Traffic safety culture of professional drivers in the State of Qatar

Professional drivers play a significant role within the traffic system of the State of Qatar. With developing infrastructure, the need for professional drivers is growing. However, knowledge is lacking about their perception of traffic safety. Therefore, this study investigates the personal acceptance of risky driving and suggested traffic laws among this specific group of drivers, in order to create understanding about their likelihood to commit certain risky driving behaviors and their resistance to the implementation of certain traffic laws. The aim of this study is to establish which personal attributes of professional drivers in Qatar could influence a high likelihood to commit risky driving behaviors, estimating which specific groups of professional drivers impose the highest risk to violate certain traffic laws. Results indicate that transportation mode, origin and years of driving experience are all personal attributes that have a significant impact on the professional driver's risk to commit risky driving behaviors and their opposition to the implementation of related traffic laws. Distressing results have been found for the high likelihood to violate speed in school zones and the high risk to be distracted by any type of phone use while driving, suggesting the need to put emphasize on these safety hazards during the training programs of professional drivers at professional driving schools in the State of Qatar.     

Car drivers' road safety performance: A benchmark across 32 countries

The road safety performance of a country and the success of policy measures can be measured and monitored in different ways. In addition to the traditional road safety indicators based on the number of fatalities or injured people in road traffic crashes, complementary road safety performance indicators can be used in relation to vehicles, infrastructure, or road users' behaviour. The last-mentioned can be based on data from roadside surveys or from questionnaire surveys. However, results of such surveys are seldom comparable across countries due to differences in aims, scope, or methodology.This paper is based on the second edition of the E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA), an online survey carried out in 2018, and includes data from more than 35,000 road users across 32 countries. The objective is to present the main results of the ESRA survey regarding the four most important risky driving behaviours in traffic: driving under the influence (alcohol/drugs), speeding, mobile phone use while driving, and fatigued driving. The paper explores several aspects related to these behaviours as car driver, such as the self-declared behaviours, acceptability and risk perception, support for policy measures, and opinions on traffic rules and penalties.Results show that despite the high perception of risk and low acceptability of all the risky driving behaviours analysed, there is still a high percentage of car drivers who engage in risky behaviours in traffic in all the regions analysed. Speeding and the use of a mobile phone while driving were the most frequent self-declared behaviours. On the other hand, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was the least declared behaviour. Most respondents support policy measures to restrict risky behaviour in traffic and believe that traffic rules are not being checked regularly enough, and should be stricter.The ESRA survey proved to be a valuable source of information to understand the causes underlying road traffic crashes. It offers a unique database and provides policy makers and researchers with valuable insights into public perception of road safety.     

Driver behavior formulation in intersection dilemma zones with phone use distraction via a logit-Bayesian network hybrid approach

Use of cellular phone while driving is one of the top contributing factors that induce traffic crashes, resulting in significant loss of life and property. A dilemma zone is a circumstance near signalized intersections where drivers hesitate when making decisions related to their driving behaviors. Therefore, the dilemma zone has been identified as an area with high crash potential. This article utilizes a logit-based Bayesian network (BN) hybrid approach to investigate drivers' decision patterns in a dilemma zone with phone use, based on experimental data from driving simulations from the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS). Using a logit regression model, five variables were found to be significant in predicting drivers' decisions in a dilemma zone with distractive phone tasks: older drivers (50–60 years old), yellow signal length, time to stop line, handheld phone tasks, and driver gender. The identified significant variables were then used to train a BN model to predict drivers' decisions at a dilemma zone and examine probabilistic impacts of these variables on drivers' decisions. The analysis results indicate that the trained BN model was effective in driver decision prediction and variable influence extraction. It was found that older drivers, a short yellow signal, a short time to stop line, nonhandheld phone tasks, and female drivers are factors that tend to result in drivers proceeding through intersections in a dilemma zone with phone use distraction. These research findings provide insight in understanding driver behavior patterns in a dilemma zone with distractive phone tasks.     

