A hazard-perception test for cycling children: An exploratory study

In car driving, hazard perception tests have revealed important differences in perceptual-cognitive skills between novice and experienced drivers. Although these insights have led to new educational programs for learner drivers, similar research has not yet been done for other road users such as bicyclists. In the current investigation, a first hazard perception test for bicyclists has been developed and tested on both adults and children of ±eight year old. The test consisted of three sections in which visual behaviour, environmental awareness, and risk perception were evaluated respectively. Although only few differences in visual behaviour and environmental awareness were found, adults were found to react earlier on hazards than children. These results suggest that children have difficulties to interpret the necessary information to react timely to hazardous traffic situations. Alternatively, the current set-up of the hazard perception test might not have been suitable to detect differences in visual behaviour between children and adults in traffic situations. Therefore the development and use of future hazard perception tests for bicyclists is discussed.     

Do familiarity and expectations change perception? Drivers’ glances and response to changes

The present study shows that repeated exposure to a road environment changes eye movement behaviour. In addition, repeated exposure may result in inadequate responses to unexpected changes in the road environment. Participants drove a low-cost simulator while their eye movements were recorded. With repeated exposure participants’ glances at traffic signs along the route were shorter while having a better recollection of the traffic signs along the route. At the last drive, the priority situation at an intersection was changed (a priority road was changed into a yield situation). Even though drivers glanced at the sign that indicated the new priority situation, they did not sufficiently process the information to show an adequate response. Only two out of 12 drivers showed any response, being a response only after crossing the priority road markings. The current finding that unexpected but relevant information may be missed by drivers is relevant for other monitoring tasks.     

Analysis of the factors affecting drivers’ queue-jumping behaviors in China

In China, drivers’ queue-jumping behaviors are very common. To explore the factors affecting drivers’ queue-jumping, first, a driving attitude scale, a risk perception scale and a queue-jumping behavior scale were designed, and an existing Type A behavior pattern scale and a driver skill scale were also introduced. Second, these scales were used to collect empirical data, and 202 valid samples were obtained. Third, the reliability and validity of the developed scales were verified, and a structural equation model of drivers’ queue-jumping behaviors was established to explore the interrelationships among the Type A personality trait, cognitions (including attitudes and risk perception), driver skills (including driving skill and safety motivation) and queue-jumping behaviors. The results showed that drivers’ cognitions significantly affected their queue-jumping behaviors; specifically, drivers’ attitudes toward queue-jumping and traffic violations positively correlated with their queue-jumping behaviors (β = 0.323, t = 3.470; β = 0.277, t = 3.072), while drivers’ risk perception toward queue-jumping negatively correlated with their queue-jumping behaviors (β = −0.297, t = −3.889). Drivers’ driving skill and safety motivation also significantly affected their queue-jumping behaviors (β = 0.198, t = 2.385; β = −0.355, t = −4.101). Although Type A personality trait had no significant effects on drivers’ queue-jumping behaviors, it had significant effects on drivers’ attitudes toward queue-jumping and traffic violations (β = 0.336, t = 4.720; β = 0.215, t = 2.873) and their risk perceptions toward queue-jumping (β = −0.232, t = −3.279). In other words, the Type A personality trait can indirectly affect drivers’ queue-jumping behaviors through drivers’ attitudes and risk perceptions toward queue-jumping. The results provided offer traffic administration departments a theoretical foundation for governing this behavior.     

A qualitative study of young drivers and deterrence based road policing

Deterrence theory is the predominant theory used to underpin road policing initiatives. However, survey research indicates that this approach may not be as effective for young drivers. This study uses focus groups, conducted in both metropolitan and regional locations in two Australian states (Queensland and Victoria), to explore three components of classical deterrence theory: certainty, severity & swiftness. The results suggest that geographical context affected perceptions of certainty with individuals from regional locations less likely to indicate that they would be caught by police for committing a traffic offence. Additionally, the use of cameras to detect road offences increased perceptions of certainty for young drivers. The results of this study suggest that police agencies should focus on undertaking actions to increase the perceptions of certainty swiftness and severity of punishment, particularly in regional areas, for young drivers who engage in illegal behaviour on the road. Where appropriate, these actions should take into account the geographical context. There may also be value in considering augmenting deterrence theory with other theoretical perspectives for this group.     

The Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and application amongst novice riders in Australia

The Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ) was developed to measure behavioral factors influencing motorcyclists’ crash risk including errors and violations as well as the use of motorcycle safety equipment via self-report. The aims of the present study were to (1) examine the previously examined psychometric properties of the MRBQ including the factor structure, internal consistency, and predictive validity in terms of self-reported crashes amongst experienced riders in the UK and Turkey; (2) examine the psychometric properties of the MRBQ not yet examined, including its stability, content validity, and predictive validity in terms of police-recorded crashes and offences as well as self-reported near crashes and crashes; and (3) assess the applicability of the MRBQ to a population of novice riders in Australia, to whom the MRBQ has not been applied to date. Novice riders (N = 1305) in the state of Victoria, Australia participated in the present study. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the present data did not fit with the previously found factor models in experienced riders in the UK and Turkey. Principal axis factoring was performed to respecify the MRBQ factor model amongst novice riders and revealed four scales: errors; speed violations; stunts; and protective gear. The insufficient internal consistency, stability, content and predictive validity demonstrated by the MRBQ in the present study and some inconsistencies amongst the three MRBQ studies suggest that the development and refinement of the MRBQ items are required before wider use of the MRBQ instrument, especially amongst novice riders. Possible causes of the limited reliability and validity of the current MRBQ are discussed to inform further development and refinement of the items, thereby making the MRBQ more useful in future research to understand and evaluate riders’ behaviors.     

Does the effect of traffic calming measures endure over time? – A simulator study on the influence of gates

Accident statistics show that transitions from rural to urban areas are accident prone locations. Inappropriate speed and mental underload have been identified as important causal factors nearby such transitions. A variety of traffic calming measures (TCM) near rural–urban transitions has been tested in field experiments and driving simulator studies. Simulator experiments repeatedly exposing participants to the same treatment are scarce, hence it is unclear to what extent the effects of a TCM endure over time.This is precisely the objective of the current study: to examine what happens with the behavior of drivers when they are exposed multiple times to the same treatment (in this case a gate construction located at a rural–urban transition). Over a period of five successive days, seventeen participants completed a 17 km test-drive on a driving simulator with two thoroughfare configurations (gates present or absent) in a within-subject design. Results indicate that gates induced a local speed reduction that sustained over this five-day period. Even though participants were inclined to accelerate again once passed by this gate configuration, they always kept driving at an appropriate speed. We did not find any negative side effects on SD of acceleration/deceleration or SDLP.Overall we conclude that gate constructions have the potential to improve traffic safety in the direct vicinity of rural–urban transitions, even if drivers are repeatedly exposed. Notwithstanding, we advise policy makers to appropriately use this measure. Best is to always carefully consider the broader situational context (such as whether the road serves a traffic- rather than a residential function) of each particular location where the implementation of a gate construction is one of the options.     

The influence of fatalistic beliefs and risk perceptions on road safety attitudes in Latin America; A two-country study

Road safety is a major challenge in the Latin American region; however, there is a significant lack of research undertaken there. To contribute to addressing this gap, this paper reports on an exploration of the antecedents of traffic safety attitudes in two Latin American contexts: Brazil and Ecuador. Building on related work undertaken in other countries, the research explored the relationships between fatalistic beliefs, traffic risk perceptions, and road safety attitudes, while accounting for age, gender, and exposure to the road environment. Data from 2432 individuals, analysed using Structural Equation Modelling, revealed differences in the extent to which different fatalistic belief constructs (including divine control, luck, helplessness, internality, and general fatalism) were related to road safety attitudes. Moreover, fatalistic beliefs were found to influence road safety attitudes both directly and indirectly through their influence on risk perceptions. Those that reported more fatalistic beliefs also reported more dangerous attitudes to road safety and a lower perception of on-road risk. Mirroring findings from work undertaken in other countries, we found males compared to females and younger compared to older respondents to report more dangerous attitudes to road safety, with inconclusive results for risk perceptions. We also found very similar patterns of results in the data from the two countries included in the research. Results are discussed with regards to informing the design of road safety interventions aimed at influencing individual road user attitudes and, ultimately, human behaviour and system performance.     

