Dual-task decrements in driving performance: The impact of task type,working memory,and the frequency of task performance

Driving while carrying out another (secondary) task interferes with performance, though the degree of interference may vary between tasks and individual drivers. In this study, we focused on two potentially interrelated individual difference variables that may play a role in determining dual-task interference: working memory capacity and the driver’s experience with the relevant secondary task. We used a driving simulator to measure interference, comparing single-task performance (driving alone) with driving performance during three secondary tasks: conversing on a handsfree cellphone, texting, and selecting a song on a touchscreen Mp3 player. Drivers also rated the difficulty of driving while carrying out each secondary task. For the individual difference variables, working memory was measured using the Operation Span test (OSPAN), and experience was assessed in terms of self-reported daily driving exposure and exposure to the relevant secondary tasks (frequency, duration). Overall, we found evidence of dual-task interference, though interference varied between tasks; the texting and Mp3 tasks produced significantly more interference than handsfree cellphone conversation. For the texting and Mp3 song selection tasks, interference was apparent in terms of increased steering variability, but for the Mp3 task there was also compensatory slowing, with drivers slowing down while carrying out the task. OSPAN performance and daily driving exposure were both covariates in predicting the amount of dual-task interference. However, our results suggest that in all but two cases, both involving the texting task, the effects of the OSPAN and the driving and secondary task exposure variables were independent rather than interrelated.     

Correlations of multiple rider behaviors with self-reported attitudes,perspectives on traffic rule strictness and social desirability

Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) riders constitute a very vulnerable group of road users, while riding a PTW is considerably more dangerous than using any other motor vehicle. Behavioral issues have been identified major moderating factors to PTW crashes, as riders display great variability in their attitudes towards road safety. Τhe aim of this paper is to present a thorough, overarching structure of relationships correlating various unsafe stated PTW rider behaviors (riding after alcohol consumption, speeding, helmet use and texting) with several self-reported attitude parameters and factors regarding rider perspectives on traffic rule strictness and social desirability. A structural equation model (SEM) was developed using data from the ESRA2 survey, which provided a broad sample encompassing 5,958 respondent riders from 32 countries. Numerous statistical relationships were discovered and quantified correlating the four examined unsafe rider behaviors with eight latent unobserved variables. All covariances between unsafe behaviors were found to be positive and statistically significant, indicating that a rider who will engage more frequently in every single one of the four examined unsafe riding behaviors is more likely to also engage in all the others as well.     

Does awareness of penalties influence deterrence mechanisms? A study of young drivers’ awareness and perceptions of the punishment applying to illegal phone use while driving

This research implemented both qualitative and quantitative methods to 1) explore young drivers’ (aged between 17 and 25 years) awareness and perceptions of legal sanctions associated with phone use while driving and 2) identify whether the accuracy of their knowledge influences deterrence-related perceptions. In the qualitative phase, 60 Queensland motorists participated in focus groups. The findings of the focus groups highlighted that greater awareness of the penalty for phone use while driving would enable this punishment to act as a more salient deterrent. More specifically, the penalty for hands-free phone use was considered too high, whereas when the penalty was applied to hand-held phone use it was considered reasonable, with some commenting that increasing the fine could be a greater deterrent. However, the penalty also appeared to be linked to the perceived legitimacy of the rule. The quantitative phase utilised a cross-sectioanl survey design and consisted of 503 drivers. Overall, more participants appear to be underestimating (63% underestimated the fine and 37% underestimated the demerit points) as opposed to overestimating (14% overestimated the fine and 22% overestimated the demerit points) the penalty for phone use while driving. As expected, compared to those who accurately estimated the extent of the punishment (both the monetary sanction and the number of demerit points) associated with phone use while driving, drivers who underestimated the phone punishment (points and fine) had significantly lower perceptions of the severity of punishment. These findings suggest that some young drivers do not have sufficient knowledge of mobile phone sanctions, which has significant implications for ongoing attempts to maximise deterrent mechanisms.     

