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.     

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.     

Investigation of helmet use behavior of motorcyclists and effectiveness of enforcement campaign using CART approach

Use of the helmet is beneficial in reducing the severity of injuries and avoiding fatalities for motorcyclists, therefore, legislation exists in almost all countries. In practice, the situation is different regarding the helmet use, especially in the developing countries. This paper investigates the helmet use behavior of motorcyclists in Karachi, Pakistan. It determines the significant factors affecting the helmet use in Karachi (Pakistan) and recommending effective campaign measures to promote helmet use. It is vital in relation to the exponential growth of motorcycle users and poor enforcement of traffic rules. Repeated cross-sectional data collected before (n = 226) and after (n = 277) the helmet use enforcement campaign is analyzed using univariate and non-parametric classification and regression tree (CART) techniques. A significant number of motorcyclists do not hold a driving license and CART analysis highlighted the significance of this variable along with exposure to the road environment (measured as daily usage of motorcycle) to explain helmet use. Campaign effects are found temporary, therefore, serious efforts are required to design coherent and structured awareness and enforcement programs.     

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.     

A conceptual framework for road traffic safety considering differences in traffic culture through international comparison

Many countries and international organizations have put a significant amount of effort into improving road traffic safety by setting their own road traffic safety goals and strategies. This study aims to provide a conceptual framework for road traffic safety through an international comparison of traffic safety goals and strategies. Such a comparison can help improve mutual understanding and communication among stakeholders in different countries and international organizations. Based on a review of previous traffic safety literature and comparing traffic safety strategies of several different countries and international organizations, this study proposes a conceptual framework for road traffic safety consisting of a common vision, traffic safety indicators, a safe system including the 3Es and some additional Es, and a traffic safety culture, which is the basis of the framework.     

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.     

International analysis on social and personal determinants of traffic violations and accidents employing logistic regression with elastic net regularization

While the number of road fatalities is declining in developed countries, it is still increasing globally, especially in middle-and low-income countries. In addition to the driver's individual awareness and attitude toward traffic safety, various factors such as the development of road infrastructure and the legal system may have a significant influence on the occurrence of traffic accidents. Thus, it is essential to consider these factors to enhance traffic safety and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets of 3.6.In this study, we developed an Elastic Net Regression model to evaluate the factors that influence an individual's traffic violations and accidents based on an international questionnaire on traffic safety attitude, country fact survey data on traffic regulations, and other statistical databases. As a result, it was revealed that: i) In addition to country-level factors, the individual's attributes and attitudes toward traffic safety have an influence on the experience of traffic violations and accidents. and ii) While the same variables regarding individual attributes and attitudes are selected for both traffic violations and accidents, the selected variables relating to country factors differ between violations and accidents.     

Study of in-vehicle route guidance systems for improvement of right-side drivers in the Japanese traffic system

A country can adopt one of two standards for traffic flow — cars may travel on the left or right side of the road. When drivers who are accustomed to driving on the right side of the road drive on the left side, and vice versa, the mental workload is likely increased due to the driver’s unfamiliarity with a new language, the position of the driver’s seat, different driving directions, and other factors that differ from those of their home country. One method of doing this is to make sure that the in-vehicle route guidance information (RGI) is not overly complicated — thereby assisting drivers in improving their safety. Consequently, the aim of this study was to facilitate mobility and improve safety for natural right-side drivers driving temporarily in left-side traffic. In this study, driver behavior and workload — given various types of RGI — were evaluated in a driving simulator with a variety of prescribable test conditions. This research was composed of two experiments. In the first, various types of in-vehicle route guidance systems were tested and evaluated in terms of their characteristics and associated driver behaviors (while driving). In the second experiment, systemic factors and effectiveness were evaluated by two combined systems, arrow and map-type information, based on the results of the first experiment. In light of both experiments, the various types of route guidance systems were discussed in terms of their results. A navigation system was proposed to alleviate some of the secondary tasks such as route selection.     

