Psychological risk factors for road safety

Cognitive and personality determinants of safe driving performance in professional drivers

Abstract: Large truck and bus crashes still cause a high rate of fatalities and costs. Considering that the human factor plays an important role it is obvious that there is great interest in predicting safe driving performance in professional drivers, especially with new technologies emerging to assist drivers. This study uses a modern theoretical framework to assess which psychometric tests are still able to predict safe driving performance in today’s professional drivers under these new circumstances. 126 male professional bus drivers completed a standardized digital test battery and three driving exercises. The test battery was used to assess reaction time, concentration, ability to gain an overview, reactive stress tolerance, logical reasoning, and safety-related personality traits. The exercises consisted of an on-road driving test, an obstacle course, and a maneuvering course. The study yielded satisfactory indicators of criterion related validity. It also showed that different tests were relevant for the prediction of safe driving performance in different driving exercises. Contrary to previous research, logical reasoning showed significant effects. The results indicate that in order to assess safe driving performance in professional drivers, a comprehensive assessment with psychometric tests should be recommended.

Psychosocial risk assessment by midwives during antenatal care: a focus on psychosocial support

Abstract: The rationale of any national screening programme is to recognize the benefits for public health, to test a predominantly healthy population including low risk pregnant women, and to detect risk factors for morbidity in order to provide timely care interventions. The South African health care system faces many challenges that undoubtedly impact on maternal health, resulting in poor quality of care and indirectly causing maternal deaths. The government has embarked on a number of initiatives that address women’s psychosocial wellbeing during pregnancy, for example free maternity care, legalizing abortion, expanding on provider-initiated HIV counseling and testing for antenatal patients. These initiatives imply a re-look at antenatal care screening, in order to identify wider determinants of health that may have an impact on a woman’s psychosocial wellbeing. This includes amongst others, poor socio-economic conditions such as poverty, lack of social support, general health inequalities, domestic violence and a history of either personal or familial mental illness, all of which have the capacity to influence a pregnant woman’s decision to utilize health care services. The intention of this study was therefore to establish the extent of psychosocial risk assessment for pregnant women during antenatal care, with a focus on the psychosocial support.Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol no. M081013). A mixed-method approach was applied through combining quantitative and qualitative research techniques, methods and approaches to address psychosocial risk assessment and psychosocial support by midwives during antenatal care. An explanatory sequential design was used. The methodology was aimed at accommodating the diverse population involved in the study, the nature of data being sought and the number of investigations conducted. A fully mixed research approach was implemented interactively through all the stages of the study. The study took place in six phases to meet the purpose of this research. Phase 1 entailed quantitative data collection and analysis; phase 2 qualitative data collection and analysis; phase 3 report writing; phase 4 formulation of guidelines; phase 5 pilot test; phase 6 integration of results and findings, and writing of final report.

Effects of psychological inoculation on indirect road hostility and simulated driving

Abstract: Traffic accidents (TA) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Psychological risk factors, whether traits or states, are important predictors of dangerous driving and of TA. However, educational and awareness campaigns often have little impact on such factors since they do not provide social resistance skills or cognitive restructuring, to change cognitive distortions which may underlie such factors. This research tested the effects of psychological inoculation (PI), a cognitive method that challenges and modifies cognitive distortions and teaches social resistance skills, on road hostility tendencies, using an indirect measure (Studies 1 and 2), and on simulated driving (Study 3). We preliminarily validated an indirect measure of road hostility tendencies, using a semi-projective test, not relying on interpretation or self-report. In Study 1, 59 Belgian students were assessed for indirect road hostility tendencies, before and immediately after PI or an awareness control. Indirect road hostility tendencies significantly decreased only in the PI group. In Study 2, 59 Israeli police cadets received PI or driving safety education (control) in groups. Levels of road hostility tendencies were significantly lower in the PI group than in controls, only immediately after the intervention, but not two weeks later. In Study 3, 40 male students were observed for brief PC-based simulated driving with social pressure, before and after PI or safety education (control). Only PI led to reduced accidents and touching/passing sidewalks from pre- to post-intervention. These relatively consistent results support the effectiveness of PI for reducing road hostility tendencies and accidents in simulated driving. Future studies need to test the long-term impact of PI on actual driving behavior. The ease of administering PI en-masse and its effects on road hostility tendencies and on simulated driving behavior may have important implications for accident prevention.

Impact of Elderly Road Users Characteristics at Intersection

Abstract: India's elderly population growth rate is estimated to be 8% and size of elderly population (+60 and -70) in India is likely to be 69 million by 2016. This implies that six-tenths of the population +60 and -70 years and one-third of the population +70 to -80 can be expected to be in reasonably good physical and mental health and capable of leading an active life. According to the above mentioned statistics and also as per UN directive, India can be considered in the aging country category. The objective of this paper is to know which factors contribute to elderly driver, cyclist, and pedestrian unsafe characteristics as a road user. The decrease in sensory, cognitive and physical characteristics of elderly makes them vulnerable as elderly drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians than other age group (-60). In this study, a total of 200 elderly drivers, 100 cyclist and 55 pedestrian samples were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Samples were weighted to remove bias using Delphi method according to gender and age. The analysis reveals the following statistically significant effect on elderly: (i) 60+ drivers’ faces decrease in physical strength such as steering, braking, looking aside/backside. (ii) Walking speed is (30-40%) less than standard intersection crossing design speed (iii) Driver, cyclist and pedestrian experience vision and glare related problem and also decreased hear loss become worse with noise (iv) cognitive impairment related to perception-reaction time increased by 20 to 30% and also Intersection sign/marking becomes very significant due to decrease of cognitive function (v) Gap finding is significant in elderly and finally (vi) intersection geometry. Self-reported data was analyzed based on 10 point scale (1 indicates very serious problem and 10 not a problem). The emerging new set of road user's characteristics may warrant addressing issue related to elderly driver, cyclist and pedestrian. Therefore, emerging vulnerable category of road users in form of elderly driver, cyclist and pedestrian characteristics require immediate consideration in intersection planning and design for efficient operations and safe mobility.

