The impact of safety climate on safety related driving behaviors

This study explored the impact of safety climate, age and tenure as a driver on safety related driving behaviors among 290 company drivers in Ghana. The study found a negative relationship between safety climate and studied work-related behaviors: speeding, rule violation, inattention and driving whiles tired. The study also found that age significantly predicted the extent to which drivers engaged in safety related driving behaviors. The results showed that young drivers (aged 20–35 years) engage more in risky driving behaviors relative to adult drivers (aged 36–60 years). The study also found that the tenure of a driver did not significantly affect work-related driver behaviors. The findings from this study suggests that in the quest to reduce safety related traffic accidents and its resulting consequences such as injuries, absenteeism and deaths, a critical organizational variable that organizations can use to mitigate this canker is commitment to and strict adherence to safety practices and regulations. By extension, the findings suggest, Ghana’s commitment to safety practices and enforcement of safety regulations and policies among others can help the country win the battle against road accidents.     

Relationships between personality facets and accident involvement among truck drivers

Prior research on the personality characteristics of truck drivers and accident involvement has relied primarily on the Big Five personality factors (e.g., Extraversion), and has largely focused on self-reported number of accidents rather than more objective, independent records. We examined the association between personality characteristics and accidents among professional truck drivers at the facet level of personality using company records of accidents over time. Analyses suggested that more empathetic individuals had lower rates of accident involvement, whereas more anxious, guilt-prone, exhibitionistic, and risk-taking individuals had higher rates. We discuss implications for decreasing rates of accidents, the selection of drivers, and use in other industries where physical safety is a concern.     

Cognitive function and young drivers: The relationship between driving,attitudes, personality and cognition

Young drivers (aged 17–25 years) are the highest risk age group for driving crashes and are over-represented in car crash statistics in Australia. A relationship between cognitive functioning and driving in older drivers (60 years and older) has been consistently supported in previous literature, however, this relationship has been neglected in research regarding younger drivers. The role of cognitive functioning in young people’s driving was investigated both independently and within a current model of younger peoples driving performance. With young drivers as participants, driving behaviour, attitudes, personality and cognitive functioning were tested and driving performance was operationalised through two measures on a driving simulator, speeding and lane deviations. Cognitive functioning was found to contribute to driving behaviour, along with driving attitudes and personality traits, in accounting for young people’s driving performance. The young drivers who performed better on cognitive functioning tasks engaged in less speeding behaviour and less lane deviation on the driving simulator than those who performed worse on these tasks. This result was found independent of the role of driving behaviour, driving attitudes and personality traits, accounting for unique variance in driving ability.     

Driving distraction at night: The impact of cell phone use on driving behaviors among young drivers

Currently, young drivers are more likely than other drivers to use cell phones while driving at night, which has become a major cause of road crashes. However, limited attention has been given to distracted nighttime driving. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the interaction effect of cell phone use and time of day (daytime and nighttime) on young drivers’ car-following performance. Forty-three young drivers engaged in a driving simulator experiment with a within-subject design that included three distractions (no distraction, talking and texting on a cell phone) and two times of day. This paper applied non-parametric tests to analyze the data and obtained the following results: (1) the standard deviation of lane position (SDLP) did not significantly differ at either time of day under no distraction, but it was significantly higher at night on straight roads and large-radius curves after introducing distractions. In addition, participants drove faster and gave less headway on small-radius curves under both distractions at night; (2) texting significantly increased the SDLP, while there was less lateral variation during the talking tasks than under no distraction on simple road sections; and (3) compared with the experienced drivers, the novice drivers drove faster during the talking tasks on small-radius curves, but there was no significant difference between groups during the texting tasks. These findings provide both theoretical and practical implications for related policy makers to enhance traffic safety.     