Investigating the attitudes of Egyptian drivers toward traffic safety

One of the main pillars for improving road safety in any country is a good understanding of traffic safety culture and the driving behavior of local drivers. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether Egyptian drivers differ in traffic safety attitudes and level of acceptance of risky driving behavior. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the driving cognition of the participants. An exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the number of factors that differentiated the three types of drivers. Then a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to group the drivers with similar patterns of scores on the factors into clusters. Three driver clusters emerged: The drivers in cluster 1 were “drivers who rigidly followed regulations” (51.7%). The drivers in cluster 2 were “drivers who violated safety precautions” (23.3%). The drivers in cluster 3 were “drivers who had a tendency to violate regulations” (25.0%). A similarity between the social norms and personal attitudes of drivers was found. This can be explained by the high social norm of violating traffic laws, which can lead to more drivers accepting violations. The majority of the older drivers and drivers with no violations or traffic accident on their record in the past 2 years were in cluster 1. Cluster 2 had the highest proportion of young drivers who wore their seat belts and used hands-free phones while driving. Cluster 3 drivers accepted very dangerous violations, such as texting while driving, driving while intoxicated, and driving at very high speeds. They reported significantly more traffic accidents, but no more violations than the other two clusters. The results of this study can be used to improve road safety programs for education and enforcement in Egypt.     

Modeling effects of driver safety attitudes on traffic violations in China using the theory of planned behavior

Traffic violations are recognized as one of the main causes of traffic accidents and have been found to be closely associated with driver attitudes toward traffic safety. In this study, a modified theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to model the effects of driver safety attitudes on traffic violations, based on a questionnaire survey of 1505 drivers in China. In light of the strong correlations between the observed items, the items of the TPB components were grouped into several parcels, using an item-parceling method. Parcel-based structural equation modeling was then used to operationalize the modified TPB. The results indicate that the proposed model can accurately predict the occurrence of traffic violations based on the observed items related to driver traffic safety attitudes. It was found that driver attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control significantly affect traffic violations. For predicting traffic violations, driver attitudes toward traffic safety policies had the greatest influence, followed by driver attitudes toward risky driving behaviors and the attitudes of others toward risky driving behaviors. Finally, suggestions on traffic enforcement and education to reduce traffic violations are proposed based on the results.     

Behavioral aspects of safety culture: Identification of critical safety-related behaviors of motorcyclists in Indonesia's urban areas via the application of behavioral-based safety programs

Many violations and accidents involving motorcyclists occur in the urban areas of Indonesia. It can be said that the failure to develop a good traffic safety culture causes poor motorcyclist behavior, as shaped by existing programs and mechanisms. This study aimed to identify motorcyclists' critical behaviors by conducting investigations using the reciprocal safety culture model as a framework. We tried to identify and clarify the safe behaviors expected by local governments from the existing driving safety program. By applying the antecedent-behavior-consequence model of the behavioral-based safety program, we obtained sixty-three behaviors associated with the six criteria of safe driving. We surveyed motorcyclists (N = 97) to review the sixty-three motorcyclist behaviors in the urban area. The relationship between the behavioral and psychological aspects of the reciprocal safety culture model was investigated to obtain the motorcyclists' critical behaviors. Multiple linear regression model, optimized by the stepwise regression, described the influence motorcyclist behavior on the perception of driving safety. We identified eight critical safety-related behaviors engaged in by motorcyclists. Observation revealed some cultural issues embedded in motorcyclists' eight critical safety-related behaviors that need to be intervened by the local government. The reciprocal safety culture model could be applied in the behavioral-based safety program to approach traffic safety culture issues. In order to develop a good traffic safety culture in the urban area, the local government needs to review the existing driving safety program by understanding drivers' behaviors as they relate to such a program.     

