Cross-cultural differences in driver aggression,aberrant, and positive driver behaviors

The present study investigated differences in driver aggression for self and others within countries and cultural differences between driver aggression, aberrant, and positive driver behaviors across five countries (Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey). It was predicted that drivers from these five countries differ significantly in terms of driver aggression for self and others, aberrant, and positive driver behaviors. In the study, 743 participants completed the questionnaire package, including the Driver Aggression Indicators Scale (DAIS), the short version of the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) with items from the Positive Driver Behavior Scale, and the Demographic Information Form. Paired samples T-tests were conducted to examine the differences in driving aggression between self and others in the five countries. The results indicated that, except for Russian drivers, drivers reported that other drivers had higher driver aggression than themselves. To examine the cross-cultural differences, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were conducted for the two dimensions of the DAIS (hostile aggression and revenge, and aggressive warnings) and the three dimensions of the DBQ with items from the Positive Driver Behavior Scale (errors, violations, and positive driver behaviors). Cross-country item-based comparisons were then made for the DAIS and the DBQ. The ANCOVA results showed significant differences in both item-based and subscale comparisons. Russian drivers were significantly different from other drivers in terms of hostile aggression and the revenge subscales of the DAIS and positive driver behaviors. Turkish drivers were significantly different from other drivers in several items of the DBQ, including errors and violations. The findings suggest that culture-specific strategies might be conducted for traffic-related anger management. Furthermore, differences in errors and violations among the five countries may be due to cultural differences. Positive driver behaviors might be better promoted in countries by drawing on their distinct cultural road safety strategies.     

Auditory and haptic systems for in-car speed management – A comparative real life study

Field experiments with ISA (intelligent speed adaptation) were carried out in Hungary and Spain in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Twenty private vehicles in each country were equipped with two kinds of systems: (1) support via an active accelerator pedal (AAP) and (2) warning via beep signals and a flashing red light when the speed limit was exceeded (BEEP). The test drivers drove for a month with both systems installed in each car. Speed was continually logged in all the vehicles and the test drivers were interviewed about their acceptance and experiences of the systems. The results show that both systems reduced the mean and 85 percentile speeds, but that the AAP was more effective. There was no long-lasting effect on speeds when the systems were removed. After the trial half of the drivers were willing to keep an ISA system, but more drivers wanted to keep the BEEP-system even though it showed lower satisfaction ratings than the AAP. The results indicate no major differences between the countries despite the workload being perceived to be higher in Hungary than in Spain.     

The Effect of Organizational Climate on Job Satisfaction,Anxiety, and Propensity to Leave

This study examined the prediction of job-related attitudes from organizational climate dimensions. Ss were 111 supermarket department managers who returned an anonymous questionnaire which tapped perceptions of the organizational environment (i.e., climate) along 11 dimensions and also contained measures of job satisfaction, propensity to leave, and job-related anxiety. Each attitude variable was regressed on the 11 climate dimensions with use of stepwise multiple regression. The dimension of “Organizational clarity” emerged as the most significant predictor for each of the three outcome variables, a finding that is congruent with previous research in the area of role ambiguity. The dimension of “Performance-reward dependence” contributed significantly to the prediction of job satisfaction and propensity to leave, but not to the prediction of job-related anxiety. This is consistent with theories linking dissatisfaction and turnover with unsatisfactory reward systems.     

Assessing driver acceptance of Intelligent Transport Systems in the context of railway level crossings

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have the potential to substantially reduce the number of crashes caused by human errors at railway levels crossings. Such systems, however, will only exert an influence on driving behaviour if they are accepted by the driver. This study aimed at assessing driver acceptance of different ITS interventions designed to enhance driver behaviour at railway crossings. Fifty-eight participants, divided into three groups, took part in a driving simulator study in which three ITS devices were tested: an in-vehicle visual ITS, an in-vehicle audio ITS, and an on-road valet system. Driver acceptance of each ITS intervention was assessed in a questionnaire guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Overall, results indicated that the strongest intentions to use the ITS devices belonged to participants exposed to the road-based valet system at passive crossings. The utility of both models in explaining drivers’ intention to use the systems is discussed, with results showing greater support for the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Directions for future studies, along with strategies that target attitudes and subjective norms to increase drivers’ behavioural intentions, are also discussed.     

