Ultraorthodox young drivers in Israel – Driving through cultural lenses

Research has paid little attention to driving and road safety in the ultraorthodox communities in Israel, in which perceptions on such issues display unique cultural characteristics, and may have long-term effects on traffic safety. This study attempts to gain insight into the attitudes and behaviors of the ultraorthodox young men road users in Israel with regard to driving and road safety, using a qualitative research method based on 42 face-to-face in-depth interviews with men from different ultraorthodox circles in different stages of life. The analysis reveals that the stringent cultural norms strongly influence road behavior, far beyond what is known about young novice drivers and their peers in general. For example, owning a license by young, single ultraorthodox students is seen as an offense against the ultraorthodox establishment compared to driving without a license, which is considered a one-time lapse. The findings indicate that unique cultural phenomena such as concealing the process of licensing, unlicensed driving and road interactions create a dangerous effect extending beyond the ultraorthodox neighborhoods. They also imply that road safety can be interpreted differently in diverse cultures, a fact which should be considered while planning safety intervention strategies.     

Where Men Appear More Religious Than Women: Turning a Gender Lens on Religion in Israel

Past research, typically focused on Christians in Christian nations, has found that women tend to be more religious than men. This study uses original nationally representative data (N = 5,601) with strategic oversamples of minority groups to examine variation in how religion and gender intersect across ethnoreligious identities in Israel. We demonstrate that Israel diverges from the typical pattern of women appearing more religious than men. In fact, Israeli men are consistently more religious than Israeli women on commonly used measures and frequently more religious on a broader set of questions specific to Judaism and Israel. Subgroup analyses highlight the intersectional nature of gender and religion, showing that men's greater religiosity in Israel is limited to Jews, and, more specifically, nonsecular Jews. We suggest that gender gaps arise, at least in part, because religions are gendered institutions with gendered norms, expectations, and incentives, and that these norms, expectations, and incentives vary from religion to religion.     

The prevalence of in-vehicle driving distractions in road traffic collisions as a function of road type

While some previous research suggests that conversing with passengers is the most prevalent in-vehicle distraction while driving, others have concluded instead that it is mobile phone use. One possible explanation for these differences is that distraction prevalence varies with road type. To test this proposal the current study investigated the prevalence of in-vehicle driving distraction in road traffic collisions (RTCs) as recorded in national records from the US and New Zealand. Analysis using odds ratios suggested conversing with passengers to be a more prevalent distraction in RTCs on minor roads than on major roads, and mobile phone use to be a more prevalent distraction on major roads than on minor roads. These results show the importance of considering the type of road when investigating the prevalence of driving distractions in RTCs in future research.     

Risky and anxious-aggressive drivers: A key barrier to traffic safety legislation in Germany

Traffic safety is high on the agenda of European governments. Yet, countries including Germany maintain policies that are commonly identified as increasing traffic risks, such as speed limits set too high or trends of greater car motorization and mass. To better understand some of the interrelationships of driver characteristics and car segments, this paper identifies different groups of drivers, based on a representative sample of German automobilists (n = 1211). Psychological instruments used to identify driver segments include the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI), and the HEXACO Personality Inventory. Based on k-means clustering, we identified four distinct groups: Risky drivers, Showy anxious-aggressive drivers, Anxious drivers and Calm drivers. Questions focused on socio-demographics, political orientation, and traffic laws are used to describe these psychographic segments. Findings suggest that Risky and Showy anxious-aggressive drivers represent a greater threat to traffic safety than other driver segments for different reasons: they drive more powerful and larger cars, deliberately violate traffic laws – creating unsafe traffic conditions for others –, and oppose legislation making traffic safer, while also voting for parties holding on to the status quo. As their political choices appear dominated by automobile interests, there are widespread implications for society.     

Transition patterns of driving style from a traditional driving environment to a connected vehicle environment: A case of an extra-long tunnel road

To provide a better understanding of individual driver’s driving style classification in a traditional and a CV environment, spatiotemporal characteristics of vehicle trajectories on a road tunnel were extracted through a driving simulator-based experiment. Speed, acceleration, and rate of acceleration changes are selected as clustering indexes. The dynamic time warping and k-means clustering were adopted to classify participants into different risk level groups. To assess the driver behavior benefits in a CV environment, an indicator BI (behavior indicator, BI) was defined based on the standard deviation of speed, the standard deviation of acceleration, and the standard deviation of the rate of acceleration change. Then, the index BI of each driver was calculated. Furthermore, this paper explored driving style classification, not in terms of traditional driving environment, but rather the transition patterns from a traditional driving environment to a CV environment. The results revealed that inside a long tunnel, 80 % of drivers benefited from a CV environment. Moreover, drivers might need training before using a CV system, especially female drivers who have low driving mileage. In addition, the results showed that the driving style of 69 % of the drivers’ transferred from a high risk-level to a low risk-level when driving in a CV environment. The study results can be expected to improve driving training education programs and also to provide a valuable reference for developing individual in-vehicle human-machine interface projects and other proactive safety countermeasures.     

