Research on Relationships between a Driver's Traffic Safety Consciousnesses and Occurrence of Traffic Accidents in Rural Areas of China

Abstract

In this study, 500 rural vehicle drivers in China will be cluster sampled and surveyed based on consciousness of drivers and the occurrence of traffic accidents. Based on the research in this article, the statistical methodologies of the t-test and ANOVA will be applied to determine the demographic factors and driving skill related factors that contributes to a driver’s traffic safety consciousness. The purpose of this article is to acquire the association between a driver’s traffic behavior and occurrence rate of a traffic accident. The analysis of relativity on driving experience (F=0.538, P=0.044) , educational level (F=5.257, P=0.010) and driving skill acquisition approach ( F=12.329 , P˜˜0.000 ) shows that there are significant differences among sample groups (P <0.05). With the rise of Traffic Safety Consciousness (TSC), the safety level of the traffic behavior increases gradually, meaning less occurrence rate of traffic accidents. The conclusion shows that the consciousness affects a driver’s traffic behavior indirectly, while the traffic behavior results in the traffic accident directly. A combination of education and improvement in road traffic safety facilities can help guide and standardize driving behavior for comprehensive management of traffic accidents in rural areas. With the rapid development of the economy, motor vehicle population has increased and traffic injury has become one of the biggest public health concerns in rural areas of China. Traffic fatalities in rural areas reached more than 60,000 in 2009, about 73.82% of total fatalities in China. Jia Cunxian and Fang Le(2005) suggested that traffic accidents are the biggest cause of accident casualties and are the heaviest economic burden. Motor vehicle drivers are responsible for more than 90% traffic accidents. Traffic Safety Consciousness (TSC) and behavior may affect traffic accidents directly or indirectly. Studies on association between TSC and the occurrence of traffic accidents provide theoretical and technical support for developing safety improvement projects that aim towards reducing crashes at these locations.