Matters of State: Examining the effectiveness of lane departure warnings as a function of driver distraction

Lane departure warnings (LDW) have the potential to mitigate a significant number of lane departure crashes. Such safety benefits have yet been realized, in part due to drivers deactivating LDW systems. Perceived false alarms—where drivers receive a warning but feel the warning was unnecessary or incorrect—could lead to system disuse. In part, this could be a failure of LDW systems to account for the state of the driver. The current study investigated whether LDWs were more effective for drivers when they were distracted compared to when they were undistracted, using a high-fidelity driving simulator. During distracted lane departures, drivers with LDW responded faster and had less severe lane departures than drivers without LDW. During undistracted lane departures, there was no evidence of a benefit of LDW over no warning. These results suggest that lane departure warnings are most effective when drivers are distracted. This study suggests a need for driver state monitoring systems to enable adaptive automation.     

Aggressive Behavior of Passengers, Conflict Management Behavior, and Burnout Among Trolley Car Drivers

A sample of 96 trolley car drivers was used to investigate the relationship between aggressive behavior of passengers and burnout, the moderating effect of conflict management behavior of the drivers on this relationship; and the influence of burnout on customer-friendliness, passenger complaints, and absenteeism. The results show that aggressive behavior of passengers was related to all 3 burnout dimensions. The relationship of aggressive behavior of customers and professional efficacy was qualified by 2 significant interactions with 2 conflict management behavior styles: forcing and avoiding. The interactions showed that too much forcing as well as too much avoiding are related to less professional efficacy for drivers confronted with aggressive behavior. Passenger complaints were only related to less professional efficacy. The customer-friendliness of the drivers was related to less cynicism and more professional efficacy. Absenteeism was only related to exhaustion.     

Training interventions are only effective on careful drivers,not careless drivers

Drivers aged 16–24 are overrepresented in fatal crashes compared to middle-aged, more experienced drivers. This age-related difference in crash rates partly arises from younger drivers’ poorer performance on three cognitive skills known to be related to crash involvement: hazard anticipation, hazard mitigation and attention maintenance. Training programs have been shown effective at improving these skills within a short period of time. However, young drivers are not homogenous and they have different driving styles. The driving styles can interact with driving skills by influencing both their acquisition and, once acquired, their execution. A study was undertaken on a driving simulator to determine whether the effectiveness of an already existing training program aimed at improving the three above mentioned skills is moderated by driving style. In particular, drivers were classified as either careful or careless drivers based both on their scores on measures designed to evaluate two general traits relevant to discriminating between careful and careless drivers (sensation seeking and aggressiveness) as well as on their scores designed to evaluate driving specific behaviors that discriminate between careful and careless drivers (aggressive driving behaviors and driving violations and errors). It was found that training improved the hazard anticipation and attention maintenance performance of only the careful drivers, not the careless drivers.     

When technology tells you how you drive––truck drivers’ attitudes towards feedback by technology

Behavior based safety approaches have proven effective in reducing accidents in industrial settings, but cannot easily be extended to commercial driving. For considerable periods of working time, truck drivers are alone, and do not interact with peers. It might be possible to use data gathered by new in-vehicle technology to provide real-time and post-shift feedback to drivers about their driving behavior. This paper reports the results of focus group interviews conducted with subject matter experts from the trucking industry (truck drivers, supervisors, managers, and other involved persons, such as insurance industry safety professionals). The focus groups discussed safety critical behaviors in commercial driving, the best way to provide feedback to truck drivers, and benefits of feedback by technology as well as concerns drivers and operators may have regarding monitoring and feedback systems. The focus group discussions showed that, in general, drivers would like to receive more feedback and that feedback by technology is acceptable, if designed and implemented properly. In addition, the participants had many suggestions on how to properly design and implement such systems.     

How consumer drivers construe vehicle performance: Implications for electric vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as potentially important contenders as low carbon vehicles. However from the perspectives of consumer (non-commercial) drivers, all types of EVs have limitations such as short range and higher cost that are significant barriers to widespread uptake. To displace a significant fraction of conventional vehicles, they may need to offer consumer drivers specific advantages that offset these limitations. Better performance might be such an advantage, since electric powertrains can offer performance benefits such as quieter operation and higher torque at low speeds. This qualitative study explored how vehicle performance is construed by consumer drivers, using a repertory grid approach to elicit drivers’ personal constructs. Drivers were found to construe performance in terms of two main dimensions, both situationally specific: dynamic performance (involving acceleration, power, and responsiveness during pulling away, overtaking and hill climbs) and cruising performance (involving smoothness and low noise, during high speed cruising on highways). Users of gasoline fuelled cars emphasised dynamic performance more than did users of diesel fuelled cars, but the opposite was the case for cruising performance. A conceptual model based on the findings could help focus design efforts on those aspects of performance that are most directly salient to drivers.     

