Improving road safety in rural areas: An examination of the traffic safety climate in rural Wales

Although there is a body of research conducted on traffic safety and driver behaviors in the UK, studies on traffic safety climate, particularly in rural Wales, are limited. In this study, the effect of traffic safety climate in Wales on several driving-related characteristics was investigated and expected to find a difference between rural and urban Wales. The model investigated the moderator role of rural/urban areas on the relationship between traffic safety climate and driver behaviors, driver anger, anger expression, and driver risk. Using data from 346 participants, we found that drivers in rural areas perceive traffic as having more internal requirements, but also engage in more risk-taking, whereas drivers in urban areas score higher in aggressive violations and verbal aggressive expression. In the following steps, we found links between traffic safety climate and various driver-related outcomes, and this link differs across drivers living in rural and urban areas. These findings suggest the need for tailored strategies to address road safety in rural areas in Wales.