Behavioural adaptation to driving with an adaptive cruise control (ACC)

The present paper describes a study that aims at assessment of driver behaviour in response to new technology, particularly Adaptive Cruise Control Systems (ACCs), as a function of driving style. In this study possible benefits and drawbacks of Adaptive Cruise Control Systems (ACCs) were assessed by having participants drive in a simulator. The four groups of participants taking part differed on reported driving styles concerning Speed (driving fast) and Focus (the ability to ignore distractions), and drove in ways which were consistent with these opinions. The results show behavioural adaptation with an ACC in terms of higher speed, smaller minimum time headway and larger brake force. Driving style group made little difference to these behavioural adaptations. Most drivers evaluated the ACC system very positively, but the undesirable behavioural adaptations observed should encourage caution about the potential safety of such systems.     

Assessment of proneness to distraction: English adaptation and validation of the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES) and cross-cultural equivalence

Prior research developed the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES), a 19-item questionnaire aimed at evaluating the drivers’ predisposition to attentional error, and also provided validity evidence of ARDES measures across two countries: Argentina and Spain. In the current work we adapt the Spanish version of the ARDES to the English language and the culture, traffic regulations and driving habits of the UK, and then provide new evidence of the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. First, an improved forward and backward translation design was used to translate the Spanish ARDES into English. A committee-approach review process was also performed during the translation phase to guarantee that the English ARDES was the most appropriate to reflect the language, culture, traffic regulations and driving habits of the UK. Second, the adapted questionnaire was tested on 301 British drivers to inspect its psychometric properties and study the relationships between the ARDES-UK and different socio-demographic variables. In agreement with the previous literature, the results of the factor analysis confirmed a single factor and accounting for 33.84% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha was equal to .89. The observed pattern of relationships of the scores and the different socio-demographic variables was consistent with previous evidence and support the validity of the adapted questionnaire. For example, the ARDES-UK scores were significantly different between drivers reporting and not reporting traffic accidents with material damage. To conclude with, the translation design and the resulting psychometric suggest the validity of ARDES-UK measures for evaluating the British drivers’ predisposition to attentional error. In addition, the evidence in the current work supports the hypothesis of the cross-cultural stability of the scale across Spain and the UK.     

Evaluating the impact of adaptive signal control technology on driver stress and behavior using real-world experimental data

While the operational and crash reduction benefits of adaptive signal control technology (ASCT) have long been investigated, the impact of this technology on driver behavior and stress is still uncertain. This study evaluated the impact of ASCT on driver behavior and stress in a real-world environment. Participants travelled through two arterial corridors, one equipped with ASCT and the other having traditional time-of-day coordinated signals. Driver stress was measured using a heart rate detector and a perceived stress scale while driver behavior was examined using vehicular trajectory data. Overall, driving behavior improved on the ASCT as compared to the non-ASCT corridor, as indicated by higher speeds and a fewer number of stops on the ASCT corridor relative to the non-ASCT corridor. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant reduction in driver heart rate by −10 beats per minute over the ASCT corridor. A similar trend was observed for drivers’ perceived stress, analyzed by Wilcoxon sign ranked test. Driving behavior also showed significant improvement with ASCT presence, and speed was found to be negatively correlated with stress. Furthermore, the participants’ speed was controlled by the two systems i.e. ASCT and non-ASCT as expected. This study provides a significant proof of concept that ASCT can create positive improvements in driver stress and behavior that can be further investigated in the future.     

Longer-term exposure vs training: Their effect on drivers' mental models of ADAS technology

Drivers often learn about the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on their vehicles over time and through trial and error. While this experience can aid drivers’ understanding about the systems, it may not necessarily lead to sufficient and accurate mental models, especially concerning less frequent “edge case” situations. This study recruited 39 new owners of vehicles equipped with ADAS technology to which the owners were naïve. The initial mental model of these owners was evaluated using a mental model assessment. To understand changes in mental models over time the assessment was repeated six times over the course of approximately 6 months. Weekly mileage, technology usage, and information regarding their exposure to edge case scenarios was also collected. At the end of the 6 months, participants completed a simulator drive using adaptive cruise control (ACC) that included several edge cases. Over the course of the first 6 months of vehicle ownership, drivers’ scores on the mental model assessment improved. These improvements were largely due to increased understanding of the technology’s limitations as opposed to improvements in knowledge about system function. With respect to driving performance in the simulator session, the mental model scores were not predictive of responses to the edge cases. However, a comparison of those mental model scores against weak and strong mental model benchmark scores gathered in a previous study revealed that mental models improve over 6 months (for some drivers), but not to the level of understanding of a group that received a short but extensive introduction to ACC. This suggests that there is room for improvement in how drivers gain understanding about driver support features and further underscores the need of training and education for proper use and interactions.     