Investigating the effect of blood alcohol concentration on motorcyclist’s riding performance using an advanced motorcycle simulator

It is largely accepted that drink-driving significantly increases the likelihood that a driver may engage in risk-taking behavior and thus road crash. Although there have been a few studies examining the effect of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on rider performance in developed countries, there has not been any research on the effect of BAC levels on motorcycle rider’s performance in developing countries. This study is attempted to evaluate the effect of low BAC levels (i.e., ≤0.05 g/dL or 0.05) on riding performance of motorcycle riders in Vietnam using an advanced motorcycle riding simulator. Thirty-four motorcycle riders aged 18–40 complete simulated rides on three BAC levels, namely 0.00, 0.02, and 0.05. Riding performance indicators are measured and compared at different BAC levels. These indicators include average speed, average lateral overtaking distance, brake reaction time, acceleration, deceleration, and frequency of lane change. At the level BAC = 0.02 or lower, the negative effects on the rider’s ability to control a motorcycle safely are statically insignificant. At the level BAC = 0.05, all the performances are impaired and the negative effects become statistically significant. In comparison of between novice participants and experienced participants at the same level of BAC, mean speed and acceleration rates of novice participants are significantly higher than the experienced participant. Based on the findings, the paper further discusses empirical relationships between reduced riding performances and road crash risk, and insights into drink-riding deterrence policy-making with regard to motorcycle riders.     

Working while studying at university: The relationship between work benefits and demands and engagement and well-being

We tested a role-conflict, depletion, and enrichment model, in which work-based benefits (enabling resources, psychological rewards, and psychological involvement) and work-based demands (time-, strain-, and behaviour-based demands, and hours worked) were antecedents to work–university conflict and work–university facilitation, which, in turn, were antecedent to students' academic engagement (dedication and vigour) and well-being (general and context-specific feelings about university). We also tested whether conflict and facilitation acted as mediators in the relationships between benefits and demands and the outcomes of engagement and well-being. The hypotheses were tested using 185 university students (77% female; mean age = 22.7 years) who were working while studying. Work-based benefits (enabling resources, rewards, and involvement) were associated with higher work–university facilitation; more time demands and fewer psychological rewards were associated with more work–university conflict; facilitation was associated with more engagement (dedication) and general well-being; and conflict was associated with more negative feelings towards the university. There were no mediation effects. Working while studying is related to students' engagement and well-being, although modest effects were explained by role-conflict theory.     

工作场所的出勤主义行为：组织管理研究的新课题

出勤主义行为是指在生病时依然坚持工作的行为。工作场所的出勤主义行为不仅危害员工的个人健康，还会给企业带来额外的支出。近年来，出勤主义行为逐渐引起管理者的重视，并得到越来越多管理学和心理学研究者的关注。总结以往研究，对出勤主义行为的概念界定和测量方法进行了概述，从个人因素、工作相关因素、组织层面因素和团队层面因素四个方面探讨了出勤主义行为的影响因素，并总结了出勤主义行为对个人健康、工作方面和组织层面的影响。最后，对出勤主义行为未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

Effects of the range and frequency of vibrations on the momentary riding comfort evaluation of a railway vehicle

When trains pass level-crossings, turnouts, and rail joints, they are momentarily subjected to extreme vibrations. In railway engineering, evaluation of the riding comfort under such occasional vibrations is called the momentary riding comfort evaluation, as distinct from the long-term evaluation, which addresses the riding comfort of passengers for certain lengths of train operation. In order to identify the effective vibrational characteristics of the momentary evaluation, an experiment was performed with a riding comfort simulator. Ten adult subjects for each condition, 80 in total, participated in the experiment. The effects of differences in the range of stimuli, frequency of each stimulus, and scores on a rating scale of discomfort were studied. Differences in the range and frequency affected the evaluation such that subjects tended to make a relative judgment on discomfort. They made almost an absolute judgment when the rating scale was well defined, with a small number of categories.     