Behavioral adaptations of human drivers interacting with automated vehicles

Advancements in technology are bringing automated vehicles (AVs) closer to wider deployment. However, in the early phases of their deployment, AVs will coexist and frequently interact with human-driven vehicles (HDVs). These interactions might lead to changes in the driving behavior of HDVs. A field test was conducted in the Netherlands with 18 participants focusing on gap acceptance, car-following, and overtaking behaviors to understand such behavioral adaptations. The participants were asked to drive their vehicles in a controlled environment, interacting with an HDV and a Wizard of Oz AV. The effects of positive and negative information regarding AV behavior on the participants’ driving behavior and their trust in AVs were also studied. The results show that human drivers adopted significantly smaller critical gaps when interacting with the approaching AV as compared to when interacting with the approaching HDV. Drivers also maintained a significantly shorter headway after overtaking the AV in comparison to overtaking the HDV. Positive information about the behavior of the AV led to closer interactions in comparison to HDVs. Additionally, drivers showed higher trust in the interacting AV when they were provided with positive information regarding the AV in comparison to scenarios where no information was provided. These findings suggest the potential exploitation of AV technology by HDV drivers.     

Do internals speed less and externals speed more to cope with the death anxiety?

Past research has showed that mortality salience (MS) increases reckless driving and speeding when the individual perceives driving to be relevant to his or her self-esteem. We claimed that drivers’ control orientations also play a significant role in the relationship between MS and speeding. We hypothesized that both a general desirability of control and traffic locus of control (T-LOC) would moderate the effect of MS on speeding. We tested our hypothesis using an online experiment on a sample of 208 young male drivers. Participants were exposed to either mortality or dental pain salience, and they filled out desirability of control, T-LOC, and self-report speeding measures. The results showed that, for individuals with low desirability of control, MS increased preferred speed and decreased intention to comply with speed limit and the percentage of time complied with the speed limit on urban roads with 50 km/h speed limit. For individuals with high desirability of control, on the other hand, MS increased intention to comply with the speed limit on rural roads and percentage of the time complied with the speed limit on both urban and rural roads. In contrast, the interaction between MS and T-LOC showed that an external T-LOC is positively associated with both intention to comply and the percentage of the time complied with the speed limits only on rural roads with 90 km/h.     

How do public transport users adjust their travel behaviour if public transport ceases? A qualitative study

Mode shift from public transport (PT) to private car when a PT shut-down occurs results in an increase in the number of car trips on the road network which may contribute to traffic congestion. Policies aimed at reducing the mode shift to car can be designed through a better understanding of PT users’ mode shift in the event of a PT disruption. Furthermore, the share of car mode shift is also an important parameter for assessing traffic congestion relief associated with day to day PT provision in cities. This study sought to uncover factors influencing the mode shift to car among PT users in the event of a PT disruption. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30PT users from Melbourne, Australia. Grounded theory was used to derive categories and subcategories of behavioural responses. Factors affecting mode shift to car if PT ceases in the short term were classified into three main themes with several subcategories: individual-specific factors, context-specific factors and journey-specific factors. In the long term, the analysis reveals that only context-specific factors have an influence on mode shift. Findings show that car access, travel time, travel cost, trip importance, non-central business district (CBD) trips, weather, flexibility and accessibility to PT stations are the most important factors favouring use of the car if PT ceases in the short term. This acts to increase traffic congestion due to the mode shift to car. However, in the long term, removing PT is expected to have an impact on land use, leading to individuals changing their residential and workplace location.