive driving and accident involvement. The study indicates that national traffic safety culture is important because it influences traffic safety behavior, which in turn is related to accident involvement.