Cognitive and personality determinants of safe driving performance in professional drivers

Large truck and bus crashes still cause a high rate of fatalities and costs. Considering that the human factor plays an important role it is obvious that there is great interest in predicting safe driving performance in professional drivers, especially with new technologies emerging to assist drivers. This study uses a modern theoretical framework to assess which psychometric tests are still able to predict safe driving performance in today’s professional drivers under these new circumstances.126 male professional bus drivers completed a standardized digital test battery and three driving exercises. The test battery was used to assess reaction time, concentration, ability to gain an overview, reactive stress tolerance, logical reasoning, and safety-related personality traits. The exercises consisted of an on-road driving test, an obstacle course, and a maneuvering course.The study yielded satisfactory indicators of criterion related validity. It also showed that different tests were relevant for the prediction of safe driving performance in different driving exercises. Contrary to previous research, logical reasoning showed significant effects. The results indicate that in order to assess safe driving performance in professional drivers, a comprehensive assessment with psychometric tests should be recommended.     

The value of self-report measures as indicators of driving behaviors among young drivers

Although much of the knowledge in transportation psychology has been gained by means of self-report measures, there is still a dispute regarding the usefulness and validity of such instruments. This series of two studies employed multivariate statistical models to examine associations between self-report and objective measures in two samples of young drivers. Study 1 (n = 151) compared scores on the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI), a self-report questionnaire tapping four broad driving styles, with the naturalistic driving recorded by an in-vehicle data recorder (IVDR). Study 2 (n = 80) compared responses to the Reckless Driving Habits Scale, assessing the frequency with which drivers commit a set of risky behaviors, with driving measures collected by a simulator. This study also examined the personality trait of sensation seeking, as well as gender and driving experience. In Study 1, the analysis revealed positive associations between high scores on the risky and hostile driving styles measured by the MDSI and risky behaviors measured by the IVDR, as well as inverse correlations between the latter and high MDSI scores on the anxious and careful driving styles. Similarly, in Study 2 associations were found between the self-reported frequency of reckless driving habits and several risky behaviors measured by the driving simulator. In addition, risky behaviors correlated with the sociodemographic variables and sensation seeking. The two studies therefore show that self-report measures are reliable tools for assessing driving behaviors for purposes of research, evaluation, and intervention.     

Effects of partial sleep deprivation: A comparative assessment of young non-professional and professional taxi drivers

AimThis study aims to determine the effects of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) on driving performance of professional and young non-professional drivers.MethodsThe study included fifty participants (20 professional taxi drivers and 30 young non-professional drivers) driving the simulator-cab in three conditions. The first test session (TS1) was conducted after one night of PSD followed by the second test (TS2) after two consecutive nights of PSD. The driving performance metrics in two conditions of PSD (i.e., sleep duration = 4.25 ± 0.5 h) were compared with the baseline drive with no sleep loss. Sleep restriction was monitored using Actiwatch. Drivers subjectively self-reported their alertness using Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). Driving performance metrics and reaction time to emergency events were collected during each drive.ResultsA preliminary mixed-design ANOVA showed deterioration in driving performance of all drivers in terms of speed (p < 0.1), speed variability (p = 0.06), standard deviation in lateral positions (SDLP) (p < 0.001) and delayed reaction time (p < 0.05). Separate Mixed-Effects Generalized Linear Models for professional and non-professional drivers showed that speed variability, SDLP and reaction time increased from baseline during both the PSD tests, among both the driving groups. The speed variability, SDLP and reaction time of professional drivers differed significantly from other drivers under PSD conditions. Contrary to the existing belief, the professional drivers had significant decrements in driving performance due to PSD.ConclusionA critical and comparative analysis revealed that driving experience/skill of professional drivers does not improve their resistance to deteriorating effects of sleep loss.     

The influence of personality and cognitive failures on distracted driving behaviors among young adults

Distracted driving is a major safety concern. This paper explores the role personality traits and self-reported cognitive failures play in the propensity towards distracted driving behavior (DDB) among young adults in the United States. Two independent time-separated studies (study 1 with 522 participants; study 2 with 314 participants) confirm the role of cognitive failures as a mediator between specific personality traits and DDB propensity among young adult drivers. The results of this study suggest drivers’ personality traits such as extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism have a direct impact on DDB propensity. In addition, there is evidence that cognitive failure mediates the relationship between these three personality traits and DDB propensity. Lastly, based on the results, agreeableness moderates the relationship between cognitive failure and DDB propensity. Together, these findings suggest that personality traits should be considered in conjunction with driver’s cognitive failure in explaining DDB propensity. Future research using a combination of self-reported, naturalistic and simulation studies may provide additional insight into the relationships between personality traits, cognitive failures, and the propensity towards DDB.     