Magic,Religion, and Science: Secularization Trends and Continued Coexistence

While multiple studies have applied cultural evolutionary perspectives to the study of religion, few studies have examined the cultural evolutionary dynamics of a more secretive but equally ubiquitous form of supernatural belief: magic. We conducted two studies, an American nationally representative survey and a comparative phylogenetic analysis of religious traditions, to test three hypothesized cultural evolutionary drivers for beliefs in magic. We find the greatest support for the hypothesis that magic is employed when it provides its users benefits that are distinct from those provided by either science or religion, some support for secularization (broadly conceived) trends applying to magic, and no evidence that innate and unavoidable features of human cognition are primary drivers of the cultural evolution of magical beliefs. We conclude by suggesting specific hypothesized benefits for magic that may account for the evolution of humanity's facultative (i.e., context-dependent) use of magical beliefs.     

Handing control back to drivers: Exploring the effects of handover procedure during transitions from Highly Automated Driving

The operational capabilities of automated driving features are limited and sometimes require drivers’ intervention through a transition of control. Assistance at an operational level might be extremely beneficial during transitions but the literature lacks evidence on the topic. A simulator study was conducted to investigate the potential impacts that lateral assistance systems might have while the Automated Driving System (ADS) hands back control to the driver. Results showed that drivers benefitted from a strong Lane Keeping Assist during the first phase of the transfer, helping them to keep the lane centre. However, assisting the drivers at an operational level did not enhance their capability of addressing a more complex task, presented as a lane change. In fact, it was more task-specific assistance (Blind-spot assist) that allowed drivers to better cope with the tactical decision that the lane change required. Moreover, longer exposure to lane-keeping assist systems helped them in gaining awareness of the surrounding traffic and improved the way drivers interacted with the Blind-spot assist.     

Effect of motorcycle lighting configurations on drivers’ perceptions of closing during nighttime driving

ObjectiveThe aims were to better understand how drivers perceive an approaching set of motorcycle headlights during nighttime driving and to determine whether alternative motorcycle headlight configurations improve drivers’ perceptual judgments of closing for an oncoming motorcycle.BackgroundMotorcyclists account for a disproportionate number of roadway fatalities, especially at night. One potential cause of this is drivers’ misjudgments of a motorcycle’s approach.MethodThe first experiment examined whether drivers were more sensitive to horizontal or vertical optical expansion and whether drivers could integrate these two dimensions to achieve a lower looming threshold. A second experiment built on these results to test whether alternative headlight configurations that maximized size were better than other motorcycle headlight configurations and a car’s headlights. In both experiments, participants were instructed to press a button to indicate when they first perceived an oncoming vehicle to be closing under nighttime driving conditions.ResultsHeadlight orientation did not affect when drivers perceived closing, and drivers were not able to integrate optical expansion from multiple dimensions in a way that achieves a lower looming threshold. However, the alternative motorcycle headlight configurations that accentuated the full extent of a motorcycle’s size resulted in drivers perceiving closing sooner than other motorcycle headlight configurations but not sooner than a car.ConclusionDrivers perceive closing sooner for larger headlight configurations except when the headlight configurations are relatively small, in which case the effect of headlight size is attenuated.ApplicationDrivers’ perceptual judgments of motorcycles may improve when motorcycles have headlights that span its full height.     