Drivers' perceptions regarding speeding and driving on urban residential streets with a 30 km/h speed limit

Previous studies have shown very little information regarding drivers' opinions, attitudes and behaviours with respect to speeding and driving on urban residential streets with a 30 km/h speed limit. The present research aims to address this issue by conducting a questionnaire study with a sample of 367 Japanese drivers. The results showed that drivers tended to have positive beliefs about complying with the 30 km/h speed limit and understand the negative consequences of speeding; however, a majority of the drivers considered breaking the speed limit as a way to reduce their travel time. While the extent of speeding was found to be very serious, a number of drivers still supported the use of a 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets and favoured protecting the right of vulnerable street users. The logistic regression models developed in this study identified that the drivers who did not support the 30 km/h speed limit were associated with those who had committed traffic-law violations, who had negative beliefs about complying with the speed limit, who did not consider residents' opinions, who believed it is acceptable for them to drive at a high speed, and who felt it difficult to refrain from speeding. With regard to anti-speeding countermeasures, under drivers' point of view, streets should be designed to make the 30 km/h speed limit more credible, although this study also showed evidence supporting the application of public awareness programmes and social campaigns as speeding interventions. In addition, this research investigated drivers' speed choices in various specific driving circumstances, and six underlying factors affecting drivers' speed choices were determined. On the basic of the findings, the implications and suggestions for speeding interventions were also discussed.     

Age and road safety performance: Focusing on elderly and young drivers

The existing literature on young and elderly drivers indicates that they have the highest crash risks compared to other age groups of drivers. This study improves our understanding of the risk factors contributing to young and elderly drivers' elevated crash risk by examining self-report data from the E-Survey of Road User's Safety Attitudes (ESRA). The primary objective of this study is to compare the attitudes and behaviours of young, elderly, and middle-age drivers in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The main focus is on the practice of driving while distracted by mobile phones and driving while fatigued, as these are two dangerous behaviours that demonstrate the impact age may have. The analyses consistently showed that there are differences in the responses attributable to age. In all regions, drivers aged 18–21 years consistently reported higher rates of distracted and fatigued driving and higher rates of perceived social and personal acceptability of these behaviours than drivers aged 35–54 years. Elderly drivers aged 65+ years reported even lower rates of these behaviours and acceptability. Young drivers were also the least likely to believe that distraction and fatigue are frequent causes of road crashes, while elderly drivers were the most likely to believe this. This pattern with respect to age repeats in the support for policy measures as well; young drivers are least likely to support zero tolerance policies for mobile phone use when driving, while elderly drivers are the most likely to support this measure. Multivariate logistic regression modeling confirmed that elderly drivers were the least likely to engage in the use of mobile phones while driving or driving while fatigued. Statistically significant results showed that the middle-age group was less likely than young drivers to read a text message/email or check social media while driving and driving while fatigued.     

Contribution of traffic behavior surveys for monitoring safety performance indicators in Germany: Case of mobile phone use while driving

Behavioral determinants in the form of safety performance indicators (SPIs) are increasingly being applied in addition to road traffic crash statistics to evaluate road safety. These SPIs help understand driving behaviors and adopt preventive measures for crashes. Behavior-explaining determinants, including attitude or subjective norms, are defined in the theory of planned behavior and are collected through surveys. In this study, data from three traffic behavior surveys, conducted in Germany, were employed, taking the example of mobile phone use while driving, which causes distraction and represents a road safety risk. The surveys differ in their methodology and results. While the Traffic Climate in Germany has been surveying the determinants of mobile phone use in a representative sample for several years, the E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA) is conducted in parallel in several countries and allows for comparison with Germany. The survey by the International Association of Traffic and Safety Science (IATSS) only included the group of young drivers in Germany. All three surveys demonstrate that although attitudes and subjective norms tend to be negative, mobile phones are nevertheless used while driving. Major differences exist depending on the mode of use (hands-free calling, texting) and recent developments. Thus, regularly surveying the determinants and mapping the latest developments in terms of content is critical. Together, these surveys provide comprehensive insights into the topic and enable prevention approaches, such as the concrete communication of information to young drivers and the emphasis on dangers, even during the hands-free use of mobile phones while driving.     

Factors affecting lane change crashes

This study aims to investigate the contributing factors affecting the occurrence of crashes while lane-changing maneuvers of drivers. Two different data sets were used from the same drivers' population. The first data set was collected from the traffic police crash reports and the second data set was collected through a questionnaire survey that was conducted among 429 drivers. Two different logistic regression models were developed by employing the two sets of the collected data. The results of the crash occurrence model showed that the drivers' factors (gender, nationality and years of experience in driving), location and surrounding condition factors (non-junction locations, light and road surface conditions) and roads feature (road type, number of lanes and speed limit value) are the significant variables that affected the occurrence of lane-change crashes. About 57.2% of the survey responders committed that different sources of distractions were the main reason for their sudden or unsafe lane change including 21.2% was due to mobile usage. The drivers' behavior model results showed that drivers who did sudden lane change are more likely to be involved in traffic crashes with 2.53 times than others. The drivers who look towards the side mirrors and who look out the windows before lane-change intention have less probability to be involved in crashes by 4.61 and 3.85 times than others, respectively. Another interesting finding is that drivers who reported that they received enough training about safe lane change maneuvering during issuing the driving licenses are less likely to be involved in crashes by 2.06 times than other drivers.     

Impact of driving style,behaviour and anger on crash involvement among Iranian intercity bus drivers

In developing countries such as Iran, due to the inadequate infrastructure for rail and air transportation facilities, intercity buses are the most common type of transportation for long distances. Because of the long hours of driving, bus driving is considered a challenging job. Moreover, given the high capacity of these vehicles, a small error from the driver could endanger many passengers' health. So, studying drivers' behaviours can be a key factor in decreasing the risk factors of crash involvement in these drivers. However, few studies have focused on intercity bus drivers' behaviours. This research uses a sample of 254 professional drivers that answered a self-report questionnaire on driving style (MDSI), driving behaviour (DBQ), and driving anger (DAS). A structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to investigate the psychometric properties of these questionnaires. The results show a positive correlation between maladaptive driving styles and driving behaviour, and a negative correlation between adaptive styles and driving behaviour. Significant differences are observed among drivers with and without crash history on their maladaptive driving styles and their driving anger scale. A binary logistic regression model is also developed to predict traffic crashes as a function of driving misbehaviour. The results suggest that factors related to driving anger are the main factors that increase the probability of misbehaviour and traffic crashes. The results also suggest that driving style and driving behaviour significantly predict crash risk among bus drivers. Aggressive driving is associated with an increased probability of crash involvement among intercity bus drivers. The findings can be used to inform the health promotion policies and provide regular interventions designed to improve driving safety among intercity bus drivers.     

基于嗅觉刺激的驾驶员负向情绪正向调控方法研究

针对驾驶员在异常情绪下更容易导致交通事故发生的问题，研究一种用于智能座舱的驾驶员异常情绪正向调控方法。招募 30 名被试者进行试验，利用视频素材诱发驾驶员愤怒等负向情绪，利用 E-prime 软件控制的嗅觉体验测试仪释放薰衣草、甜橙、沉香木气味对驾驶员负向情绪进行正向调节，采用 ErgoLab 多通道生理仪检测记录在气味刺激下被试者的心电信号 （ECG）、光电容积脉搏波信号 （PPG）、呼吸信号 （RESP） 等生理特征信号；采用问卷调查获取被试者的主观感受；使用面部表情识别软件对驾驶员情绪进行分析，联合主客观数据分析驾驶员的情绪调节效果，通过 30组对照试验研究3种嗅觉刺激气体对负向情绪的调节效果，结果表明，沉香木调节效果最好，甜橙其次，薰衣草最差。     

Age effects on traffic sign comprehension

Ageing is associated with changes in cognitive functions that affect fitness to drive. However, little is known about age effects on traffic sign comprehension (TSC).In this study, we assessed 37 older and 29 younger healthy drivers with a standardised traffic sign test and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.Older drivers showed lower TSC speed and tended to interpret more recent traffic signs less accurately than younger drivers. Higher cognitive functioning was generally associated with better TSC performances in both groups. In older drivers, TSC speed was related to specific cognitive functions such as cognitive flexibility and inhibition.Our findings suggest that traffic signs should appear in time to meet age-related constraints in TSC processing speed and should put low demands on inhibitory skills and cognitive flexibility. However, our findings also suggest that cognitive abilities are important for TSC regardless of age. In addition, a periodic update of traffic sign knowledge appears to be necessary.     