Investigating driving instructors: The mediating roles of driving skills in the relationship between organizational safety strategies and driver behaviours

The aim of the present study is to investigate the mediating roles of driving skills in relationship between organizational safety strategies and driver behaviours among driving instructors. Driving skills consist of perceptual-motor skills and safety skills. Driver behaviours are investigated under four factors: violations, errors, lapses, and positive driver behaviours. Participants were 132 driving instructors (108 male and 24 female). In order to measure organizational safety strategies, Organizational Safety Strategies Scale (OSSS) was developed for driving schools. Results of the principal component analyses yielded one-factor solution for OSSS. In order to test the indirect effects of organizational safety strategies on driver behaviours through driving skills, multiple mediation analyses were conducted by entering age and annual mileage as the control variables. As organizational safety strategies were stronger, driving instructors had higher levels of perceptual-motor skills, which resulted in higher violations. On the other hand, as organizational safety strategies were stronger, driving instructors had higher levels of safety skills, which resulted in less violations and lapses. It can be inferred that; organizational stronger safety strategies might have negative influences on road safety through higher perceptual-motor skills; whereas there can be positive influences on road safety through higher safety skills. In addition, both skills are related to organizational safety strategies. Hence, driving schools should consider the asymmetric relationship between perceptual-motor skills and safety skills while improving their safety strategies to decrease violations and lapses. Organizations might also develop interventions to balance the stated skills to increase road safety.     

Keep on cruising: Changes in lifestyle and driving style among male drivers between the age of 18 and 23

Despite recent improvements in general road safety levels, young male drivers in most western countries continue to be overrepresented in road traffic accidents. Lifestyle related motivational factors are a key element in the young male driver problem. Based on 379 posted questionnaires completed by the same male drivers at the age of 18 and again at the age of 23, this study examined changes in the relationship between lifestyle and driving style over a 5 year period. A number of changes in car use, driving style and engagement in different leisure time activities were found. Cruising was related to an extrovert social life as well as problem behaviours such as drink driving. At the age of 18 cruising was a part of the normal social life of the majority of the participants. However, while most drivers reduced their level of cruising as well as related problem behaviour over time, a smaller group still showed a similar life style at the age of 23. The study confirmed the importance of lifestyle related motivational factors for driving behaviour among young drivers.     

Effects of a driver assistance system with foresighted deceleration control on the driving performance of elderly and younger drivers

It is imperative to enhance the safety of elderly individuals on the roads to ensure the quality of their daily life. Near-miss incidents or accidents at blind intersections often result from a conflict between the behaviors of the driver and of other road users (pedestrians and cyclists). The failure to search for potential conflict in the context of blind intersections is a concern pertaining to road safety. The proposed assistance system performs a proactive braking intervention to achieve a referenced velocity in uncertain situations, such as one in which an unobserved pedestrian might initiate a road crossing. The proactive braking intervention attempts to manage the potential risk of crashing with respect to covert hazards. Because an automated system may impair a human’s ability to perceive and respond to hazardous situations while driving, this study was designed to examine the effects of proactive braking intervention and visual support cues on elderly and younger drivers’ ability to respond to information about potentially hazardous situations. We conducted a public-road driving experiment involving 108 elderly and younger drivers from two non-overlapping age groups. It was observed that the vehicle slowdown realized through the proactive braking intervention enabled the drivers to perform safety confirmation near blind spots and caused them to be more sensitive to and wary of potential hazards. This approach could be effective not only for elderly drivers, but also for young or inexperienced ones.     