Difficulties experienced by older drivers during their regular driving and their expectations towards Advanced Driving Aid Systems and vehicle automation

The aim of this study was to analyse the difficulties experienced by older drivers during their regular driving, and to identify their needs and their expectations regarding Advanced Driving Aid Systems (ADAS) and vehicle automation. More than 100 items were investigated by using a Focus Group method based on a Collective Questionnaire (named FoG-CoQS). Thirty elderly drivers, 15 females and 15 males aged from 70 to 81 years (mean age of 73.3; S.D. = 3.18) were recruited among a representative sample of 76 older drivers living in the Rhône area and having previously participated to an on-road experiment, in order to collect from this Focus Group method further information about the driving difficulties they experienced in their everyday life and their expectations towards driving aids. Seven main topics were more particularly investigated, recovering at last all the main dimensions of the driving task (from navigation to speed control, through intersection crossing).Regarding driving difficulties, one of the most interesting result collected is the high contrast between the literature review, identifying Left Turn (LT) manoeuvres at crossroads as a risky driving situation for elderly drivers, and the relatively low values of perceived difficulties (i.e. compared to other driving sub-tasks) collected during this Focus Group among our sample of older drivers. Regarding the driving aid functions investigated, 10 of them obtained high scores of “perceived utility” (i.e. overpassing 60% on scales ranging from 0% [no utility] to 100% [high utility]), and they concerned assistances liable to support all the main components of the driving task investigated in this study.Additional results are related to the differences between the elderly female and male drivers. Several driving situations were assessed as significantly more difficult to perform by the older female than by the older male drivers, like intersection crossing, entering expressways, or implementing a lane change manoeuver. By contrast, this gender effect is more limited regarding driving aids: synthetically, men and women have a positive attitude towards driving aid systems and their expectations for future ADAS are quite similar (for instance, “informative systems” are preferred than driving aids based on “vehicle automation”).Finally, from two transversal items (i.e. “difficulties” to perform a driving sub-task and “perceived utility” of ADAS), it was possible to rank older drivers’ difficulties experienced during their everyday life (from lowest difficulties to “navigate on a familiar itinerary” to highest when “interacting with bicyclists”) and their expectations towards driving aids (from lowest utility score given to “Automatic Lane Change systems” to highest utility value provided to “Speed Informer systems”). At last, older drivers’ acceptance and expectations towards highly automated cars was also investigated: full automation was assessed as an interesting solution to ensure the self-mobility of elderly peoples in their circle, but also for themselves in the future, in case of impairments of their own cognitive or physical capacities.     

Relationships of analytical,practical, and emotional intelligence with behavioral dimensions of performance of top managers

This study examined the relationships among analytical, practical, and emotional intelligence (EI) and five dimensions of managerial behavior. Two sets of hypotheses were tested: one set examined the relationship of each of the three types of intelligence with each of the behavioral dimensions; the second set examined the unique contribution of each type of intelligence to the prediction of each dimension. Twenty‐three one‐day assessment center sessions, including tests and simulation exercises, were administered to 163 top managers in Poland. The behavioral dimensions of leadership, initiative, goal orientation, change orientation, and employee development were related to analytical intelligence and practical intelligence, but not to EI. These findings make unique contributions to understanding the relationships of types of intelligence and managerial behavioral dimensions.     

The influence of extreme traumatization on body, mind and social relations

Extreme traumatization affects the individual's relation to others in several social and psychological ways. The post-traumatic experiences are characterized by helplessness, insecurity, anxiety, loss of basic trust, and fragmentation of perspectives on one's own life. Special considerations should be given to the destruction of the ability to regulate negative emotions (extreme fear, distress, anguish, anger, rage, shame) in relation to others and activate internal good and empathic object relations. Destruction of the capacity for symbolization of traumatic experience may threaten the mind with chaotic states against which the 'I' tries to defend itself and find a balanced psychic mise-en-scene. The authors emphasize three dimensions that the analyst should observe in his understanding of the traumatized mind and its conflicts. The proposed dimensions are called the body-other dimension, the subject-group dimension, and the subject-discourse dimension. All three dimensions have specific structural characteristics that are expressed in the analytic relation. Extreme trauma causes disturbances in each of these dimensions. The authors present clinical material from a traumatized refugee to illustrate the analytic work.     

Gender differences in the use of ADAS technologies: A systematic review

BackgroundIn recent years, Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) have been significantly progressed, opening novel horizons in reducing traffic accidents. Driver gender can be an affecting factor in the utilization of these systems. The purpose of this study is to review articles examining the effect of gender on the use of ADAS technologies.MethodsThis systematic review was conducted in Scopus, Science Direct and PubMed databases using defined key-words in 2018. The retrieved articles were managed and screened through PRISMA-P protocol using EndNote X7 software. The extracted variables were divided into three categories of reaction, behavior, and outcome and also the relevant subgroups. The results for each subgroup were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to obtain a definite conclusion for each category.ResultsTotally, 1039 articles were retrieved from which 27 were included. The analysis of results in reaction category indicated that in almost all of the variables, there was no significant difference between male and female drivers. In the behavior category, gender showed a significant effect on variables within the subgroups of driving speed, longitudinal distance, and lateral motion. The gender had also significant effect on the variables of the outcome category.ConclusionsThe present review showed that there was no significant difference between male and female drivers in reaction to sudden traffic events alarmed by warning systems. However, in terms of driving behavior, males behaved more dangerous than female. The findings also revealed that the number of crashes in critical situations was higher for female drivers.     

