Exploring the relationships between pedestrian behaviours and traffic safety attitudes in six countries

The majority of cross-cultural research on traffic safety has investigated driver behaviour, yet in most low- and middle-income countries, where the weight of the road fatality burden is felt, motorisation rates are significantly lower than in higher-income countries. As such, this approach necessarily excludes large parts of the populations in those settings. In order to investigate the link between traffic safety attitudes and road user behaviours, this study used a self-report measure of pedestrian behaviour, applying it in six countries; Bangladesh, China, Kenya, Thailand, the UK, and Vietnam. Focus was on the relationships between a respondent’s attitude towards risky or rule violating on-road behaviours (of other road users, or more generally, not specific to pedestrians), and the extent to which they reported performing three types of risky pedestrian behaviours (i.e., intentional rule violations, errors in judgement or memory, and aggressive behaviours). Data from a sample of 3,423 individuals was subjected to a series of regression models, revealing significant links between attitudes and pedestrian behaviours in all countries, in all three behavioural factors, after controlling for age, gender, and exposure to the road environment. Differences were found between countries in the strength of these relationships, with weaker connections between attitudes and behaviours in Kenya, and stronger connections in China (with other countries in-between the two). Results are discussed in terms of the need to understand the relationships between social cognitive constructs in the specific country in which a road safety intervention is intended to be implemented.     

The safety and conspicuity of pedestrian crossing at roundabouts: The effect of median refuge island and zebra markings

Roundabouts are one of the most used road intersections because, compared to signalized ones, they reduce conflict points between traffic flows and moderate driving speed. Great attention should also be paid to vulnerable road users at roundabouts. According to accident statistics, in fact, accessibility of pedestrians and cyclists is not always ensured.This paper has evaluated the effects on the visibility of pedestrian crossing before and after the displacement of zebra markings, moved before intersections, and the introduction of media refuge islands and “Yield here to pedestrians” vertical signs. The above effects have been assessed by before-after analysis of speed and visual behaviour of drivers approaching the crosswalk.Moreover, the analysis of the drivers’ eye movements has highlighted the most salient elements of the pedestrian crossing. The relation between the drivers’ visual behaviour and the vehicle speed have also been calculated. Results have confirmed that the intervention carried out has increased both visibility and safety of the studied pedestrian crosswalks.Zebra markings and the median refuge island have turned out to be the most glanced elements, respectively seen by 93.75% and 56.25% of the drivers, followed by the “Yield here to pedestrians” vertical sign. The mean distance of first fixation of the crosswalk increased from 21.98 m before the intervention, to 40.69 m after it. The drivers perceived the pedestrian crossings from a longer distance after the intervention, and they continued to glance at the crosswalk while approaching it, enhancing their visual attention.     

Prevalence and factors associated with turn signal neglect-related crashes among motorcyclists and car drivers in Vietnam

Road traffic crashes and injuries are a major societal challenge around the world. However, the majority of injuries and fatalities occur disproportionately in low-income and medium-income countries. Previous studies have concluded that risky behaviours were the main contributing factor of traffic crashes. Turn signal neglect (TSN) when making a turn is one of those risky behaviours. Unfortunately, research on TSN has been very limited. This study investigates the prevalence of TSN-related crashes and factors affecting TSN among motorcyclists and car drivers. Data was obtained from self-administered questionnaires conducted in Vietnam. The findings showed that 17.54% of motorcyclists and 14.76% of car drivers have experienced at least one crash caused by their failure to turn signals in the last three years. Additionally, fewer years having a riding/driving license, longer daily travelling time, lower frequency of turn signal use, and having received a fine due to TSN were found to be positively associated with TSN-related crashes for both motorcyclists and car drivers. The findings highlight the importance of TSN for road safety and the need for authorities to develop more effective educational strategies and to increase traffic law enforcement.     

App-based feedback on safety to novice drivers: Learning and monetary incentives

An over-proportionally large number of car crashes is caused by novice drivers. In a field experiment, we investigated whether and how car drivers who had recently obtained their driving license reacted to app-based feedback on their safety-relevant driving behavior (speeding, phone usage, cornering, acceleration and braking). Participants went through a pre-measurement phase during which they did not receive app-based feedback but driving behavior was recorded, a treatment phase during which they received app-based feedback, and a post-measurement phase during which they did not receive app-based feedback but driving behavior was recorded. Before the start of the treatment phase, we randomly assigned participants to two possible treatment groups. In addition to receiving app-based feedback, the participants of one group received monetary incentives to improve their safety-relevant driving behavior, while the participants of the other group did not. At the beginning and at the end of experiment, each participant had to fill out a questionnaire to elicit socio-economic and attitudinal information.We conducted regression analyses to identify socio-economic, attitudinal, and driving-behavior-related variables that explain safety-relevant driving behavior during the pre-measurement phase and the self-chosen intensity of app usage during the treatment phase. For the main objective of our study, we applied regression analyses to identify those variables that explain the potential effect of providing app-based feedback during the treatment phase on safety-relevant driving behavior. Last, we applied statistical tests of differences to identify self-selection and attrition biases in our field experiment.For a sample of 130 novice Austrian drivers, we found moderate improvements in safety-relevant driving skills due to app-based feedback. The improvements were more pronounced under the treatment with monetary incentives, and for participants choosing higher feedback intensities. Moreover, drivers who drove relatively safer before receiving app-based feedback used the app more intensely and, ceteris paribus, higher app use intensity led to improvements in safety-related driving skills. Last, we provide empirical evidence for both self-selection and attrition biases.     

