Differences in Driving Behavior Between Professional and Nonprofessional Drivers

The current study aimed to investigate differences in psychological safety factors such as attitudes and behaviour among professional and non-professional drivers. Differences in accident involvement and the number of speeding tickets were also investigated. An additional aim was to study factors associated with risky driver behaviour and speeding tickets in these groups. A questionnaire survey was distributed by mail to a randomly selected sample from the Norwegian population registry (N = 6203). The response rate was 30% and the final sample consisted of 1864 individuals. Adjusted for demographic characteristics and road traffic exposure the results showed that professional drivers (n = 113) reported significantly less seat belt use and watchful driving than non-professional drivers (n = 1594). Professional drivers reported significantly less fun riding and safer attitudes regarding addressing the unsafe driving of others. The professional drivers also reported significantly safer behaviour related to drink driving, but lower priorities of road traffic safety. Professional drivers perceived significantly more control and had been involved in more accidents than the non-professional drivers. The results suggest that professional drivers may constitute a risk group in road traffic. Further research could focus on barriers of seat belt use and mechanisms, which could promote safety priorities in this driver group. The knowledge gained by such studies could be utilised by company managers in order to promote safer behaviour among professional drivers.

The factors associated with preferences for napping and drinking coffee as countermeasures for sleepiness at the wheel among Japanese drivers

ABSTRACTObjective: The objective of this article was 2-fold: firstly, we wanted to examine whether the original Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the original Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) apply to German professional taxi drivers because these scales have previously been given to professional and particularly to nonprofessional drivers in different countries. Secondly, we wanted to examine possible differences in driving anger experience and expression between professional German taxi drivers and nonprofessional German drivers.Methods: We applied German versions of the DAS, the DAX, and the State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to a sample of 138 professional German taxi drivers. We then compared their ratings to the ratings of a sample of 1,136 nonprofessional German drivers (Oehl and Brandenburg n.d.).Results: Regarding our first objective, confirmatory factor analysis shows that the model fit of the DAS is better for nonprofessional drivers than for professional drivers. The DAX applies neither to professional nor to nonprofessional German drivers properly. Consequently, we suggest modified shorter versions of both scales for professional drivers. The STAXI applies to both professional and nonprofessional drivers. With respect to our second objective, we show that professional drivers experience significantly less driving anger than nonprofessional drivers, but they express more driving anger.Conclusions: We conclude that the STAXI can be applied to professional German taxi drivers. In contrast, for the DAS and the DAX we found particular shorter versions for professional taxi drivers. Especially for the DAX, most statements were too strong for German drivers to agree to. They do not show behaviors related to driving anger expression as they are described in the DAX. These problems with the original American DAX items are in line with several other studies in different countries. Future investigations should examine whether (professional) drivers from further countries express their anger as proposed by the DAX. In addition, professional drivers experience less driving anger (DAS) and less general trait anger (STAXI) than nonprofessional drivers, but they report more driving anger expression (DAX) and more current general state anger (STAXI). Subsequent studies should therefore focus on different types of anger within the group of professional drivers.

Driving patterns in connected environments: A case study of intersection-approaching behavior of professional and non-professional drivers

The effectiveness of eco-driving training for male professional and non-professional drivers

Objective: There is some suggestion in the literature that professional drivers might self-select to be more resistant to the effects of sleep deprivation; however, this question has not been directly examined. The current laboratory study aimed to compare performance changes during acute sleep deprivation between professional and nonprofessional drivers. Methods: Twenty volunteer male professional drivers and 20 nonprofessional drivers performed a simulated driving task (AusEd) and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) during 24 hours of continuous wakefulness. Ratings of subjective sleepiness were also examined. Results: There was a progressive and significant increase in lateral lane position and speed variability on the simulated driving task and an increase in PVT reaction times and lapses after participants had been awake for 17 to 24 hours (Ps < .01). There was no difference in performance changes between the professional and nonprofessional drivers. Conclusions: Professional drivers in this study had the same susceptibility to sleep deprivation as nonprofessional drivers. This finding does not support the concept that professional drivers are resistant to sleep loss.

"Scientists agree that not only personality traits and emotions, but also cognitive characteristics have a great influence on developing individual driving style. Usually, the analysis of driving style includes cognitive skills related to memory and attention, unreasonably not taking into account perceptual skills. Cognitive factors as hazard anticipation and risk assessment are crucially important for risky actions while driving and traffic accidents. However, there is a lack of studies on how road hazard perception skills and risk assessment could influence individual driving style, especially for professional and non-professional drivers. So, this study aims to evaluate the relation between different driving styles, road-related hazard perception and risk assessment among professional and non-professional drivers in Lithuania. One hundred twenty-three drivers (mean age 37.04 years) participated in online study. Eighty-nine participants were non-professional, 34 – professional drivers (the main job function is directly related to driving). The mean of driving experience was 16.2 years. Seventy-four percent of all participants drive on daily basis. Different driving styles were measured with Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (Taubman-Ben-Ari et al., 2004). Forty-four self-reported items evaluated patient - careful, angry - hostile, anxious and reckless-careless driving styles. Hazard perception skills was tested by 12 short video clips in Lithuanian hazard prediction test (Endriulaitiene et al., in press). Risk assessment was measured by self-reported 34 – item scale (Rosenbloom et.al., 2008). Professional drivers reported more risky, specifically angry-hostile and reckless-careless, driving style than non-professional drivers. There was no difference in anxious and careful-patient driving styles. Also, professional and non-professional drivers reported having similar road-related hazard perception skills and quite similar risk assessment. Correlational analysis showed that low risk assessment significantly related to more angry/hostile driving style in non-professional driver group. High risk assessment significantly correlated to more reckless/careless driving style driving style, while better hazard perception skills significantly related to aggressive/hostile driving style in professional drivers’ group."