Prediction Method of Driver’s Propensity Adapted to Driver’s Dynamic Feature Extraction of Affection

Abstract: Driver’s propensity is a dynamic measurement of driver’s characteristics, such as affection and preference. In the vehicle driver-assistance system, especially its collision warning subsystem, it is also an important parameter of computing driver's intention. The prediction of driver’s propensity from relative static and macroscopic perspective is an essential precondition for further researching and extracting dynamic characteristics. Physiology and psychology tests are designed to measure driver’s character and calculate physiological rhythm. Changing data of driver’s psychology and emotion during driving are obtained by real vehicle test. Then driver’s propensity values of different types are calculated by weighting method according to the contribution rate of standard features. Results show that this method is better than the traditional psychology test, and it provides a basis for further studying dynamic characteristics of driver’s affection.

Personality, attitudes and risk Perceptions as predictors of risky driving behaviour among young drivers

Abstract: Within psychology, different research traditions have attempted to explain individual differences in risky driving behaviour and traffic accident involvement. The present study attempts to integrate two of these research traditions, the personality trait approach and the social cognition approach, in order to understand the mechanisms underlying young drivers' risk-taking behaviour in traffic. The study was based on a self-completion questionnaire survey carried out among 1932 adolescents in Norway. The questionnaire included measures of risk perception, attitudes towards traffic safety and self-reported risk-taking in traffic. Personality measures included aggression, altruism, anxiety and normlessness. The results of a structural equation model suggested that the relation between the personality traits and risky driving behaviour was mediated through attitudes. On this basis it was concluded that personality primarily influences risky driving behaviour indirectly through affecting the attitudinal determinants of the behaviour. Practical implications for traffic safety campaigns are also discussed.

Personality, attitudes and risk perception as predictors of risky driving behaviour among young drivers

Abstract: Within psychology, different research traditions have attempted to explain individual differences in risky driving behaviour and traffic accident involvement. The present study attempts to integrate two of these research traditions, the personality trait approach and the social cognition approach, in order to understand the mechanisms underlying young drivers' risk-taking behaviour in traffic. The study was based on a self-completion questionnaire survey carried out among 1932 adolescents in Norway. The questionnaire included measures of risk perception, attitudes towards traffic safety and self-reported risk-taking in traffic. Personality measures included aggression, altruism, anxiety and normlessness. The results of a structural equation model suggested that the relation between the personality traits and risky driving behaviour was mediated through attitudes. On this basis it was concluded that personality primarily influences risky driving behaviour indirectly through affecting the attitudinal determinants of the behaviour. Practical implications for traffic safety campaigns are also discussed.

Driving anger, sensation seeking, impulsiveness, and boredom proneness in the prediction of unsafe driving.

Abstract: The present study investigated the potential contribution of sensation seeking, impulsiveness, and boredom proneness to driving anger in the prediction of aggressive and risky driving. Two hundred and twenty-four college student participants completed measures of trait driving anger, aggressive and risky driving, driving anger expression, sensation seeking, impulsiveness, and boredom proneness. Findings provided additional support for the utility of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS; Deffenbacher, J.L., Oetting, E.R., Lynch, R.S., Development of a driving anger scale, Psychological Reports, 74, 1994, 83-91.) in predicting unsafe driving. In addition, hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that sensation seeking, impulsiveness, and boredom proneness provided incremental improvements beyond the DAS in the prediction of crash-related conditions, aggressive driving, risky driving, and driving anger expression. Results support the use of multiple predictors in understanding unsafe driving behavior.

Sensation seeking, risky driving and behavioral adaptation.

Abstract: A study on the relationship between sensation seeking (SS) and risky driving, aggressive driving and behavioral adaptation is reported on. College students completed a questionnaire concerning their driving behavior and level of sensation seeking. Results indicated that high SS's were significantly more likely than low SS's to speed, not wear belts, drink frequently, drive after drinking, perceive a low risk of detection for impaired driving, and perceive that they could drink more beer before being impaired. High SS's were also more likely to report aggressive driving habits. High SS's were significantly more likely than low SS's to say that they would drive faster on highways and on wet roads and drive after drinking, if operating a vehicle equipped with anti-lock brakes. The results are consistent with previous research.

Personality, risky driving and accident involvement among Norwegian drivers

Abstract: Despite the large body of studies, the role of personality in risk research still remains debatable and unclear. The objective of this study was to identify determinants of road user behaviour and accident involvement with the aim of developing effective accident countermeasures. Examining relationships between personality, risky driving and involvement in accidents can open up the possibility of early identification of those more likely to be involved in accidents. The aim is not to influence personality as such, but to develop measures constructed for specific groups. The results are based on a self-completion questionnaire survey carried out among a sample of Norwegian drivers in year 2000 and 2001 (n=2605). The Norwegian Directorate of Public Roads financed the study. The questionnaire included measures of risky driving, accident involvement, normlessness, sensation-seeking, locus of control and driver anger. Results showed that those who scored high on sensation seeking, normlessness and driver anger reported more frequent risky driving compared to those who scored low on these variables. They were more often involved in both speeding and ignorance of traffic rules. Respondents involved in risk taking-behaviour experienced near-accidents and crashes leading to both injuries and material damage more often than other drivers. Language: en