On-to-off-path gaze shift cancellations lead to gaze concentration in cognitively loaded car drivers: A simulator study exploring gaze patterns in relation to a cognitive task and the traffic environment

Appropriate visual behaviour is necessary for safe driving. Many previous studies have found that when performing non-visual cognitive tasks, drivers typically display an increased amount of on-path glances, along with a deteriorated visual scanning pattern towards potential hazards at locations outside their future travel path (off-path locations). This is often referred to as a gaze concentration effect. However, what has not been explored is more precisely how and when gaze concentration arises in relation to the cognitive task, and to what extent the timing of glances towards traffic-situation relevant off-path locations is affected. To investigate these specific topics, a driving simulator study was carried out. Car drivers’ visual behaviour during execution of a cognitive task (n-back) was studied during two traffic scenarios; one when driving through an intersection and one when passing a hidden exit. Aside from the expected gaze concentration effect, several novel findings that may explain this effect were observed. It was found that gaze shifts from an on-path to an off-path location were inhibited during increased cognitive load. However, gaze shifts in the other direction, that is, from an off-path to an on-path location, remained unaffected. This resulted in on-path glances increasing in duration, while off-path glances decreased in number. Furthermore, the inhibited off-path glances were typically not compensated for later. That is, off-path glances were cancelled, not delayed. This was the case both in relation to the cognitive task (near-term) and the traffic environment (far-term). There was thus a general reduction in the number of glances towards situationally relevant off-path locations, but the timing of the remaining glances was unaffected. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the mechanism behind gaze concentration and can contribute to both understanding and prediction of safety relevant effects of cognitive load in car drivers.     

Effects of speed display signs on driving speed at pedestrian crossings on collector streets

This study was designed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of speed display signs on driving speed at pedestrian crossings in a low-speed (40 km/h) urban environment. Driving speeds were compared 1 week before installation, after installation (1 week; 1 month; 3 months; 5 months) and 1 week after removal. The main results showed that the speed displays decreased the mean speed by 0.5–2.9 km/h, which translates to a 4–22% drop in pedestrian fatality risk. Furthermore, there was a drop in the proportion of speeding vehicles and approaching speed of individual vehicles. The decrease in speed persisted over time, suggesting that speed displays may reduce speeds in the long term. In conclusion, installing speed displays at pedestrian crossings on collector streets reduces driving speeds and could contribute to the safety of pedestrians.     

Effects of route familiarity on drivers’ psychological conditions: Based on driving behaviour and driving environment

Route familiarity affects a driver’s mental state and indirectly affects traffic safety; however, this important factor is easily overlooked. Previous research on route familiarity has only analysed psychological states in terms of unfamiliarity and familiarity, the influence of driving behaviour and driving environment on psychological states has been ignored. As a result, the mechanisms through which the route familiarity influence driver psychological states, and vice versa, are unclear. This study proposes a quantitative framework for studying driver psychological condition and route familiarity using experimental data from a real driving task and driving environment data. The experimental data included 1022 observations obtained by 23 participants over 7 consecutive trials on 6 unfamiliar experimental routes with large differences in scenarios; environmental data were automatically extracted after segmenting a driving video through the Dilated Residual NetWorks model. The results reveal that (1) the relationship between the driver’s psychological condition and route familiarity is not monotonic and is different for straight and turning sections; (2) the driver’s psychological condition is influenced by the visual scene elements and the type of road section, and the results of the multivariate regression analysis quantified the variability of the influence; and (3) unlike a majority of findings on distracted driving, our study suggest that the driver’s attention to the external environment in the urban distracted driving state will gradually approach a ‘distraction threshold’, and the time and size of the ‘distraction threshold’ are influenced by the driver. This study can further the development of urban traffic safety research and help urban designers plan and improve urban landscapes to ensure drivers maintain stable mental states when they drive.     

创伤后应激障碍对震后青少年自杀意念的影响：安全感的调节作用

为探讨创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）及其各个症状簇对震后青少年自杀意念的影响,并检验安全感在其中的调节作用,研究采用创伤暴露程度问卷、流调中心抑郁量表儿童版、DSM-5的PTSD症状核查表、安全感量表和儿童行为问题核查表对汶川地震8.5年后的1136名中学生进行调查。结果发现：PTSD、负性认知和情绪改变症状、警觉性增高症状分别正向预测自杀意念,侵入性症状和回避性症状对自杀意念的预测作用不显著;安全感在侵入性症状、负性认知和情绪改变症状、警觉性增高症状、PTSD与自杀意念之间起负向调节作用,在回避性症状与自杀意念之间不起调节作用。这表明PTSD各症状簇对震后青少年自杀意念的预测作用不同,且安全感在其中发挥的调节作用也不同。     

Global Progress I: Empirical Evidence for ongoing Increase in Quality-of-life

This paper argues that both the relativist and the pessimist critiques of the idea of progress are inadequate. Progress is defined as increase in global quality of life (QOL). Such QOL is intrinsically subjective, but not relative. It can be reliably measured through life satisfaction-type questions. The World Database of Happiness provides extensive data on social, economic and psychological factors that correlate with overall QOL. They include wealth, health, security, knowledge, freedom and equality. Various statistical data suggest that all these QOL indicators have undergone significant improvements during the last half century, in most of the world. This gives strong support to the thesis that progress objectively occurs.     

Is Workplace Harassment Hazardous to Your Health?

We examined cross-sectional and lagged effects of sexual harassment (SH) and generalized workplace harassment (GWH) on incidence of self-reported illness, injury, or assault in a sample of over 1,500 university employees. SH and GWH, but not other job stressors, were related to increased odds of illness, injury, or assault. This was true when SH, GWH, and illness, injury, or assault were measured at the same time point, as well as when SH and GWH were measured in year prior to illness, injury, or assault.The data presented here are part of an ongoing longitudinal study of workplace harassment conducted at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Illinois at Chicago. This research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (grants AA09989 and AA13332). Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, April 2004, Chicago, Illinois. The data were collected by the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago.