Mobile phone use while driving in Finland

Mobile phones represent one of the most common distractions for drivers and phone use while driving is particularly problematic in Finland. The aim of this research was to explore the Finnish sample of responses from ESRA2 (E-Survey of Road users' Attitudes) with a specific focus on the distracting behaviours related to mobile phone usage while driving. ESRA2 data is derived from online surveys amongst a representative sample of the adult populations in each participating country. In total a sample of 994 responses were collected in Finland for ESRA2, which included 703 responses from participants who held a driver’s licence and reported driving a car in the 30 days prior to the survey.The results provide evidence of the problematic usage of mobile phones while driving in Finland. Mobile phone use was considered across three specific types of usage: (1) handheld phone calls while driving; (2) handsfree phone calls while driving; (3) texting, emailing or social media use while driving. Almost half (49.4 %) of the sample reported using a handheld mobile phone to make a call while driving at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey. A similar percentage (41.4 %) of the sample had used a phone hands-free and 35.6 % had texted, emailed, or used social media.The study highlights how mobile phone usage is a complex and multifaceted issue and that there are a broad range of underlying factors that influence mobile phone usage depending on the way in which people engage with their mobile phone while driving. The findings suggest that a systematic approach to reducing mobile phone distraction is needed that addresses the issue through a combination of legislation, enforcement, and education.     

Bears in our midst: Familiarity with Level 2 driving automation and attending to surprise on-road events

This study presents an on-road paradigm to measure the effect of Level 2 (L2) system familiarity on attention strategies to salient, but non-hazardous, driving-related events when using the driving automation. A vehicle with an oversized pink teddy bear on the back overtook participants three times while they drove a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 equipped with a L2 system for 1 h. This L2 system requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel while activated. The L2 system was turned on or off, depending on the assigned condition, and participants varied in their familiarity with L2 systems. Cameras recorded participant eye glance behavior. After the drive, participants were asked to recall the bear and the number of times their mind had wandered from the driving task during the drive. Results show that the driving automation support gave only participants familiar with L2 systems an advantage for greater bear recall. Unfamiliar participants were at a relative disadvantage when assisted by the L2 system, with generally poorer bear recall than unfamiliar participants who drove with the system off. Better bear recall corresponded with wider on-road gaze dispersion and more instances of mind wandering. Our findings support the effectiveness of this paradigm to measure driver attention when using a L2 system under real-world conditions and highlight the need to consider the role of driving automation familiarity in future research.     

How do warnings influence cyclists' reaction to conflicts? Comparing acoustic and vibro-tactile warnings in different conflicts on a test track

An on-bike warning system has great potential to increase safety of cyclists. For an effective warning system, the implementation of warning signals is fundamental. However, more knowledge about the cyclist specific design of warnings and the influence of warnings on the cyclist is needed. To analyze the benefit of warnings in conflicts and the reaction pattern of cyclists we conducted a test-track experiment. We evaluated the data of 62 participants who were divided into three warning groups (between-subjects) and encountered different situations (within-subjects). The warning groups either received acoustic, vibro-tactile or no warnings. The situation variable consisted of three conflicts and two false warnings in the groups with warnings.We measured significantly shorter reaction times of persons who received acoustic and vibro-tactile warnings compared to the persons without warning. Furthermore, acoustic warnings led to shorter reaction times compared to vibro-tactile warnings. The reaction pattern was described by different bicycle dynamics variables. It was mostly influenced by the situation and rarely by the warning group. Based on the velocity curves and reaction times we identified learning effects describing how the warned participants adopted the warning system over the five situations.These findings indicate that a warning system offers great safety benefits to cyclists. Based on the current results, acoustic warnings are recommended when an urgent reaction is required.     

Does morality predict aggressive driving? A conceptual analysis and exploratory empirical investigation

Risky and aggressive driving is an important cause of traffic casualties and as such a major health and cost problem to society. Given the consequences for others, risky and aggressive driving has a clear moral component. Surprisingly, however, there has been little research on the relation between morality and risky and aggressive driving behavior. In this study we aim at addressing this gap. First, we present a conceptual analysis of the relationship between moral values and aggressive driving behavior. For this purpose, we extend Schwartz’s integrated model of ethical decision making and apply it to the context of aggressive driving. This conceptual analysis shows that moral decision-making processes consist of several stages, like moral awareness, moral judgment and moral intent, each of which are influenced by individual and situational factors and all of which need to materialize before someone’s generally endorsed moral value affects concrete behavior. This suggests that the moral value-aggressive driving relationship is rather indeterminate. This conceptual picture is confirmed by our empirical investigation, which tests to what extent respondents’ moral values, measured through the Moral Foundation Questionnaire, are predictive of respondents’ aggressive driving behavior, as measured through an aggressive driving behavior scale. Our results show few and rather weak empirical relationships between moral values and committed aggressive driving behaviors, as was expected in light of our conceptual analysis. We derive several policy implications from these results.     

