Prediction of Vehicular Accident Involvement: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Previous attempts to summarize the vehicular accident involvement literature have been nonquantitative. Outcomes of these reviews have also reflected the equivocality of research in this area. In an attempt to synthesize the diverse research findings into a collective result, a meta-analysis procedure that con- trolled for sampling error was used. Four classes of variables were identified as predictors of vehicular accident involvement. These were information- processing, cognitive ability, personality, and demographic/biographical vari- ables. Moderate-to-marginally favorable overall meta-analysis results were obtained for selective attention, regard for authority, locus of control, and cognitive ability as predictors of vehicular accident involvement. Suggestions and directions for future research are discussed.