Instruction-prompted objective behaviors as proxy for subjective measures in a driving simulator

Interactions with other road users and interpretations of traffic situations are important aspects of driving safety. Self-reports are often used to study drivers’ perceptions and attitudes but self-reports can be inaccurate and biased because of socially desirable responding. Driving simulators offer objective measures of driver behaviors but have limited ability to elicit natural behaviors. To address this issue, we tested a driving simulator-based approach that combined realistic driving scenarios including potentially frustrating forward obstacles and delays in travel time with two different types of instructions. Participants' vehicle control behaviors and subjective perception of traffic delays were compared. Results demonstrated that behaviors collected following instructions to drive safely did not have significant associations with participants’ perceptions of the traffic delays while participants following instructions to drive quickly demonstrated behaviors that were predictive of their subjective perceptions of the traffic delays. The findings suggest that vehicle control behaviors can be used as a proxy for subjective perceptions of traffic delays. We conclude that driving simulator methodology combining instructions, realistic traffic scenarios, and adaptive analytical methods is appropriate for studying drivers’ behaviors and interactions with other road users and can minimize the need to rely on subjective self-reports.     

The mediation effect of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between anger and aggression on the road in a sample of Spanish drivers

Aggressive behaviour on the road is one of the most studied topics in human factors, given it has been related to both risky behaviour and traffic crashes. While previous research has proposed trait driving anger as one of the better predictors, mediation variables which could explain this relationship have not deserved attention. The current research aimed to explore the mediation effect of emotion regulation in this relationship. The sample consisted of 472 Spanish drivers, who completed a set of self-reports regarding trait driving anger, frequency of aggressive behaviours at the wheel, and difficulties in emotion regulation. The results showed significant relationship among the variables in almost all the cases. Furthermore, a SEM analysis showed that difficulties in emotion regulation significantly mediated the relationship between trait driving anger and each way of the aggressive behaviours (verbal, physical, using own vehicle, and displaced). These results have important implications in the design of strategies focused on the improvement of emotion regulation to reduce aggressive behaviours in drivers. Finally, the limitations of the study are commented.     

Conducting a qualitative research on suicide in Ghana using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA): A reflection after a decade

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) set of guidelines allow a researcher to gain access to the meaning of a phenomenon (e.g. suicide) through the individual person's lived and personal experiences. In this paper I have discussed that the ethical challenges that confront researching suicide in Ghana the challenges of pursuing an idiographic rigor using the IPA may arise from the pervasive normative self-construal within Ghanaian communities. Though I admit the IPA has been useful in various studies within the African context, I have also interrogated such idiography within the normative social arrangement of such setting where sociocentric perspectives abound. This essay is a reflexivity on the IPA in a normative context after a decade, where suicidal behaviour is strongly proscribed and personhood is deeply shared. I have recommended that one way of addressing this challenge is to use a ‘funnel’ approach in interviewing from the general: the community, to the particular: the individual.     

Multimodal traffic safety concerns in a university population

Travelers have different concerns about traffic safety, which may affect their transportation choices and risk-taking behaviors as well as the overall safety performance of multimodal transportation systems. The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with stated concerns surrounding traffic safety among travelers using multiple transport modes. The analysis used data from an online questionnaire survey completed by over 2,000 students and employees at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, US. Four latent variables—concerns about pedestrians and cyclists, auto drivers, modal interactions, and roadway conditions—were confirmed using factor analysis from 16 questions about traffic safety concerns. These four types of safety concerns were then analyzed to understand their associations with mode choice, commuting behavior, and socio-demographics using a structural equation model. Results showed that safety concern varied systematically among different mode users and demographic groups. Auto drivers perceived interactions with pedestrians and cyclists as concerning, while non-auto users felt more concerned by automobile traffic. Commuters who were recently involved in a crash were especially concerned with non-motorized modes. Women, lower-income, and non-white road users were more concerned with traffic safety overall. Findings about multimodal traffic safety concerns provide insights into people’s perceptions, which can be useful in developing designs, plans, and policies for making a safer transportation system for all road users.     

Using physiological and behavioral measurements in a picture-based road hazard perception experiment to classify risky and safe drivers

Every year, a considerable number of people got injured or even lost their lives in road traffic accidents. To decrease the number of fatalities and injuries, researchers are seeking methods to identify and restrain drivers before the happening of actual traffic accidents, who possess dangerous driving behaviors and may cause road traffic accidents. Such methods are usually exploited to decide drivers’ fitness to drive—an indicator to describe whether they are fit for driving. The aim of this study is to measure drivers’ physiological and behavioral responses to road hazards and to extract features from measurements for further classification of risky and safe drivers. 42 drivers participated in a picture-based road hazard perception experiment, where electroencephalography (EEG), electrodermal activity (EDA), behavioral responses to road hazards, multidimensional driving style inventory (MDSI) questionnaire, and demographic information were recorded. Results indicated that 5 specific physiological features regarding to road hazard perception showed significant differences between risky and safe drivers. Subsequently, participants were classified into risky or safe drivers group by applying only the 5 features. 81.82% and 77.78% accuracy of classification were attained for risky and safe drivers, respectively. It was evidenced that using physiological and behavioral responses to evaluate drivers’ road hazard perception might be utilized as a tool to measure drivers’ fitness to drive. For further studies, improvements to future experiment design were discussed.     

Approaching to a structural model of impulsivity and driving anger as predictors of risk behaviors in young drivers

Due to the high rates of traffic accidents in young drivers, psychology studies identify road anger as an important factor associated to risk driving behaviors, in order to know which psychological variables can predict road anger, the literature suggest impulsivity as an individual condition related to anger. The objective of this research is to obtain an explanatory model of risk driving as a result of the relationship of impulsivity, road anger expression and the control of impulsivity and anger. A sample of 407 subjects, both sexes drivers were surveyed, obtaining a structural equation model with acceptable adjustment values. The model showed that control of impulsivity and anger predict impulsivity (β = −0.25) and physical expression of anger (β = −0.50), Impulsivity also showed predictive capacity towards the physical expression of anger (β = 0.29), and the physical expression of anger towards risk driving behaviors (β = 0.89). Due to the findings it is suggested the implementation of social programs that promote the development of anger regulatory skills and impulse control, as part of the preventive actions of road accidents.     

Failure to replicate the deleterious effects of safety behaviors in exposure therapy

The current study attempted to replicate the finding obtained by Powers, Smits, and Telch (2004; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 448–545) that both the availability and utilization of safety behaviors interfere with the efficacy of exposure therapy. An additional goal of the study was to evaluate which explanatory theories about the detrimental effects of safety behaviors best account for this phenomenon. Undergraduate students (N = 58) with high claustrophobic fear were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (a) exposure only, (b) exposure with safety behavior availability, and (c) exposure with safety behavior utilization. Participants in each condition improved substantially, and there were no significant between-group differences in fear reduction. Unexpectedly, exposure with safety behavior utilization led to significantly greater improvement in self-efficacy and claustrophobic cognitions than exposure only. The extent to which participants inferred danger from the presence of safety aids during treatment was associated with significantly less improvement on all outcome measures. The findings call into question the hypothesized deleterious effects of safety behaviors on the outcome of exposure therapy and highlight a possible mechanism through which the mere presence of safety cues during exposure trials might affect treatment outcomes depending on participants’ perceptions of the dangerousness of exposure stimuli.     

Research trauma in incarcerated spaces: Listening to incarcerated women's narratives

This paper discusses researcher emotional experiences evoked while conducting narrative interviews in a research project that explored the rehabilitation experiences of 18 incarcerated women. I highlight the significance of listening as a methodology in spaces of incarceration. The importance of retrospective reflexivity in locating experiences of trauma encountered during the research process is discussed. The paper also brings to the fore the transformative power of stories for listeners as I share how my prejudices and attitudes regarding incarcerated women, as people who are framed as dangerous, were challenged. Experiences with interviewing and connecting with the incarcerated women further emphasised the importance of proactive self-care for researchers, with the significance of reflexivity as a self-care tool when doing qualitative research with vulnerable populations.     

Portraits of Well-Being: Photography as a Mental Health Support for Women With HIV

Many women living with HIV/AIDS (WL-HIV/AIDS) experience significant mental distress. Although creative arts strategies are well positioned to help support women by inspiring creativity and meaning-making, few arts programs have been implemented and evaluated with this population. The authors conducted a photography project with 30 WL-HIV/AIDS from three United States cities. Participants took pictures to capture their lives with HIV/AIDS and described their photos and stories in group and individual sessions. Using thematic analysis, the authors identified that the project supported women’s mental health in four ways by facilitating empowerment and helping women to express themselves, address their mental health with new tools like photography, and process past traumas. Photography projects may help WL-HIV/AIDS understand and manage their mental health.     

An examination of the influence of crosswalk marking removal on pedestrian safety as reflected in road user behaviours

In some local authorities in Israel, road markings were removed from non-signalised crosswalks situated on multilane divided urban roads. This study examined whether this treatment contributes to pedestrian safety, based on the analysis of differences in road user behaviours and pedestrian crossing conditions at sites without crosswalk markings (treatment sites) versus those with the markings (comparison sites). Field observations were conducted at two treatment and four comparison sites, including video-recordings and free-flow speed measurements. The speed data analysis indicated that treatment sites were associated with higher speeds as compared to other sites, at least in one travel direction, and that speed values were sufficiently high to create a threat of severe injury for the crossing pedestrians. Examinations of other road user behaviours showed that treatment sites are associated with higher obedience of pedestrians to safe crossing rules and low rates of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts during the crossing, but also with long waiting times by pedestrians prior to crossing, low rates of giving-way to pedestrians and more vehicles ignoring pedestrian needs to cross. In general, pedestrian crosswalk removal brought about a worsening in the possibility of crossing the road for pedestrians that in combination with high vehicle speeds cannot be recognised as a safety-improving measure. The study did not support the claim that removing a marked crosswalk leads to safety benefits for pedestrians.     

Sankofa Socialization as a Response to the Soul Trauma of Black Women Activists in Ministry

This article sets out an emerging discourse on defining and repairing the generational spiritual consequences of racism, victimization, marginalization, and isolation experienced by women of African descent, identified in this paper as “soul trauma.” Drawing on the work of W.E.B. Dubois, Joy DeGruy, Iva Carruthers, and others, it establishes the deep and deadly effect of internalized white supremacy and cultural hegemony on the identity and socialization of Black women, an effect that requires substantial work and repair beyond what established human service delivery practices can provide to the essential core of one's being, the soul. This article posits the concept and practice of Sankofa as a form of holistic medicine in the repair of Black souls, specific to the use of Kindezi, a Kikongo education system.     

Digital Animation as a Method to Disseminate Research Findings to the Community Using a Community-Based Participatory Approach

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has garnered increasing interest over the previous two decades as researchers have tackled increasingly complex health problems. In academia, professional presentations and articles are major ways that research is disseminated. However, dissemination of research findings to the people and communities who participated in the research is many times forgotten. In addition, little scholarly literature is focused on creative dissemination of research findings to the community using CBPR methods. We seek to fill this gap in the literature by providing an exemplar of research dissemination and partnership strategies that were used to complete this project. In this paper, we present a novel approach to the dissemination of research findings to our targeted communities through digital animation. We also provide the foundational thinking and specific steps that were taken to select this specific dissemination product development and distribution strategy.     

A contribution to the development of a psychoanalytical methodology for research into language: A systematic study of narration as an expression of sexuality

Systematic research on language has a solid starting point in Freudian hypotheses on sexuality. This theory is the semantic ground for categorising narrations and providing a basis for the research method. The author places his research in the frame of the systematisation of the Freudian theory of substitute formations in the preconscious. He affirms that these formations are influenced in a particular way by each variant of sexuality. The author proposes an inventory (in Freudian terms) of those variants of sexuality, and he affirms that they can be detected in the discourse. Five universal scenes having the status of a canon, with specific features for each of the ways in which sexuality is manifested, make up narrations. The author describes the features of each narration and provides some examples. He also examines problems related to the use of the method (the coexistence of different variants of sexuality in a single fragment of a narration and the successive steps in the use of the method). The author briefly considers some other problems: the analysis of defences, the study of words and theoretical research. Finally, he examines the validity and reliability of the method.     

Womanist Spirituality as a Response to the Racism‐Sexism Double Bind in African American Women

Many African American women begin counseling stigmatized by race and gender and may be targets of additional discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, class, age, and other social variables. In this article, the authors discuss “womanist” spirituality as a means for African American women to cope with racism, sexism, and multiple social stigmas.     

Proposal of a driver profile classification in relation to risk level in overtaking maneuvers

Traffic crashes are a worldwide problem, and records have indicated frontal collisions have resulted in the most significant number of fatalities. Such a type of crash is frequently caused by improper overtaking of vehicles, which highlights the interference of human factors. Therefore, investigations on driver's risk perception are necessary. This study proposes a classification of driver's risk level through a decision tree using the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm from data collected from the overtaking maneuvers in a driving simulator. The model obtained by CART algorithm indicated young male drivers are more likely to take risks in overtaking maneuvers. The results were correlated with governmental records and similar studies. In addition, the results showed the potential of the tool for used as a risk level classifier, as well as the validation of the driving simulator in studies associated with human factor behaviours, accident analysis and investigation.