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Abduction Prevention Program for Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) for teaching abduction prevention skills to young adults with intellectual disabilities. Four individuals, ages 18–24, participated. Five BST sessions were conducted for each participant. Following BST, in situ assessments took place at the participants’ school to assess acquisition of the skills. The data show that none of the participants reached criterion level following BST although some of the participants improved their score from baseline. IST was then implemented with two of the participants achieving criterion level and two participants exhibiting two of the three safety skills.     

Boundaries of American Identity: Relations Between Ethnic Group Prototypicality and Policy Attitudes

We sought to document that the extent to which different ethnic groups are perceived as embodying the American identity is more strongly linked to antiminority policy attitudes and acculturation ideologies among majority‐group members (European Americans) than among minority‐group members (Asian Americans or Latino/as). Participants rated 13 attributes of the American identity as they pertain to different ethnic groups and reported their endorsement of policy attitudes and acculturation ideologies. We found a relative consensus across ethnic groups regarding defining components of the American identity. However, European Americans were perceived as more prototypical of this American identity than ethnic minorities, especially by European American raters. Moreover, for European Americans but not for ethnic minorities, relative ingroup prototypicality was related to antiminority policy attitudes and acculturation ideologies. These findings suggest that for European Americans, perceptions of ethnic group prototypicality fulfill an instrumental function linked to preserving their group interests and limiting the rights afforded to ethnic minorities.     

Risky driving among young male drivers: The effects of mood and passengers

Young male drivers are at greater risk of automobile crashes than other drivers. Efforts to reduce risky driving in this population have met with mixed success. The present research was designed to examine the effects of induced mood and the presence or absence of passengers on risky driving in young male drivers. Male drivers (n = 204) aged 16–18 were tested in a driving simulator. This study employed a 2 (happy/sad mood) by 2 (passenger present/absent) between-subjects factorial design, and examined driving behavior in a simulator. Measures of risky driving were combined into two factors representing speed (e.g., exceeding the speed limit) and carelessness (e.g., crossing the center line). Findings indicated that driving with a passenger resulted in faster driving than driving alone. Although there was no significant main effect of induced mood on driving, results revealed a significant interaction of mood and passenger conditions: when in a happy mood, driving with a passenger significantly increased driving speed. There were no significant effects of passenger or mood on careless driving. In conclusion, both mood and passenger presence are important factors in fast driving among young male drivers. Results are discussed in the context of developing more effective countermeasures for this at-risk population.     

青少年重复创伤暴露与创伤后应激障碍的关系:安全感与认知重评的中介作用

采用创伤暴露程度问卷、生活事件量表、安全感量表、情绪调节策略问卷和修订后的DSM-5的PTSD核查表对汶川地震8.5年后的1156名中学生进行调查,考察其重复创伤暴露、安全感和认知重评与PTSD之间的关系。结果发现,在控制初次地震暴露后,重复创伤暴露可以直接正向预测PTSD,也可以通过确定控制感和人际安全感分别间接地正向预测PTSD,还可以通过人际安全感经认知重评的多重中介作用来正向预测PTSD。不过,重复创伤暴露不能直接经过认知重评对PTSD发挥显著的预测作用,也不能通过确定控制感经认知重评来对PTSD发挥显著的多重间接预测作用。     

Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents

This article presents a pragmatic approach to assessing and managing suicide risk in children and adolescents. We first present general recommendations for conducting risk assessments with children and adolescents, followed by an algorithm for designating risk. Risk assessment and designation should be based on both distal (i.e., a prior history of self-harm behaviors) and proximal (i.e., suicide ideation, plans, intent, and preparations) predictors of suicide attempt. We then discuss safety planning as an easy-to-implement approach for intervening and managing suicide risk when working with children and adolescents. We end with a case example illustrating the implementation of risk assessment, risk designation, and safety planning with an adolescent client and her mother.