Surrogate safety indicator for unsignalised pedestrian crossings

ProblemAlthough the road safety situation in Poland is generally improving, the number of accidents at pedestrian crossings has not decreased in the last four years. This paper presents the results of the MOBIS research project, the aim of which was to develop surrogate safety indicators, based on detection of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts using video analysis.MethodPedestrian and vehicle traffic was filmed at two unsignalised pedestrian zebra crossings in Warsaw and Wrocław for over 40 days. Motion trajectories of vehicles and pedestrians were determined based on video processing. Several variables describing pedestrian-vehicle interactions were calculated, such as speed, post-encroachment time, distance between the participants, decelerations, etc. Classification of encounters was based on interactions of pedestrians and vehicles i.e. drivers yielding to pedestrians, vehicles passing just in front of, or behind pedestrians.Results and discussionCriteria for identification of dangerous encounters were selected with the assumption that it should be possible to automate the assessment process. The selected variables were: pedestrian-vehicle passing distance and the vehicle speed at that moment. Other criteria were used in cases of abrupt braking – deceleration exceeding 4 m/s² and vehicle speed. A Dangerous Encounter Index is proposed as a surrogate safety indicator for pedestrian crossings. It relates the occurrence of dangerous events to exposure, defined as the number of pedestrian-vehicle encounters.Practical applicationsThe proposed index shows that crossing two lanes involves more risk than crossing one lane, given similar traffic flow. Some improvement of safety at both types of crossing was observed after active signage involving blinking lights had been introduced. The proposed method is a step towards automation of safety assessment.     

Should we pass on minimum passing distance laws for cyclists? Comparing a tactical enforcement option and minimum passing distance laws using signal detection theory

Legislation mandating minimum distances for motorists passing cyclists is seen by advocates as a straightforward way to increase the perceived safety of cycling and thus remove a prominent barrier to the uptake of cycling. The evidence, however, is not as clear. The alternative to compliance-based enforcement via Minimum Passing Distance Laws (MPDLs) is performance-based enforcement as recently highlighted by UK Police forces under the name ‘Operation Close Pass’. This existing legislation and enforcement method relies on police officer judgement and discretion. For a MPDL to be introduced it has to show an improvement by identifying more manoeuvres that make cyclists feel unsafe, whilst at the same time not penalising drivers for manoeuvres that are benign. This study uses Signal Detection Theory to show that on almost every measure the current performance-based enforcement is preferable. Officer discretion is aligned more closely to cyclists’ real-world perceptions of risk than an objective, compliance-based MPDL. Any level of enforcement harshness can be achieved equally well, if not better, through officer discretion than through a fixed passing distance law, with the former being significantly easier to adjust if needed. Further discussion about the unintended effects of passing distance laws is discussed, such as the risk of a net loss to the effectiveness of cyclist safety because it is more difficult to prosecute and enforce manoeuvres which make cyclists feel unsafe than the performance-based alternative.     

Evaluation of an integrated lighting-warning system on motorists’ yielding at unsignalized crosswalks during nighttime

Drivers’ yielding behavior to pedestrians during nighttime was assessed in seven different conditions of crosswalk lighting: (a) baseline condition with standard road lighting; (b) enhanced LED lighting that increased lighting level from 70 to 120 lx; (c) flashing orange beacons on top of the backlit pedestrian crossing sign; (d) in-curb LED strips on the curbsides of the zebra crossing with steady light emission; (e) in-curb LED strips with flashing light emission; (d) all previous devices activated with in-curb LED strips in steady mode; (e) all previous devices activated with in-curb LED strips in flashing mode. For every condition 100 trials were recorded with a staged pedestrian that initiated a standardized crossing when a vehicle was approaching. The frequency of drivers’ yielding was computed for each condition. A significant increase for yielding compliance was recorded from standard road lighting to enhanced dedicated lighting (19–38.21%), and from enhanced dedicated lighting to the seventh condition with the flashing beacons and the flashing in-curb LED strips activated (38.21–63.56%). The results showed that the integrated lighting-warning system for pedestrian crossings was effective in increasing motorists’ yielding to pedestrians during nighttime.     

Virtually the same? Analysing pedestrian behaviour by means of virtual reality

Thanks to technological advancements, virtual reality has become increasingly flexible and affordable, resulting in a growing number of user studies conducted in virtual environments. Pedestrian simulators, visualizing traffic scenarios from a pedestrians’ perspective, have thereby emerged as a powerful tool in traffic safety research. However, while both the interest in this technology and the concern for vulnerable road users is high, a systematic overview of research employing pedestrian simulators has not been provided so far.The present literature survey is based on 87 studies published during the past decade, investigating pedestrian behaviour by means of virtual traffic scenarios. Results were categorized according to the research question, technical setup, experimental task, and participant sample. Identifying trends and gaps in knowledge and highlighting differences between methodological approaches, this work serves as an assessment of the current state and a baseline from which to develop future research questions. It aims to demonstrate both opportunities and challenges of this relatively new methodology. Thereby, it is hoped to foster the awareness of existing limitations, support the reasonable interpretation of the available data, and guide pedestrian research towards reliable and generalizable insights enhancing pedestrian mobility, comfort, and safety.     

