Using a traffic climate scale to understand drivers’ perceptions of their traffic system: An examination of measurement invariance across eight countries

Measuring road users’ attitudes towards the traffic system, often referred to as traffic climate, can provide valuable insights into the experiences of road users and guide the adaptation of road safety measures to the local context. For such a purpose, it is essential to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measurement instrument, to obtain information on its’ validity and reliability, and its suitability for cross-country comparisons. In this study, conducted as part of the Hi-Drive project (hi-drive.eu), we examined the psychometric properties of the Traffic Climate Scale (TCS) across 7896 respondents from eight countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Greece, China, and Japan. The TCS demonstrated a consistent factorial structure across all eight countries, showing configural and metric invariance, as well as partial scalar invariance, indicating high reliability and validity. The results also revealed significant differences among countries, with the traffic climate in Greece being perceived as highly demanding and less functional than other countries. In contrast, the traffic climate in countries like Japan and Sweden was perceived as less demanding and more functional. Age, gender, and exposure to different traffic situations had a limited impact on the perceived traffic climate, suggesting a relatively consistent perception of traffic climate across. The results indicated that the TCS is a reliable instrument for measuring the perceived traffic climate. The use of the measurement could provide more information on the experience of road users in the traffic system and guide the adaptation of road safety measures to the local context.