Made on a panel of 960 drivers, the survey, published in the journal Plos Onerevealed that 61 % of them admitted to use their phone by driving, despite the well -known dangers. But this figure hides a much more disturbing reality. The researchers observed a strong correlation between these risky behaviors and personality traits marked by impulsiveness, manipulation and a clear deficit in empathy.
What the use of the phone reveals on your personality
If sending a message to a red light seems trivial, the researchers see it as a worrying behavioral indicator. Individuals who present the characteristics of the dark triad have a more disinary relationship to danger and an increased propensity to ignore collective rules. These traits make them less sensitive to prevention campaigns and sanctions, and therefore more inclined to adopt dangerous behaviors in all conscience.
The study also highlights a link between the problematic use of the smartphone and a distorted perception of self -control. Those who use their phone by driving often believe they can manage risks, despite the contrary evidence. As the road safety site recalls, reading a message multiplies the risk of accident by 23. A vertiginous statistic which nevertheless seems to slide on a part of the drivers, not very receptive to traditional prevention messages.
“”People with a strong dark triad tend to underestimate the consequences of their actions and overestimate their capacities“Specify the authors of the study.
Why these profiles take action despite the risks
For these drivers, the danger is not dissuasive. It even becomes secondary in the face of the desire to respond to a notification, to control their image or to establish a certain relational power. A reflex which is coupled with a desire not to lose social control, or simply to impose their own rules.
But beyond profiles with a toxic personality, researchers insist: the use of smartphone remains a major predictor of dangerous behavior, whatever the personality. They therefore call for redesigned prevention strategies, targeting both compulsive users and the most manipulative profiles.
The right reflexes to regain control over the wheel
Faced with this observation, road safety recommends simple but effective actions:
- Turn off your laptop or activate plane mode before starting;
- Store all your belongings, including the phone, in the trunk or a closed bag;
- Make important calls before hitting the road;
- Ask a passenger to manage communications if necessary;
- Break a break in an area arranged in the event of an urgent need to consult your phone;
- Activate the “Driving mode” application, which automatically prevents the correspondents that you are driving.
The sanction in the event of control remains severe: € 135 fine and a withdrawal of 3 points on the license. But this sanction, as dissuasive as it may be, will not be enough to stop a phenomenon whose roots are deeper-anchored in the darkest features of the human personality.