The Conditionality of the Rule among Motorcyclists

The Theory of Conditionality and its Measure

The theory of Conditionality [2, 3] stemming from research on normative and peripheral aspects of social representations constitutes a framework for study differences between legal norm and social norm. From the first work carried out with motorists, it became clear that the aim was to highlight the conditionality of the norms and not to identify individuals or groups who would be considered deviant: “The aim of the research described in this paper is not to identify the groups which commit violations nor the types of drivers which are potentially dangerous but to study the representation of driving using a normative approach” [2]. Research shows that the Highway Code is conditional and that the more debatable a rule is, the less it is respected. The term of “legitimate transgressions” is used; legitimacy is at the level of representation because these are real transgressions of the law [2, 4].

To measure this conditionality, a specific tool was developed: the Conditional Scripts Questionnaire (CSQ) based on scenarios and situations; this questionnaire demonstrates good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91. The different situations refer to multiple circumstances (e.g. infrastructure, other drivers, time of day, type of vehicle etc.). The design is based on specific wording (e.g. “You sometimes drive through a red light if…”), which makes it possible to circumvent social desirability. The scale goes from absolute compliance to absolute violation. With these ordinal distributions, the analysis of the third quartile makes it possible to identify more or less conditional situations [2].

Research with Motorcyclists

In order to better understand the stake of speed among motorcyclists, the conditionality of 80 km/hr speed limit has been studied in a group of 661 male motorcyclists [5]. This speed had been established on the secondary network on two-way roads without a median strip. A conditional scripts questionnaire comprising 23 situations and based on the previous work was designed. The questionnaire shows a good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.95). Motorcyclists exceed the 80 km/hr limit by at least 20 km/h and the analysis of the 3rd quartile testifies that a single situation is not conditional; Table 1 displays the summary.

If we focus on the most conditional situations (3rd quartile at 5 or 6), we see a map of legitimate transgressions [6]. The relationship to speed is specific as we see with the justifications: the speed is too low to be respected, drive faster for safety, do not respect the speed for pleasure. On the other hand, non-compliance with speed is justified by infrastructure, knowledge of the road, traffic and good weather conditions.

This study also shows that conditionality varies depending on the type of motorcycle driven and its power: “These results showed that the riders of roadster and sport motorbikes are more conditional when it comes to speeding than the riders of other types” [6].

To follow up on these results, a study in a framework of a Master 2 thesis [7] focused on the conditionality among riders of roadster (N=97) and sport motorbikes (N=30). The scenario of speed conditionality was studied through 34 situations (Cronbach’s alpha=0.96). The analysis of the 3rd quartile shows that motorcyclists driving a sports motorcycle are more conditional (Table 2).

The justifications of the third highest quartile confirm the legitimacy of the transgressions already observed in the previous study. The influence of the group and the search for sensations are linked to the fact of riding with friends and the notion of pleasure (Table 3).