Predicting slow driving intentions to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions in Malaysia: A theory of planned behavior perspective

Research to understand wildlife-vehicle collisions has predominantly focused on spatial patterns and wildlife behaviors. Yet, as collisions also involve drivers, the human factors are important too, and very few studies focus on the human dimension aspects of wildlife roadkill. Based on the theory of planned behavior, the present study examined the influence of driving attitude, driving norm (reflecting subjective norms), and perceived driving control (demonstrating perceived behavior control) on intention to drive slowly, in three scenarios involving possible wildlife-vehicle collisions. An online survey was conveniently distributed to a sample of drivers in Malaysia to collect data (n = 270). The study found driving attitude as the most important factor influencing driving intentions, followed by driving norm and perceived driving control, based on the significant results and β values. Driving norm and perceived driving control were not influential for intention to drive slowly in the third scenario. The present study also found that the influence on driving intention is unique depending on the situation. Specifically, the three psychological factors were more influential in scenarios encountering familiar stimuli (warning signage and common wildlife) than the more unfamiliar trigger (uncommon wildlife species). Practically, the study offers insight into how to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions, focusing on the use of technology and artificial intelligence, including improving education that addresses driving attitude, driving norms, and perceived driving control.