Distraction while driving: The case of older drivers

As the impairment of older drivers is especially found in perception and attention, one could assume that they are especially prone to distraction effects of secondary tasks performed while driving. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of age on driving performance as well as the compensation strategies of older drivers under distraction. 10 middle-aged and 10 older drivers drove in a simulator with and without a secondary task. To assess driving performance the Lane Change Task (Mattes, 2003) was used. This method aims at estimating driver demand while a secondary task is being performed, by measuring performance degradation on a primary driving-like task in a standardized manner. The secondary task – a self-developed computer-based version of “d2 Test of Attention” was presented both with and without time pressure. The results show that older participants’ overall driving performance (mean deviation from an ideal path) was worse in all conditions as compared to the younger ones. With regard to lane change reaction time both age groups were influenced by distraction in a comparable manner. However, when the lane keeping performance (standard deviation of the lateral position) was examined, the older participants were more affected than the younger ones. This pattern could be explained by compensation strategies of the older drivers. They focused on the most relevant part of the driving task, the lane change manoeuvres and were able to maintain their performance level in a similar way as did younger drivers. The driving performance of the older participants was not additionally impaired when the secondary task imposed time pressure. Overall, subjective rating of driving performance, perceived workload and perceived distraction was found to be similar for both age groups. The observed trends and patterns associated with distraction while driving should contribute to the further research or practical work regarding in-vehicle technologies and older drivers.     

Effectiveness of the compensatory strategy adopted by older drivers: Difference between professional and non-professional drivers

It has been a controversial issue for the effect of ageing population on driving safety. Apparently, drivers’ physiological and cognitive performances deteriorate with age. However, older drivers may compensate for the elevated risk by adjusting their behaviors, known as compensatory strategy. Despite the extensive research on this topic, the compensatory strategy of older professional drivers is not well understood since many studies focused on the differences in compensatory behavior between older and young drivers. Professional drivers tend to be more skillful and able to cope with the unfavorable driving environments, thus presenting a higher capability to mitigate the risk. This study attempts to examine the compensatory behavior and its safety effect amongst older professional drivers, as compared to those of older non-professional drivers, using the driving simulator approach. In the driving simulator experiment, participants were asked to follow a leading vehicle for one hour, and two sudden brake events were presented. 41 (mid-aged and older) drivers completed the driving tests. Each participant was required to complete a car-following test, either under high or low traffic flow conditions. Performance indicators include driving capability (i.e. lateral control, longitudinal control, and brake reaction time) and compensatory behavior (i.e. average speed, and time headway). Additionally, two modified traffic conflict measures: time exposed time-to-collision (TET) and time integrated time-to-collision (TIT) are applied to indicate the traffic conflict risk. The random parameter Tobit models were estimated to measure the association between conflict risk and driver attributes, and random intercept models were used to assess other driving performance indicators. Results show that despite the impaired lateral control performance and longer brake reaction time of older drivers, the likelihood of severe traffic conflict of older drivers is lower than that of mid-aged drivers. Furthermore, though both older professional and older non-professional drivers adopted longer time headway, the reduction in the risk of severe traffic conflict is more profound among the older professional drivers. Such findings suggest that older professional drivers are more capable of mitigating the possible collision risk by adopting the compensatory strategy, as compared to older non-professional drivers. This justifies the existence of compound effect by the compensatory strategy of older driver and better driving skills of professional driver. This research provides useful insights into driver training and management strategies for employers, as older drivers would become a major cohort in the transportation industry.     

The effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations for e-bike riders in China

