Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Business, Management and Economics
Year: 2025
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Psychological Determinants of Tire Safety Behaviors: A Behavioral Assessment of Consumer Decision-Making in Myanmar’s Automotive Market
Aung Myin Moe, Dr.Zina Kyriakou, Dr.Jimmy Naipaul
ABSTRACT:
Consumer decision-making in automotive safety equipment involves complex psychological processes including risk perception and cognitive biases, yet these mechanisms remain underexplored in emerging markets like Myanmar. This study investigated psychological determinants of tire purchasing and maintenance behaviors among Myanmar vehicle owners (N=200) using structured behavioral assessment over 48 days. Participants were predominantly male (97%) with high educational attainment (68% bachelor’s degrees), substantial economic resources (51% earning ≥5 million kyats monthly), and diverse occupational backgrounds including seafarers (66.5%), indicating adequate cognitive capacity and financial means for informed safety decisions. Brand preferences revealed strong price-sensitivity heuristics, with participants favoring mid-range (43%) and economy options (42.5%) over premium alternatives (9.5%), suggesting cost-benefit processing dominates safety considerations. The study revealed striking knowledge-action gaps: while participants demonstrated adequate declarative knowledge for tire maintenance (82.5% tire date awareness, 74% pressure knowledge), procedural safety behaviors showed significant deficits (34.5% speed rating monitoring, 21% TPMS utilization). Replacement decision-making was primarily reactive rather than proactive, with tread wear serving as the dominant cue (36.5%). These findings indicate systematic cognitive biases favoring immediate cost savings over long-term safety investments, contributing to consumer psychology theory by demonstrating how economic constraints override safety motivations even among financially capable consumers. Results suggest targeted interventions addressing risk perception and safety motivation could significantly improve consumer protective behaviors in Myanmar’s automotive market.
Keywords: behavior, cognition, decision-making, Myanmar, safety