Initial Validation of a United States Video Speed Test to Measure Speed Propensity

The University of Queensland Video Speed Test (UQVST) has shown validity for measuring speed propensity–a tendency to prefer faster or slower driving speeds. Since the test used driving clips filmed in Australia from the left side of the roadway, the validity of the test for use in samples in the United States is not known. A new United States Video Speed Test (USVST) was developed. The new test used ten video clips, each 8 seconds in duration, which participants viewed before indicating how much slower or faster they would drive in the same scenario. In a pre-registered online study, the USVST showed high internal and test-retest reliability. Like the UQVST, the USVST correlated positively with scores on the speed subscale of the Driving Style Questionnaire and negatively with age. Further, the USVST showed a negative correlation with the cautious driving subscale of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory and a positive correlation with the sum of self-reported accidents, violations, and police pullovers. Males also scored significantly higher on the USVST than females. Collectively, this evidence suggested that the USVST may be a useful tool for measuring speeding propensity.