ObjectivesIt is unknown that how safety knowledge and psychological factors affect e-bike rider safety. Also, group violation behaviors, which are commonly observed in the field, have been rarely examined for e-bike riders in China. In this paper, the effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations were examined.MethodsA questionnaire was developed to acquire information of e-bike riders in Guilin, Guangxi Province. Explanatory factor analysis was used to examine the reliability of the questionnaire and exclude redundant measurement items. Then, a Structure Equation Model was developed to examine the relationships among safety knowledge, safety attitude, risk perception and risky driving behaviors. After that, multiple regression models were fitted to examine the effect of safety knowledge on each type of risky driving behavior, as well as factors associated with group violations. At last, ANOVA tests were conducted to identify significant differences among e-bike rider groups in safety knowledge, safety attitude, and risk perception.ResultsSafety knowledge was found significantly associated with risky driving behaviors for e-bike riders in China, including aggressive driving, erroneous driving, and group violations. E-bike riders severely lack safety knowledge, especially that of traffic rules, including unmarried riders, under-educated riders, riders without driver’s license, younger riders, and riders with little riding experience. Group violations were largely found among e-bike riders, and to be associated with safety knowledge of traffic rules, risk-taking attitude, and riding experience of e-bike riders.ConclusionsThe findings could add some new safety implication and be beneficial for developing safety policies and interventions for e-bikes.     

The mediating role of work climate perceptions in the relationship between personality and performance

Although past research has demonstrated a link between personality and job performance, potential enabling factors of this relationship have yet to be explored comprehensively. We hypothesized that perceptions of work climate, specifically relationship dimensions—cohesion, supervisor support, and job involvement—might be the mechanism through which the relationship between personality and job performance can be explained. Two hundred and thirty Australian employees completed an online survey measuring personality, relationship dimensions of work climate (job involvement, coworker cohesion, and supervisor support) and job performance. Results revealed that the relationship dimensions of work climate fully mediated the relationship between agreeableness and job performance, and extraversion and job performance, while the relationship between neuroticism and job performance was partially mediated by relationship dimensions of work climate. Supervisor support primarily accounted for this mediated effect for the neuroticism–job performance relationship, whereas for extraversion only job involvement explained significant unique variance. Our findings suggest that the relationship of agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism with job performance is indirect, and perceptions of the work environment itself play a role in this relationship. This implies that organizations should consider the work environment, in addition to personality during selection procedures. Future research should examine whether different levels of work environment dimensions, foster greater job performance in employees.     

Social exclusion affects aggressive driving behaviour: The mediating effect of prosocial tendencies and driving anger

Social exclusion—being rejected or ignored by individuals or groups—is a common and adverse experience in social life. As a social activity, driving behaviour can be influenced by many factors. Whether social exclusion is one of these factors is an open question. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the impact of the social exclusion experience on individuals and their driving behaviours and the mediating effect of prosocial tendencies and driving anger. A total of 240 (104 males and 136 females) participants from China completed a questionnaire including the Ostracism Experiences Scale (OES), the prosocial tendencies measure (PTM), the Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). The hierarchical multiple regression analysis and pathway analysis results showed that social exclusion experience and driving anger positively predicted aberrant driving behaviours (including aggressive violations, ordinary violations, lapses and errors), while prosocial tendencies had a negative impact on aberrant driving behaviour. Moreover, prosocial tendencies and driving anger mediated the relationship between social exclusion and driver behaviour, accounting for 11.18% and 46.71% of the total effect, respectively. The chain-mediated effect of prosocial tendencies and driving anger was also significant, accounting for 5.26% of the total effect of social exclusion on driver behaviour. This study examines the mechanisms underlying social exclusion experiences that positively predict individuals' unsafe driving behaviours, thereby filling a gap in social exclusion research and suggesting new avenues of exploration into the personal and social influences that affect driving behaviours.     

Validation of the F-DBQ: A short (and accurate) risky driving behavior questionnaire for long-haul professional drivers

