The Validation of the Manchester Drivers’s Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) on the Zambian Sample

In Zambia road traffic crashes have become one of the leading causes of deaths and disabilities. In 2019 a total of 30,648 road traffic accidents were recorded, with 5012 individuals seriously injured, while 1746 died (RTSA, 2019). Behavioural factors are some of the most important antecedents of road traffic accidents in Zambia (RTSA, 2018). They account for about 81% of road accidents (RTSA, 2018). The Revised Manchester Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) is widely utilised for measuring self-reported driving style as well as investigating the relationship between driving behaviour and accident involvement. However, the psychometric properties of this instrument have not been established on a Zambian sample. This study is aimed at investigating the reliability and construct validity of the revised DBQ (Parker, Reason, Manstead & Stradling, 1995) on a Zambian sample.Behavioural factors are important antecedents of road traffic accidents (Burger,2014; Teye-Kwadjo,2011). A psychometrically sound instrument that measures aberrant driver behaviour is therefore required to detect drivers proneness to accidents so as to allow remedial behavioural interventions.The revised 24 item DBQ with four subscales was administered to a non-probability sample of 185 licensed Zambian drivers. The factor structure underlying the DBQ was investigated using confirmatory bi-factor analysis via structural equation modelling.The bifactor solution generated a general aberrant driver competence factor and four weak group factors. Statistical analyses provided good fit of the DBQ measurement with the empirical data.The study demonstrated evidence of construct validity for the usage of the DBQ in the Zambian context. The finding clears the way to investigate the predictive validity of the instrument when used by practitioners for personnel selection purposes. The DBQ can be used by practitioners to identify drivers in need of safety training and development. Government agencies can also benefit with practical usage of the DBQ in public awareness activism programmes.