Do drivers differ in their attitudes on speed limit compliance between work and private settings? Results from a group of Nigerian drivers

Existing evidence suggests that drivers, particularly those who work in companies with strong road safety cultures exhibit different sets of speeding attitudes and behaviours in work and private driving. Using Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) Theory of Planned behaviour (TPB) and on-road driving experiments, this study examined the self-reported and objective behaviour of driving within posted speed limits for a sample of fleet drivers. The findings show that the TPB explained up to 24% of the variance in intention to comply with speed limits. Drivers’ attitude emerged as the most significant predictor and strongest correlate with intentions to comply with the speed limit in both work and private vehicle.Further analysis revealed participants had a higher intention to comply with speed limits in their work than private vehicle. Also, investigation of the relationship between TPB variables and observed speeding behaviour suggests that participants with higher intention to comply with the speed limit or high perceived behavioural control (PBC), exceeded the speed limit less often than those with lower intention to comply with the speed limit or low PBC. The findings have important theoretical and applied implications for development of better speed limit compliance interventions to improve driving behaviour, and road safety in general.     

Development and validation of the Drivers’ Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EMOVIAL)

Road fatalities involving young road users have become a global health issue. Although human factors are known to be involved in road fatalities, little research has examined the way in which emotional competencies may affect road accidents. With the aim of filling this gap we describe the development and validation of a scale for measuring emotional intelligence when driving. The EMOVIAL inventory consists of nine items distributed across three dimensions (attention to emotions while driving, clarity of emotions while driving, and emotional regulation while driving). Analysis of its psychometric properties showed it to be valid and reliable. The paper discusses how the scale may be used to improve road safety.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of a young driver-education intervention: Learn2Live

Road traffic collisions are the leading cause of death among young adults, and behaviour change interventions play a key role in battling this public health concern. Road safety interventions are often educational and have traditionally relied on fear appeals to alter risky driving behaviour - yet there is a paucity of data regarding their effectiveness. Peer-education has been championed as an additional route to promoting safe driving behaviour. To examine these issues, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a fear appeal intervention in improving young drivers’ attitudes towards risky driving behaviour. A total sample of 800 high school and college students (16–20 years old) completed a similar set of questionnaires pre- and post-intervention and at a 3-month follow-up. Two different types of follow-up interventions were also compared: a peer-led and an expert-led road safety educational event. Measures evaluating attitudes towards risky driving behaviour were completed at all 3 time frames, and questions regarding the participants' perception of the follow-up event were asked. Overall, our data showed an improvement in attitudes towards risky driving behaviours both immediately after the intervention and three months later. These changes were especially evident among females. With regard to the follow-ups, both were effective in improving the attitudes towards risky driving. However, the peer-led event was preferred by the participants compared to the expert-led follow-up.     

Safe on the road – Does Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems Use affect Road Risk Perception?

A major goal of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) deployment is higher road safety. However, these systems are only as safe as users handle them. This article presents a study evaluating the links between the use of ADAS and road risk perception. 101 drivers were invited to evaluate accident probability and risk controllability and to indicate whether they were using ADAS or not. Results show that the use of ADAS decreases perceived accident probability and increases perceived controllability for risky driving situations. Since the degree of automation in ADAS is still low nowadays, it is important to discuss the importance of human factors for the purpose of a safer implementation.     

Positive Psychological States and Employee Creativity: The role of Ethical Leadership

This study explores a new theoretical model of employee creativity by investigating the impact of ethical leadership on creativity mediated by creative self-efficacy and psychological safety. Data collected from 200 supervisor–subordinate dyads in Pakistan reveal that ethical leadership is positively related to creativity. Further, psychological safety partially mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and creativity. However, creative self-efficacy is found insignificant in the relationship between ethical leadership and creativity. The study discusses research and practical implications of the proposed new theoretical framework with regard to employee creativity.     

Increasing motorist compliance and caution at stop signs.

This study evaluated strategies to improve motorist compliance and caution at three stop‐sign‐controlled intersections with a history of motor vehicle crashes. The primary intervention was a light‐emitting diode (LED) sign that featured animated eyes scanning left and right to prompt drivers to look left and right for approaching traffic. Data were scored from videotape on the percentage of drivers coming to a complete stop and the percentage of drivers looking right before entering the intersection. Observational data were collected on the percentage of right‐angle conflicts (defined as braking suddenly or swerving from the path to avoid an intersection crash). The introduction of the LED sign according to a multiple baseline across the three intersections was associated with an increase in the percentage of vehicles coming to a complete stop at all three intersections and a small increase in the percentage of drivers looking right before entering the intersections. Conflicts between vehicles on the major and minor road were also reduced following the introduction of the animated eyes prompt.