Risky driving and lapses on the road: An exploration on self-regulatory dysfunction in Australian drivers

Self-regulatory ability has been linked to a) the tendency to engage in risky behaviours, and b) the ability to focus attention. This study investigated the relationships between metacognitions, emotion regulation difficulties, risky driving behaviours, and attentional lapses on the road, among an online sample of Australian drivers (N = 255). Firstly, group comparisons showed that although females reported greater self-regulatory dysfunction, males reported a higher frequency of risky driving behaviours. Alternatively, older drivers reported being better self-regulators, and less-frequent risky driving behaviours and attentional lapses on the road. Secondly, correlations demonstrated that metacognitions were associated with difficulties in regulating emotions, the engagement of risky driving behaviours, and the quantity of attentional lapses experienced on the road. Emotion regulation difficulties and risky driving behaviours were also shown to be positively related to the frequency of attentional lapses. Structural equation modelling confirmed a hierarchical model in predicting attentional lapses, with self-regulatory components representing higher-order factors over risky behavioural components. Finally, metacognitions demonstrated mediative effects toward the relationship between prior speeding experiences and future intentions to speed. This study has provided preliminary evidence for the application of metacognitions in the engagement of risky driving behaviours, and therefore the potential for informing future interventions.     

Delay or travel time information? The impact of advanced traveler information systems on drivers’ behavior before freeway work zones

Peak travel times contribute to congestion formation at freeway work zones. Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) can inform drivers in real-time about the delays and travel times en-route and can provide information about an alternative route to a destination. Different ATIS display strategies are available; however, road authorities lack insights into how time display methods and sign characteristics influence the driving behavior (decelerations, lateral position), the drivers’ attention allocation ability and the subsequent route choice before the freeway diversion. A driving simulator study was conducted with 80 drivers in the State of Qatar to investigate drivers' behavior and voluntary route choices when encountering total travel time (default setting) or delay time updates for two freeway routes on Variable Message Signs (VMS) and Graphical Route Information Panels (GRIP). The GRIPs are a graphical alternative to conventional VMS that can provide drivers with a visual map of the most direct route or an alternative less congested route to a destination using different color schemes. The time difference ratio between the two routes was kept constant to compare the effectiveness of the information designs and investigate the drivers’ attention towards the signs with an eye-tracker. The results showed that the display of zero delays for a detour did influence 74–83% of the drivers to take the alternative route when being displayed on a VMS and a GRIP with free flow attribute framing. When displaying equal total travel times, the GRIP did influence 25% more drivers to follow the alternative route than the VMS. Generally, displaying zero delays for the alternative route resulted in an efficient attention allocation to the first ATIS location and fewer mean decelerations before the repeated ATIS location nearing the diversion. Road authorities are advised to activate the display of delay times to support efficient route choices among freeway drivers.     

Route learning with augmented reality navigation aids

Current trends point towards the development and implementation of augmented reality (AR) navigation assistance systems for drivers. Previous research has found augmented reality can benefit driving performance, but the impact of AR on route learning (spatial knowledge acquisition) has received less attention. The current study used simulated driving scenarios to determine how the type of navigation aid device used (i.e., paper map, electronic map, and AR system) affected driving performance and route learning of 62 driving adults. Route learning was examined at landmark, route, and survey levels. The hypotheses tested were that AR would improve driving performance but diminish route learning compared to paper map use; and that AR would outperform electronic map use in both driving performance and route learning. Results indicated that paper map use led to poorer driving performance and greater route learning. However, map recognition may have been a confounding factor in higher level spatial knowledge acquisition with paper map use. Driving performance and route learning were similar for drivers using the electronic map and AR, but some differences suggested that drivers have reduced uncertainty and hesitation while using AR to navigate in unfamiliar areas.     

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.     

Effects of personality on driving behaviors among professional truck drivers: The mediating effect of safety climate

Introduction: The number of traffic accidents involving truck drivers remains high, and strategies to eliminate the probability of such accidents have been proposed, among which enhancing the safety climate has attracted much interest. The main purpose of the current study was to validate the Chinese version of the safety climate scale for truck drivers and apply it to investigate the mediating effect of safety climate between truck driver personality and driving behavior. Method: A total of 389 male truck drivers completed the Big Five Inventory, the Chinese version of the trucking safety climate scale, the driver behavior questionnaire and the positive driver behavior scale. Results: The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the organization-level safety climate scale and the group-level safety climate scale were confirmed through factor analysis. More importantly, a path analysis revealed that the organization-level safety climate mediated the effects of agreeableness and neuroticism on aggressive violations, ordinary violations and lapses, while the group-level safety climate mediated the influences of agreeableness, neuroticism and openness on positive behavior and all four kinds of aberrant driving behaviors. Conclusions: This study introduced the trucking safety climate scale into China and stressed the significance of improving both the organizational and the group levels of safety climate to reduce accidents involving professional truck drivers. Practical Applications: First, the adapted safety climate scale for Chinese truck drivers contributes to further investigating the role that safety climate plays in the safety problem of truck drivers in China. Moreover, the critical impacts of both levels of the trucking safety climate serve as reminders for relevant companies to not only pay attention to establishing an organization-level safety climate but also invest more effort into promoting the group-level safety climate.     

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.