中学生交通安全教育研究

道路机动化的发展将交通安全宣传教育尤其是针对中学生的宣教提到了新的高度,通过对国外成功案例的剖析并结合我国中学生成长及受教育特点,提出将交通安全知识与传统的物理、英语教学相融合的创新宣传教育方式,为我国交通安全宣传的有效实施提供参考性建议。     

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.     

Traffic problems in Southeast Asia featuring the case of Cambodia's traffic accidents involving motorcycles

This article provides the background to the special issue by reviewing the status of traffic problems in South East Asian countries, and in particular, the case of Cambodia. The “Make Roads Safe” report by the Commission for Global Road Safety (2011) confirms traffic accidents as the primary cause of youth mortality worldwide. Thus, the United Nations declared the decade from 2011 to 2020 as the “UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020”, promoting road safety and to reduce the number of deaths in road accidents by 2020. Furthermore, the “Sustainable Development Goals” adopted in 2015 highlight the important role of sustainable transport in tackling the exclusion of vulnerable groups. On the other hand, the World Health Organization in 2015 indicate an increase in the death rate due to traffic accidents in low-income countries since 2000. Traffic accidents were already recognized as a social problem before the 2000s in countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. At the same time, other ASEAN member states such as Vietnam and Cambodia which have experienced rapid economic growth since the 2000s are now experiencing the seriousness of traffic problems. It is said that 70% of road accidents in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos involve motorcycles and three-wheelers, but despite this situation, the regulatory framework for motorcycles remains undeveloped. In the case of Cambodia, speeding by young people remains the major cause of road deaths and this can be explained by the fact that people can now travel at a higher speed because of road developments but remaining challenges related to underdeveloped traffic legislation, and limited public awareness and knowledge of road safety are overlooked. In 2010, the Cambodian National Road Safety Action Plan 2010–2020 was drafted, aiming to halve the number of deaths in traffic accidents in 2020. However, in reality, the number of road deaths did not decrease to the level anticipated in the action plan until 2016. In this article, the authors emphasize the importance of implementing the “three Es” namely Engineering, Enforcement and Education in developing countries such as Cambodia. In particular, the authors claim that the role of education to increase people's road safety awareness is neglected compared to the other two dimensions and thus, it is highly important to raise people's road safety awareness through education among the young people.     

我国中小学生交通安全教育状况分析

随着汽车数量的迅猛增长,在给人们带来出行便利的同时,道路交通事故也居高不下。中小学生是道路交通事故的主要受害者之一,而中小学生生理机能限制和交通安全意识淡薄是交通事故频发的主要原因。本文针对我国中小学生交通安全教育形式、内容、覆盖范围、时间和通道进行了分析,在对比研究国外儿童道路交通安全教育特点的基础上,提出了加强我国中小学生交通安全教育的建议。     

电动自行车备案登记信息化研究和应用

基于目前电动自行车任性驾驶、超标车辆屡禁不止、交通违法行为突出、交通事故频发、登记工作不规范、信息系统不完善、号牌生产无监管、应用机制未形成、违法取证认定难、罚款处罚成效低、执法矛盾易诱发、专项整治易反弹等管理突出问题和难点,为有效加强电动自行车和骑行者的安全管理,本文介绍了自行车备案登记的信息化设计和实现,以此为基础并结合数字化号牌、电子备案凭证等技术,构建一套“备案登记+电子凭证+违法告知+受教免罚”的电动自行车治理新方案。     