Assessing the potential impacts of connected vehicle systems on Driver’s situation awareness and driving performance

Vehicles equipped with connected vehicle technologies are able to communicate with each other and with infrastructures. Compared to Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) using camera systems and sensor technologies, the Connected Vehicle Systems (CVS) leverage the wireless communication networks to detect hazards with a greater range, alert drivers of hazards much earlier, and therefore enhance driving safety. However, drivers’ reliance on the CVS to detect critical situations could negatively affect them maintaining situation awareness (SA) in noncritical situations when no warning is issued by the CVS. The present study conducted a driving simulator experiment with 40 participants to investigate the effect of connected vehicle systems on driver SA in normal, noncritical driving scenarios after they were exposed to the CVS with different designs of collision warning lead time (3 s, 6 s, and no warnings). After drivers experienced the CVS-supported warnings with the assigned design of lead time in critical situations, driver SA was measured in normal driving conditions using the freeze probe technique. Results revealed that drivers who experienced the CVS with early warnings (6 s) showed lower SA for normal driving events compared to those who experienced the CVS with late warnings (3 s) or no warnings. Although early warnings of CVS brought more safety benefits to drivers in critical situations, the degraded driver SA due to drivers’ reliance on such warning systems could endanger drivers when a system failure occurred. These findings highlight the importance of balancing the effects of warning lead time on driver SA and driving performance in designing connected vehicle systems.     

Effect of advanced driver-assistance system trainings on driver workload,knowledge, and trust

Older adults are more likely to get severely injured or die in vehicle crashes. Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) can reduce their risk of crashes; however, due to the lack of knowledge and training, usage rate of these systems among older drivers is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of two ADAS training approaches (i.e., video-based and demonstration-based training) on older drivers’ subjective and objective measures of mental workload, knowledge and trust considering drivers’ demographic information. Twenty older adults, balanced by gender, participated in a driving simulation study. Results indicated that the video-based training might be more effective for females in reducing their mental workload while driving, whereas the demonstration-based training could be more beneficial for males. There was no significant difference between the video-based and demonstration-based trainings in terms of drivers’ trust and knowledge of automation. The findings suggested that ADAS training protocols can potentially be more effective if they are tailored to specific driver demographics.     

Anger,aggression, risky behavior,and crash-related outcomes in three groups of drivers

High anger drivers who acknowledged problems with driving anger and were interested in treatment were compared to high and low anger drivers who did not acknowledge problems with driving anger or want treatment. Although high anger drivers who acknowledged problems reported greater anger on two measures than high anger drivers who did not acknowledge problems, both high anger groups tended not to differ from one another and were more frequently and intensely angered when driving, reported more aggressive and less adaptive/constructive forms of expressing anger while driving, engaged in more aggressive and risky behavior on the road, and experienced more of some accident-related outcomes than low anger drivers. High anger groups did not differ from each other, but reported more trait anxiety and anger and more outward negative and less controlled general anger expression than the low anger group. The two groups of high anger drivers, however, require different types of interventions given their state of readiness for driving anger reduction. Results were also interpreted as supportive of the state-trait model of anger and construct validity of the Driving Anger Scale.     

Risk Factors,Warning Signs,and Drivers of Suicide: What Are They,How Do They Differ,and Why Does It Matter?

Research investigating suicide attempts and deaths by suicide has yielded many specific risk factors and warning signs for future suicidal behaviors. Yet, even though these variables are each valuable for suicide prevention efforts, they may be limited in their applicability to clinical practice. The differences among risk factors, warning signs, and “drivers,” which are person‐specific variables that lead individuals to desire death by suicide, are highlighted. The scarce evidence on drivers is described and specific recommendations for conducting future drivers‐focused research and targeting them in clinical practice are suggested.