公路客车交通事故分析及安全性技术

道路交通事故的分析表明,造成“群死群伤”交通事故的主要形态是客车碰撞、翻滚和跌落,这与驾驶人员、车辆行驶环境以及车辆的安全性能密切相关。研究公路客车的安全性技术,制定符合我国国情的安全性法规,是减少公路客车道路交通事故的主要手段,同时可以推动公路客车制造技术的进步和发展。     

Speed management strategies and drivers' attitudes in Thailand

In Thailand where speeding on highways and roads has been a key contributing factor in road traffic crashes, considerable efforts to control vehicle speeds have been made, mostly through speed limit enforcement. However, the fact that speed limits are very often violated on a large scale in Thailand suggests the need for implementing more effective speed management strategies such as automatic speed cameras, increasing speeding penalty, and smart vehicle design to control vehicle speeds. While the effectiveness of such measures depends mainly on how well they could lead drivers to change speeding behavior, public acceptability is also vital as a key to sustainability of most speed management programs. This paper attempts to identify public acceptability of speed management measures, both currently implemented and under consideration, in Thailand. In doing so, data from the questionnaire surveys based on a random sample of 2180 drivers in Thailand including a wide range of individual characteristics of respondents and their attitudes to select speed management schemes are analyzed using an econometric technique. In particular, we introduce a simplified methodological framework to develop a better understanding of factors that explain drivers' attitudes towards speeding behavior and alternative speed management strategies. Findings from this research provide several important implications that could improve the current practices of speed management in Thailand.     

Investigating characteristics of cellphone distraction with significance tests and association rule mining

Due to the escalating usage of cellphones, cellphone distracted driving remains one of the fastest-growing traffic safety problems. Two basic types of cellphone distractions are – talking (handheld or hands-free) and manipulating (texting, internet browsing, using apps for social networking, navigation, entertainment, etc.). To explore the association between the cellphone distraction type and characteristics of a driver, roadway, and vehicle, we used Fisher's exact test and association rule mining to analyze the data from ten different hour-long observation sessions performed both at intersections and on straight continuous segments. Among 3727 drivers observed, 22.1% were found distracted by cellphones. More drivers were involved in manipulating (12.8%) than talking on the phone (9.3%). The Fisher's exact test results show that intersections and the presence of passengers may be significantly associated with driver distraction type. This study makes a novel attempt to utilize association rule mining in cellphone distraction observation. A set of generated rules and their network visualization demonstrated how a specific group of characteristics can be related to cellphone conversation or manipulation through the measures of support, confidence, and lift. 'Peak hour', 'Absence of passengers', and 'Urban setting' are more likely to be associated with distracted driving than other characteristics. The results from association rules revealed that male drivers were found to be predominantly involved in cellphone manipulation during peak hours on urban segments than female drivers, and they were also largely involved in cellphone conversation during peak hours on the rural segment. Female drivers engaged in manipulating cellphones at the urban intersection during both peak and off-peak hours. In the rural area during peak hours, female drivers were manipulating at the intersection and were talking while driving on the continuous segment. Drivers aged '30–60 years' were found to be more associated with cellphone use compared to '<30 years' and '>60 years' age group. 'Passenger car drivers during peak hours' were more associated with manipulating cellphones than expected compared to any other collective group, whereas 'female passenger car drivers driving on continuous segment' were strongly associated with cellphone conversation. The detailed discussion of the findings from association rule mining will be useful for targeting a specific group of relevant characteristics in potential cellphone distraction reduction strategies.     

