The influence of a pedestrian countdown display on pedestrian behavior at signalized pedestrian crossings

Pedestrian behavior has been a subject of surveys carried out at two signalized pedestrian crossings, in the city of Doboj (BIH, Republic of Srpska). The analysis is made on the basis of video recordings, and includes behavior at pedestrian crossings, in various conditions (two locations, different vehicle flows, with or without a countdown display). The analysis also includes the distribution of illegal crossings (at the pedestrian red light) of different categories of pedestrians (gender, age), before and after the installation of a pedestrian countdown display, at two different pedestrian crossings. The results of the study have shown that a countdown display reduces statistically significantly the total number of violators, regardless of its location and traffic flow. However, this reduction is not the same at various categories of pedestrians (male, female, elderly, young people). The influence of the display has been particularly dominant at the pedestrian crossing located outside the centre of the city, with the smaller intensity of traffic. Children pedestrians do not accept the behavior in accordance with the countdown display in case of a reduced intensity of traffic, at a pedestrian crossing located in the backstreet. A countdown display does not statistically significantly change the distribution form of the number of offences during the red light for pedestrians, regardless of the pedestrian environment. However, there is a statistically significant difference in certain intervals (during the first and last 4 s) in the total distribution, as well as in the categories (female pedestrians, children). A countdown display does not reduce the overall number of “slow” pedestrians, but the impact on certain categories of “slow” pedestrians (gender/children), as well as on pedestrian violators, per age categories, varies depending on the location and traffic flow at an intersection.     

Young driver distraction by text messaging: A comparison of the effects of reading and typing text messages in Chinese versus English

BackgroundReading and typing text messages while driving seriously impairs driving performance and are prohibited activities in many jurisdictions. Hong Kong is a bilingual society and many people write in both Chinese and English. As the input methods for text messaging in Chinese and English are considerably different, this study used a driving simulator approach to compare the effects of reading and typing Chinese and English text messages on driving performance.MethodThe driving performances of 26 participants were monitored under the following conditions: (1) no distraction, (2) reading and typing Chinese text messages, and (3) reading and typing English text messages. The following measures of driving performance were collected under all of the conditions: reaction time (RT), driving lane undulation (DLU), driving speed fluctuation (DSF), and car-following distance (CFD) between test and leading cars.ResultsRT, DLU, and DSF were significantly impaired by reading and typing both Chinese and English text messages. Moreover, typing text messages distracted drivers more than reading them. Although the Chinese text messaging input system is more complicated than the English system, the use of Chinese did not cause a significantly different degree of distraction.ConclusionBoth reading and typing text messages while driving should be prohibited regardless of whether Chinese or English is used.     

Safer driver responses at intersections with green signal countdown timers

Traffic signal countdown timers (TSCTs) are innovative, practical, and cost effective technologies with the potential to improve safety at signalized intersections. The purpose of these devices is to assist motorists in decision-making at signalized intersections by providing them with real-time signal duration information. This study examines US driver responses in the presence of a green signal countdown timer (GSCT) and the implications those responses have on intersection safety. A driving simulator study was conducted to record driver responses to virtual GSCTs. Fifty-five participants (32 male and 23 female) responded to 1100 simulated traffic signals, half of which had GSCTs. A predictive model was developed and validated to estimate the change in driver’s probability to stop at different distances from the stop line in the presence of a GSCT. The presence of a GSCT increased average driver stopping probability in the dilemma zone by 13.10%, while decreasing average driver deceleration rates by 1.50 ft/s². These results suggest that GSCTs may contribute to improved intersection safety in the US.     

Linking individuation and organizational identification: Mediation through psychological safety

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how individuation, a view that organizational members are all unique individuals, induces a perception of psychological safety and how perception of psychological safety, in turn, increases one’s organizational identification. Results from 66 respondents in Study 1 provided first support for the proposed mechanism. In Study 2, data collected from 176 employees in work organizations also provided evidence for this mediation model. It was found in both studies that individuation has a significantly positive association with the perception of psychological safety such that the more employees view individual members of the organization as unique individuals, the more likely they perceive that their organization is a safe environment for self-expression. Furthermore, perception of psychological safety was found to serve as a mediator linking individuation and organizational identification.     

驾驶员在交通场景中的变化视盲及其启示

变化视盲(change blindness)现象,也称变化盲,是指视觉情景中人们不能觉察到某个事物变化的现象。研究以驾驶员为主体探讨了道路交通领域中的变化视盲现象。首先,从场景变化特征和驾驶员特征两个方面综述了影响驾驶员变化视盲的影响因素;其次,结合影响因素与变化视盲的特征理论建立了驾驶员变化检测的认知过程模型;最后,在模型的基础上,讨论了提高驾驶员变化检测能力的实际意义和潜在措施,并对未来有关交通安全变化视盲的研究予以展望。     

Gender differences in attitudes towards driving and demand for private Insurance: Evidence from middle class drivers

This article examines the existence of associations between the gender of the driver, their risk behavior when driving motor vehicles and their inclination to acquire automobile insurance. To conduct this investigation a random survey was carried out with 566 middle class adults in 66 Brazilian towns and cities. By using non-parametric tests and logit models, the results suggest that even when controlling for other variables, women feel a greater need to have automobile insurance to protect themselves in the event of possible accidents under rainy conditions and also to have access to driver support services. Women also tend to have more respect for speed limits in various situations, such as during the rush hour, on local roads and on highways. The results also showed that men feel safer than women driving in more precarious situations: at night, in unfamiliar areas, after drinking, or even when they are tired. These results, in addition to contributing to the theoretical development of road traffic and transportation safety, are of special relevance to the financial industry and the regulatory agency. The insurance industry may find these results particularly helpful in designing future policies and setting premiums.     

“Walking the talk”: the role of frontline supervisors in preventing workplace accidents

ABSTRACT

Most existing safety research focuses on climate and leadership, with most leadership studies investigating transformational leadership, which is likely to be more impactful when exhibited by executives that by frontline supervisors. Therefore, focusing on frontline supervisors, we investigate how leaders who “walk the talk”, by directly modelling safety behaviours, might encourage subordinates to behave more safely. Using a three-level sample consisting of 579 employees and their supervisors working in 161 groups within 53 organizations, we test a multisource multilevel indirect effects model. Results indicate that safety climate and supervisors modelling safety compliance explain unique variance in safety outcomes. We then addressed an unanswered question concerning whether safety climate is best conceptualized as a group or organizational-level phenomenon, finding that the group-level assessment of safety climate explained more variance in safety outcomes than the organizational-level assessment of safety climate. Both sets of results are consistent with social information processing theory and social learning theory, which highlight the immediate social environment’s influence on employees’ behaviour.     

What's in a List?:A Rule of Interpretation for Hindu Dharma Offered in Response to Maria Hibbets

The study of South Asian ethics presents a variety of problems for the comparative ethicist. This response focuses on one such problem relating to Hinduism: the pervasive use of nonsystematic lists as a source of ethical injunctions and guidelines. The author demonstrates how an indigenous hermeneutic may unpack a list that contains the gift of fearlessness among other gifts. The source of this interpretation is Purva Mimamsa, an ancient Indian school of philosophy that specialized in language and the application of sacrificial logic to law and ethics. The same principles that allowed ritual specialists to sort out a huge array of rules into proper injunctions also allow us to make sense of ethical principles embodied in puzzling lists of concrete items.