Education influence in traffic safety: A case study in Vietnam

It is well known that traffic accidents are of high importance to the public health spectrum around the world. Moreover, in developing countries such as Vietnam, the mortality rate from road traffic accidents is rather high in comparison with other Southeast Asian countries. Not only do the majority of the people killed and seriously injured significantly affect the quality of life of the citizens, but traffic accidents also negatively impact a nation's economic and social development. Statistics show that far more people are injured or die in traffic accidents than are afflicted by any of the most serious diseases. The very high occurrence of traffic accidents in Vietnam has become one of the country's major social issues. The importance of human factors in transport policy discussion is growing. There is a realization that policy options that appear beneficial in principle have to be checked for their feasibility of implementation. Understanding and describing driver behavior become a challenge when one tries to identify driver errors in determining accident/conflict causal factors and countermeasures.In recent years, having understood the serious effects of traffic accidents on society at large, scientific researchers, traffic engineers and policy makers in Vietnam have developed many projects and conducted research in the field of traffic safety. The human factor is also considered to be the central element in the whole system. The final goal is to organize a traffic environment that is convenient and safe for road users.This article explains the application of the risk analysis approach in evaluating influences of education and enforcement in traffic safety.     

Study on influence of walking experience on traffic safety attitudes and values among foreign residents in Japan

The most vulnerable user in road space is still an ordinary pedestrian even though the top fatalities by traffic mode differ in countries. Thus, prioritizing/protecting vulnerable road users is essential to improve road safety. People's safety perceptions toward vulnerable users are strongly associated with surrounding elements and their own experiences, especially as pedestrians. Therefore the attitude and values toward vulnerable users would vary due to culture and customs related to walking in each country. This study examines how a walking experience change reflects people with diverse backgrounds' traffic safety attitudes by conducting an online questionnaire survey for foreigners living in Japan for five years or less. As a result, 75% of respondents walk more frequently due to increased public transportation usage. For all the respondents, the increase in the walking frequency also drives the shift in the attitude toward vulnerable users and the values regarding travel safety and comfort indirectly intermediated by the shift in attitudes toward walkability, applying structural equation modeling. To focus on the structure of the shift according to nationality, people from Southeast/South Asia, where motorcyclists are the top fatalities in the road space and somehow regarded as vulnerable road users, the increased walking experience contributes significantly to the improvement of awareness of vulnerable road users and to the formation of safety and comfort values. Regarding people from Europe/North America, although their walking frequency increases after coming to Japan, there is a static causal relationship that does not influence their attitude toward walkability or safety and comfort values. Additionally, they already have an attitude of protecting/prioritizing pedestrians and placing more importance on safety and comfort. At the same time, people from Southeast/South lacks the attitude toward pedestrians due to much less frequency of walking in daily life. It suggests that establishing safe and having comfortable pedestrian spaces and public transport in developing countries where traffic infrastructure is at the development stage will encourage people to walk and likely help foster an attitude of placing importance on safety.     

Effectiveness of enforcement resources in the highway patrol in reducing fatality rates

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Wyoming initiated a safety study to investigate the underlying causes of high crash rates since it has one of the highest fatality rates in the nation. Research has shown relationships between increased enforcement activity and road crash/fatality reduction. However, little research has attempted to quantitatively measure the impact of various forms of police enforcement, such as the percentage of enforcement time and the quantity of resources, on fatality rate. Therefore, this study was set forward to fill this gap. Data from the highway patrol in Wyoming and the surrounding states were used in this study. Although Wyoming and these nearby states have very similar features in terms of geography and weather, they are different in terms of road mileage and traffic. Therefore, the data was normalized based on highway mileage and miles traveled. Enforcement efforts were compared in terms of allocated enforcement budget, number of sworn officers, and time spent patrolling. The results indicated that there are negative relationships between fatality rate and budget, number of officers, and active hours on the field. This paper also investigated which variable is the best predictor of fatality rate. The results indicated that time spent on the field by highway patrol officers is the best indicator of fatality rate. It was found that although some states like Wyoming have a higher number of sworn officers, they spend less time actively enforcing highway safety. This study provides information needed for authorities to allocate more funding to the highway patrol, and for the highway patrol to spend more time on the road.     