交通违法监控对职业与非职业驾驶人的心理及行为影响调查分析

为了发现交通违法监控对职业与非职业驾驶人的心理及行为的不同影响,采用问卷调查方法,获得321份关于这2类驾驶人在有无交通违法监控下的驾驶心理与驾驶行为选择、对安装交通违法监控的态度等11个题目的数据,对其进行了卡方分析和配对样本t检验.结果表明,非职业驾驶人与职业驾驶人通过有监控和无监控2种交叉口时的心理存在不同;交通违法监控对非职业驾驶人的影响大于职业驾驶人,无交通违法监控下,非职业驾驶人的冒险行为倾向大于职业驾驶人冒险行为倾向;非职业驾驶人在无监控交叉口与有监控交叉口驾驶行为有显著性差异;职业驾驶人在无监控交叉口与有监控交叉口驾驶行为选择差异不显著;无论是非职业驾驶人还是职业驾驶人,大多数都支持和认可安装交通违法监控.      

基于轨迹数据的危险驾驶行为识别方法

连续的跟驰行为和换道行为是驾驶行为的主要构成部分，对交通拥挤和交通事故有着重要影响。通过无人机视频拍摄和图像处理方式，提取了曹安公路沿线的2个交叉路口间正常交通流状态下共600条多车高精度轨迹数据。首先，考虑车辆类型对驾驶行为产生直接的影响，分析了大车和小车的车辆轨迹特征变量分布的差异性，包括速度、加速度、碰撞时间倒数、车头时距等，在标记危险驾驶行为的过程中考虑车辆类型的影响。其次，针对不同的车辆类型，利用修正碰撞裕度对跟驰行为和换道行为进行风险性评估，将其划分为安全型和风险型。根据风险型行为发生的顺序以及持续时间，评估驾驶人的整体驾驶状态是否危险，作为危险驾驶行为识别的样本标记。分别利用离散小波变换和统计方法提取车辆轨迹的关键特征参数，为了提高模型识别效率，将关键特征参数进行排序，从而确定最优判别指标；最后，利用轻量梯度提升机（LGBM）算法对危险驾驶行为进行识别，并与随机森林、多层感知器、支持向量机等算法在精度上进行比较。研究结果表明：在上述研究条件下，LGBM算法对危险驾驶行为的理论识别率最高可达93.62%，可以实现基于机器学习算法的危险驾驶行为的高精度自动识别，该结果对于智能驾驶辅助系统的设计、道路交通安全决策的制定具有显著的意义。     

Effects of automated speed control on speeding intention and behavior on mixed-traffic urban arterial roads

Although the effectiveness of automated speed control (ASC) has been proven, the mechanism of behavioral change in developing countries remains unclear. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of ASC on drivers' speeding intention and behavior on mixed-traffic urban arterial roads. Before and during the implementation of ASC, questionnaires based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) were administered to local passenger-vehicle drivers. A total of 200 participants with an average age of 38.4 years completed both survey waves. To explain the mechanism of behavioral change, the multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) structural equation modeling (SEM) time-invariant was used simultaneously for both waves. The model explained 49% and 55% of the variance in intention, and 40% and 56% of the variance in self-reported speeding behavior, respectively, before and during the ASC implementation period. The findings reveal that ASC altered the cognitive factors of speeding behavior. Speeding became less favorable, had lower approval, and was more difficult to control. Drivers reported lower speeding tendency and diminished speeding behavior. Furthermore, the ASC changed the relative impact of the factors, boosted the influence of family members and close friends on drivers' speeding motivation, and increased the influence of intention and perceived control on speeding behavior. This paper provides recommendations for the implementation of ASCs on mixed-traffic urban arterial roads in developing countries.     

An international comparative study on driving attitudes and behaviors based on questionnaire surveys

Road traffic crashes (RTCs) are influenced by a driver's awareness and attitude toward road safety, as well as the socio-economic status, infrastructure development level, traffic status, social system, and traffic safety culture of the area to which the driver belongs. In this study, based on the results of a questionnaire survey conducted in seven countries, the characteristics of each country concerning tolerance for traffic violations, dangerous driving, and acceptance for road safety measures were studied. It was suggested that a high tolerance for traffic violations and dangerous driving might affect traffic violations and RTCs in each country. Additionally, to reduce the tolerance for traffic violations and dangerous driving, the promotion of road safety education, especially among young and male drivers, and stricter regulations and enforcement were suggested.