Motorcycle riders’ self-reported aggression when riding compared with car driving

Aggressive driving has been shown to be related to increased crash risk for car driving. However, less is known about aggressive behaviour and motorcycle riding and whether there are differences in on-road aggression as a function of vehicle type. If such differences exist, these could relate to differences in perceptions of relative vulnerability associated with characteristics of the type of vehicle such as level of protection and performance. Specifically, the relative lack of protection offered by motorcycles may cause riders to feel more vulnerable and therefore to be less aggressive when they are riding compared to when they are driving. This study examined differences in self-reported aggression as a function of two vehicle types: passenger cars and motorcycles. Respondents (n = 247) were all motorcyclists who also drove a car. Results were that scores for the composite driving aggression scale were significantly higher than on the composite riding aggression scale. Regression analyses identified different patterns of predictors for driving aggression from those for riding aggression. Safety attitudes followed by thrill seeking tendencies were the strongest predictors for driving aggression, with more positive safety attitudes being protective whilst greater thrill seeking was associated with greater self-reported aggressive driving behaviour. For riding aggression, thrill seeking was the strongest predictor (positive relationship), followed by self-rated skill, such that higher self-rated skill was protective against riding aggression. Participants who scored at the 85th percentile or above for the aggressive driving and aggressive riding indices had significantly higher scores on thrill seeking, greater intentions to engage in future risk taking, and lower safety attitude scores than other participants. In addition participants with the highest aggressive driving scores also had higher levels of self-reported past traffic offences than other participants. Collectively, these findings suggest that people are less likely to act aggressively when riding a motorcycle than when driving a car, and that those who are the most aggressive drivers are different from those who are the most aggressive riders. However, aggressive riders and drivers appear to present a risk to themselves and others on road. Importantly, the underlying influences for aggressive riding or driving that were identified in this study may be amenable to education and training interventions.     

Characteristics of college students who text while driving: Do their perceptions of a significant other influence their decisions?

IntroductionTexting while driving is a significant risk factor for automobile collisions. The use of cell phones is prevalent among young people and commonly reported when they drive.MethodA web-based survey of 861 college student drivers determined how texting was associated with other forms of risky driving, perceptions of risk, and their driving and texting interactions with a significant other.ResultsTexting drivers were more likely to engage in other risky driving behaviors, perceived less risk in texting and driving, felt more immune to traffic risks, and had friends who text and drive. Logistic regression analyses showed that even after adjusting for risky driving behaviors and perceived risk, texting drivers were significantly more likely to do so if they saw their significant other text and drive.ConclusionsTraffic safety campaigns need to address important social influences on this behavior.     

Analysis of vehicle-based lateral performance measures during distracted driving due to phone use

Distracted driving due to mobile phone use has been identified as a major contributor to accidents; therefore, it is required to develop ways for detecting driver distraction due to phone use. Though prior literature has documented various visual behavioural and physiological techniques to identify driver distraction, comparatively little is known about vehicle based performance features which can identify driver’s distracted state during phone conversation and texting while driving. Therefore, this study examined the effects of simple conversation, complex conversation, simple texting and complex texting tasks on vehicle based performance parameters such as standard deviation of lane positioning, number of lane excursions, mean and standard deviation of lateral acceleration, mean and standard deviation of steering wheel angle and steering reversal rates (for 1°, 5° and 10° angle differences). All these performance measures were collected for 100 licensed drivers, belonging to three age groups (young, mid-age and old age), with the help of a driving simulator. Effects of all the phone use conditions and driver demographics (age, gender and phone use habits) on the measures were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA tests. Results showed that 1°, 5° SRRs are able to identify all the distracted conditions except for simple conversation; while, 10° SSR can detect all the distracted conditions (including simple conversation). The results suggest that 10° SRR can be included in intelligent in-vehicle devices in order to detect distraction and alert drivers of their distracted state. This can prevent mobile phone use during driving and therefore can help in reducing the road accidents due to mobile phone distractions.