Optimism bias combined with sensation-seeking and risky driving have been proposed to be the main contributing factors to young drivers’ involvement in road traffic collisions. The present study aimed to evaluate how two brief interventions, one based on an unambiguous definition of “good” driving and the other on a hazard perception test, might reduce young drivers’ optimism bias. One hundred and twenty-eight university students were randomly allocated to one of three groups: standard definition, hazard perception or control. Measures evaluating optimism bias were completed before and after the intervention, and questions regarding their sensation-seeking and past risk-taking tendencies were asked at follow-up. Both brief interventions reduced optimism bias levels, but hazard perception had the strongest effect. The effectiveness of the two interventions also differed across individuals depending on their sensation-seeking and past risky driving tendencies. The results provide evidence for the effectiveness of brief interventions to reduce optimism bias.

有人提出，乐观偏见与寻求感觉和冒险驾驶相结合，是导致年轻驾驶员卷入道路交通事故的主要因素。本研究旨在评估两种简短的干预措施（一种基于“良好”驾驶的明确定义，另一种基于危害感知测试）如何减少年轻驾驶员的乐观偏见。一百二十八名大学生被随机分配到以下三个组之一：标准定义，危害感知或控制。在干预前后完成了评估乐观偏见的措施，并在随访中询问有关其寻求知觉和过去冒险倾向的问题。两种简短的干预措施都降低了乐观偏见的水平，但是危害感知的影响最大。两种干预的效果在个体之间也有所不同，这取决于他们的寻求感觉和过去的危险驾驶倾向。结果为短期干预减少乐观偏见的有效性提供了证据。