Education influence in traffic safety: A case study in Vietnam

It is well known that traffic accidents are of high importance to the public health spectrum around the world. Moreover, in developing countries such as Vietnam, the mortality rate from road traffic accidents is rather high in comparison with other Southeast Asian countries. Not only do the majority of the people killed and seriously injured significantly affect the quality of life of the citizens, but traffic accidents also negatively impact a nation's economic and social development. Statistics show that far more people are injured or die in traffic accidents than are afflicted by any of the most serious diseases. The very high occurrence of traffic accidents in Vietnam has become one of the country's major social issues. The importance of human factors in transport policy discussion is growing. There is a realization that policy options that appear beneficial in principle have to be checked for their feasibility of implementation. Understanding and describing driver behavior become a challenge when one tries to identify driver errors in determining accident/conflict causal factors and countermeasures.In recent years, having understood the serious effects of traffic accidents on society at large, scientific researchers, traffic engineers and policy makers in Vietnam have developed many projects and conducted research in the field of traffic safety. The human factor is also considered to be the central element in the whole system. The final goal is to organize a traffic environment that is convenient and safe for road users.This article explains the application of the risk analysis approach in evaluating influences of education and enforcement in traffic safety.     

农村公路交通事故特征研究

通过调研获得有关农村公路交通事故的数据,对数据进行分析,分析农村公路交通事故的四个方面的主要属性:外部环境、当事人特征、事故状况和事故地点道路状况。通过分析可以看出,农村公路车辆类型繁多、驾驶员性别比例严重不平衡、道路状况差、驾驶员无驾照、车辆无牌照等是农村公路交通事故的突出特征,为今后的道路设计、安全管理与宣传提供依据。     

基于驾驶行为和信息熵的道路交通安全风险预估

为了精准有效地进行交通事故预防预警，基于车辆OBD驾驶行为数据及信息熵理论，提出了城市道路交通安全风险预估方法。首先，分析异常驾驶行为高发位置与道路交通事故发生位置的关联性；其次，构建以道路交通安全熵为一级指标，急加速率、急减速率、急转弯率、超速率、高速空挡滑行率为二级指标的道路交通安全风险预估指标体系，提出了基于改进熵权法的道路交通安全熵计算方法；然后，基于密度聚类、K-means聚类提出了道路交通安全风险等级数确定方法，并基于K-means聚类建立了风险等级阈值计算方法。研究结果表明：异常驾驶行为高发位置与交通事故发生位置具有一致性；通过对log对数底数选择优化、二级指标零值处理、指标权重分段计算3个步骤改进的熵权法，可弥补log对数函数无法计算零值指标熵值的缺陷，避免指标权重为负、指标熵值与权重反映信息不一致的现象；两步聚类避免了孤立数据点对安全风险等级划分的影响。以重庆市4条城市道路（总长约38 km）进行实例验证后得出，道路交通安全熵与交通事故表征的道路交通安全状态趋势一致；道路交通安全风险等级可划分为高、低风险2级，道路交通安全熵优化阈值为0.042，最后，风险等级划分准确率为87.88%。研究成果可为道路交通安全风险点辨识、交通事故预防预警提供有效的技术支持。     

Tyre–road grip coefficient assessment – Part II: online estimation using instrumented vehicle,extended Kalman filter,and neural network

The main objective of this work is to determine the limit of safe driving conditions by identifying the maximal friction coefficient in a real vehicle. The study will focus on finding a method to determine this limit before reaching the skid, which is valuable information in the context of traffic safety. Since it is not possible to measure the friction coefficient directly, it will be estimated using the appropriate tools in order to get the most accurate information. A real vehicle is instrumented to collect information of general kinematics and steering tie-rod forces. A real-time algorithm is developed to estimate forces and aligning torque in the tyres using an extended Kalman filter and neural networks techniques. The methodology is based on determining the aligning torque; this variable allows evaluation of the behaviour of the tyre. It transmits interesting information from the tyre–road contact and can be used to predict the maximal tyre grip and safety margin. The maximal grip coefficient is estimated according to a knowledge base, extracted from computer simulation of a high detailed three-dimensional model, using Adams^® software. The proposed methodology is validated and applied to real driving conditions, in which maximal grip and safety margin are properly estimated.