The tunnel section is a complex traffic scenario and an accident prone area. There are differences in the performance of different driving groups in tunnel environments, which may have an impact on traffic safety. To study the differences in the impact of tunnel environment on professional and non-professional drivers. Based on the vehicle experimental data, the electroencephalography (EEG) power was compared for professional and non-professional drivers. The impact of illumination changes and longitudinal slope on different driving groups was analyzed. At tunnel entrance with severely reduced lighting, the adaptation time of non-professional drivers to the light environment is 1.5 times that of professional drivers. When driving on the longitudinal slope, professional drivers perform better. The greater the longitudinal slope, the more obvious the advantages of professional drivers. However, in areas with relatively good traffic conditions, professional drivers are more prone to be distracted. Professional and non-professional drivers have their own advantages and disadvantages in the tunnel environment. In general, the driving adaptability of professional drivers is better than that of non-professional drivers in tunnel sections. The research conclusions provide a reference for driver safety training.

The aim of the current study is to examine how professional and non-professional drivers can comprehend the traffic signs that are most prevalent in the Mardan region. This research intends to draw attention to the differences between drivers' perceptions and understanding. This study also intends to determine how education affects the comprehension and interpretation of professional and non-professional drivers. To conduct this study, the researchers have collected data from non-professional and professional drivers of the Mardan region. The drivers were interviewed, and based on their responses; they were divided into professional and non-professional drivers. The study's main objective is to shed light on how professional and nonprofessional drivers interpret traffic signs that they come into close contact with. The researchers came to the conclusion that professional drivers' interpretations differ from those of non-professional drivers. The study also discovered that drivers mostly depend on their driving experience for comprehension rather than their educational background.

Fatal vehicle crashes (FVCs) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Professional drivers often drive under dangerous conditions; however, knowledge of the risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. We investigated whether professional drivers have a higher risk of FVCs than non-professional drivers and sought to clarify potential risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers. We analyzed nationwide incidence rates of FVCs as preliminary data. Furthermore, by using these data, we created a 1:4 professionals/non-professionals preliminary study to compare with the risk factors between professional and non-professional drivers. In Taiwan, the average crude incidence rate of FVCs for 2003–2016 among professional drivers was 1.09 per 1,000 person-years; professional drivers had a higher percentage of FVCs than non-professional drivers among all motor vehicle crashes. In the 14-year preliminary study with frequency-matched non-professional drivers, the risk of FVCs among professional drivers was significantly associated with a previous history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes (adjustment odds ratio [OR] = 2.157; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.896–2.453), previous history of benzodiazepine use (adjustment OR = 1.385; 95% CI, 1.215–1.579), and speeding (adjustment OR = 1.009; 95% CI, 1.006–1.013). The findings have value to policymakers seeking to curtail FVCs.

Distraction and related risk factors among professional and non-professional drivers

Usage and perceived effectiveness of fatigue countermeasures for professional and nonprofessional drivers

The present study examined the types of situations that caused Chinese professional and non-professional drivers to become angry and investigated the differences in driving-elicited anger, considering the influences of type A behavior pattern and trait anger between the two groups. The 20-item revised Driving Anger Scale (DAS) was used to assess a sample of 232 drivers (57% professional, 43% non-professional). The non-professional drivers reported significantly higher levels of anger than the professional drivers on the overall Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the traffic obstructions and discourtesy subscales. In both groups, the preferred driving speeds were positively related to driving anger. Furthermore, drivers with a type A personality exhibited higher overall driving anger scores and higher anger scores in response to traffic obstructions and slow driving than drivers with a type B personality. Trait anger was significantly related to driving anger in both groups. In the non-professional group, type A behavior patterns (TABPs) and time hurry (TH) were positively correlated with anger evoked by slow driving. In the professional group, TABPs, TH and competitive hostility (CH) were positively related to driving anger, and the TABPs exerted an indirect effect on driving anger by mediating the influence of trait anger. Overall, these findings provide a theoretical basis for implementing targeted interventions for driving anger in both professional and non-professional drivers.

Safety of professional drivers in an ageing society – A driving simulator study

This study investigated the prevalence of hamstring tightness among male professional, non-professional and non-drivers in a Nigerian community. It also compared the hamstring tightness of the three classes of participants.Ethical clearance was granted for the study. The design was a mixed-method of cross-sectional and comparative designs. Convenience sampling technique was used to select 150 participants who are commercial drivers (professional), private car owner who drives (non-professional) and non-drivers. Fifty individuals were recruited for each class. The hamstring tightness of the participants was determined using the Active Knee Extension Test (AKET) which was measured in degrees. Descriptive statistics and Inferential statistics of Paired t-test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data obtained. The level of significance was set at 0.05.The result showed that only 16% of the non-drivers had hamstring tightness while 78% and 54% of the professional and non-professional drivers were with hamstring muscle tightness in both lower limbs. The hamstring muscle tightness was significantly higher among the driver than non-drivers (p= 0.000) and the non-professional drivers (p = 0.015). The driving experience of the professional drivers (18.90 ± 6.06 years) was significantly higher than that of non-professional drivers (6.08 ± 4.13 years), (t = 81.538, p = 0.000). The duration of sitting of the professional drivers was significantly higher than that of the non-professional drivers and non-drivers (F = 74.39, p = 0.000). There was no significant relationship between BMI and prevalence of hamstring tightness across the groups.In conclusion, the prevalence rate of hamstring muscle tightness was higher in professional than non-professional drivers and non-drivers. Also, the duration of sitting was significantly higher among the professional driver.