Although the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) remains the most known tool for assessing risky road behaviors among motor vehicle drivers, recent studies have raised several concerns on the specificity of both driving task conditions and behavioral repertory of certain segments of the driving population. Among them, long-haul (cargo) professional drivers constitute one of the “intensive driving” groups for which the existing adapted behavioral research tools are still very scarce.PurposeThe aim of the present study was to test and validate the F-DBQ (or “Freight Driving Behavior Questionnaire”), a short version of the DBQ adapted to the occupational driving conditions and typical road risk behaviors of freight drivers.MethodFor this cross-sectional study, a sample of n = 982 Spanish long-haul drivers with a mean age of 48.5 years was used, responding to a questionnaire composed of measures on road risk behaviors (DBQ), fatigue (Checklist Individual Strength – CIS and Need for Recovery Scale – NFR) and job stress (Effort–Reward Imbalance questionnaire – ERI).ResultsThrough competitive Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) with structural equation models, it was found that the F-DBQ has a clear dimensional structure, a fair goodness-of-fit, high factorial weights, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity and an improved fit to long haul drivers’ working conditions. Also, both (general and work-related) fatigue and job stress have shown to have a significant role in explaining risky road behaviors of long-haul drivers.ConclusionThe findings of this study support that an abbreviated version of the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (the F-DBQ) can be used to assess traffic violations and errors among long-haul drivers, in consideration of their specific task-related conditions (that qualitatively differ from other groups of drivers), with potential implications on the enforcement of occupational and road safety research.     

The role of executive function,personality and attitudes to risks in explaining self-reported driving behaviour in adolescent and adult male drivers

Young drivers show high levels of risky driving and are over-represented in motor vehicle crash statistics world-wide. As well as personality and attitudinal factors, high rates of risk taking during adolescence may be due to poorly developed executive functions, a result of the slow maturation of the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This study was undertaken to investigate the roles of executive function, personality, attitudes to risk in relation to self-reported driving behaviour. Adolescent (n = 46, age 16–18 years) and adult (n = 32, 25 years and over) male drivers completed a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess general cognitive ability and executive function, and questionnaires to assess driving history, personality, attitudes to physical and psychological risk as well as questionnaires of self-reported driving behaviour (Driver risk taking and Driver Attitude Questionnaire, DAQ). The adolescent drivers showed poorer executive function, higher levels of impulsivity and risk-taking, lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness compared to adult drivers. Regression analyses revealed that attitudes to risk, agreeableness and working memory made unique significant contributions in explaining self-reported driving behaviour. Interestingly though, better working memory was associated with higher levels of self-reported risky driving and more accepting attitudes to risky driving. Together the findings suggest that some aspects of executive function, personality, and attitudes to risk may help to explain self-reported driving behaviour. Whether these findings are relevant to female drivers and apply to on-road driving behaviour should be the focus of future studies.     

The role of trait emotional intelligence in driving anger: The mediating effect of emotion regulation

Emotions during driving have an essential impact on driving safety. This study aims to explore the relationships among emotional intelligence, emotional regulation, driving anger and related behaviour. A total of 304 drivers (aged 18–57) completed online questionnaires, including the trait emotional intelligence (TEI) scale, difficulties in emotional regulation scale (DERS), driving anger scale (DAS) and driver anger expression inventory (DAX). The results showed that the influence of TEI on maladaptive driving anger expression was negative, and individuals with higher emotional intelligence showed less maladaptive expressions of driving anger. Difficulties in emotion regulation played a mediating role between emotional intelligence and driving anger. These results suggest that drivers with high emotional intelligence and emotion regulation may face driving situations calmly and with a high level of driving safety.     

The influence of the frequency of cannabis use and of the five impulsivity traits on risky driving behaviors among young drivers

Concerns about road safety are at the forefront of discussions given the recent legalization of cannabis in many areas. Some studies have demonstrated that the frequency of cannabis use is a significant predictor of risky driving among young drivers. However, it is difficult to isolate the specific contribution of substance use from the influence of certain individual personality traits such impulsivity. Indeed, impulsivity traits (i.e., positive urgency, negative urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking) are also correlated with risky driving. The present study examined the effect of the frequency of cannabis use on risky driving while taking into account the effect of five impulsivity traits. A community sample of 209 young drivers (aged 17–25 years) completed self-report questionnaires about their road behaviors, their cannabis use, and their impulsivity traits. The results showed that the frequency of cannabis use was significantly associated with risky driving beyond the five impulsivity traits measured. Positive urgency was the only impulsivity trait that remained significantly associated with risky driving once all covariates were entered into the model. Moreover, the frequency of cannabis use acted as a mediator in the relationship between sensation seeking and risky driving.