Dissociative Tendencies and Traffic Incidents

Abstract

This paper analyses the relationship between dissociative experiences and road traffic incidents (crashes and traffic tickets) in drivers (n=295) from Mar del Plata (Argentina) city. A self-report questionnaire was applied to assess traffic crash involvement and sociodemographic variables. Dissociative tendencies were assessed by a modified version of the DES scale. To examine differences in DES scores tests of the difference of means were applied. Drivers who reported to be previously involved in traffic incidents obtained higher puntuations in the dissociative experiences scale than drivers who did not report such events. This result is observed for the total scale and for the three sub-scales (absorption, amnesia and depersonalization). However, differences appeared mainly for minor damage collisions. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of dissociative tendencies as a risk factor in road traffic safety.

Keywords

• Dissociation
• Driving
• Traffic
• Risk Factors