Improve Driver Behavior Research Articles

Do All Roadway Users Want the Same Things?

Presented here are findings from a recent study on roadway design preferences of pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and public transit users along a major urban corridor in the east San Francisco Bay Area in California. Sponsored by the California Department of Transportation, the research focused on exploring design preferences that could increase perceived traffic safety, walkability, bikeability, and economic vitality along urban arterials. Results from an intercept survey showed that all user groups desired similar roadway design features along the test corridor, which carried 25,000 to 30,000 motorists bidirectionally and had comprehensive sidewalk coverage but no bicycle facilities. In an open-ended question about street improvements to enhance perceived traffic safety, all respondent groups requested the same top five improvements. Bicycle lanes were ranked first by pedestrians, drivers, and bicyclists (fifth by public transit respondents) and improved pedestrian crossings were ranked second by pedestrians, drivers, and public transit users (third by bicyclists). The other top five suggestions were the same for all groups though ordered slightly differently: slowing traffic and improving driver behavior, increasing street lighting, and increasing traffic signals and stop signs. Similar preference alignment was found for street improvements to encourage more visits to the corridor. These findings suggest that design features generally thought to benefit one road user group, such as bicycle lanes for bicyclists, may also benefit other users. Moreover, these results provide evidence that roadway planning can take advantage of synergistic opportunities to benefit multiple user groups by implementing a few key design interventions. Overall, the findings support the continued implementation of complete streets principles and policies.

Land transport—risk controls for the upstream industry

Land transport and driving safety is one of the highest risks faced by upstream oil and gas operating companies. APPEA has approached the issue by developing a code of practice for land transport activity that board and member companies have endorsed. This extended abstract reviews the risks of transport activities focusing on the key controls recommended to provide a systematic approach, emphasising driver behaviour. Driver behaviour has been identified as a major contributor to incidents. To improve driver behaviour, a number of Australian companies have introduced In-Vehicle Monitoring Systems (IVMS) during the past few years. There are varied opinions about whether they reduce vehicle incidents; since introduction, results from the IVMS (driving behaviours) are quite interesting especially in remote area operations. The statistics show driver behaviour has improved since installing IVMS. IVMS shows drivers comply more consistently with road rules, and an overall decrease in IVMS triggers (alerts) during the same time has been observed. Like all systems, they are only as good as the people who use them. Without reporting and continual feedback and reinforcement on driver behaviour, installing an IVMS would not have as great an impact or influence on driver behaviour if driver feedback and reinforcement were not also aligned with overall driver management. In addition, IVMS should not be used as a way to catch risk takers, but they should be integrated into a business’s health, safety, and environmental management system (HSEMS). This is to first understand driver behaviour and then to be seen as a tool that can help gradually influence driver behaviour.

Fifty Years of Driving Safety Research

This brief review covers the 50 years of driving-related research published in Human Factors, its contribution to driving safety, and emerging challenges. Many factors affect driving safety, making it difficult to assess the impact of specific factors such as driver age, cell phone distractions, or collision warnings. The author considers the research themes associated with the approximately 270 articles on driving published in Human Factors in the past 50 years. To a large extent, current and past research has explored similar themes and concepts. Many articles published in the first 25 years focused on issues such as driver impairment, individual differences, and perceptual limits. Articles published in the past 25 years address similar issues but also point toward vehicle technology that can exacerbate or mitigate the negative effect of these issues. Conceptual and computational models have played an important role in this research. Improved crash-worthiness has contributed to substantial improvements in driving safety over the past 50 years, but future improvements will depend on enhancing driver performance and perhaps, more important, improving driver behavior. Developing models to guide this research will become more challenging as new technology enters the vehicle and shifts the focus from driver performance to driver behavior. Over the past 50 years, Human Factors has accumulated a large base of driving-related research that remains relevant for many of today's design and policy concerns.

Using License Manuals To Increase Awareness About Pedestrian Hazards at Intersections. Missed Opportunity for Educating Drivers

Motor vehicle crashes result in approximately 90,000 pedestrian injuries and 5,000 pedestrian deaths in the United States each year. Of these, 34 percent of the injuries and 18 percent of the deaths occur at intersections. In a recent study, around 5,000 pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes were coded in a population-based sample drawn from California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah. About 1,630 (32.6 percent) of these incidents occurred at intersections, with turning vehicles responsible for 30.4 percent of the incidents and another 15.9 percent due to driver violations. Along with enforcement and engineering, quality education can be very important in improving driver behavior and providing a better understanding of the vulnerability of pedestrians. State driverlicensing manuals can play a key role. Well-written, well-illustrated information on pedestrian conflicts associated with different traffic regulations and controls at intersections and on the potential hazards for pedestrians associated with driver violations, along with statistics, would encourage drivers to modify their behaviors. Better manuals are becoming increasingly important with the gradual phasing out of driver education at schools. The present level of information disseminated by 32 states and the District of Columbia was reviewed and found to be insufficient in these regards, needing significant improvements. Recommendations are offered on ways to improve the quality of information.

Drivers' speed behaviour at a zebra crossing: a case study

The purpose of the study was to: (1) observe the frequency of giving way to pedestrians at the zebra crossing; (2) reveal speed adaptation problems; (3) examine if the time difference between the arrival of the pedestrian and the car have any influence on the speed of the approaching car; (4) identify so-called `ideal' situations (in which the car brakes on the driver's own initiative in order to give way to a pedestrian) upon which recommendations can be given for implementing means to improve speed behaviour at zebra crossings. It was hypothesized that the speed behaviour of drivers approaching the zebra crossing depends on the pedestrian's arrival at the curb related to the car's expected arrival at the zebra crossing. The speed was measured on randomly selected `free' passenger cars which approached a non-signalized mid-block zebra crossing on a two-lane arterial road. Every second a radar gun, hidden at the road side, sent the speed data to a lap-top computer in which the observer could also register pedestrians' arrival at, and start from the curb. Simultaneous video recordings were made in order to obtain a more detailed description of the interaction between the car and the pedestrian. Speed behaviour in encounters (148 observations), non-encounters with pedestrian presence (642 observations) and situations without pedestrian presence (690 observations) was compared. Situations with pedestrian priority were classified. The results show that the frequency of giving way is 5%. Drivers do not observe the law concerning speed behaviour at the zebra crossing, as they do not “adapt the speed in such way that they do not endanger pedestrians who are already on, or are about to step onto the zebra crossing”. In encounters, three out of four drivers maintain the same speed or accelerate and only one out of four slows down or brakes. These results indicate that maintained high speed (even exceeding the speed limit of 50 km hour −1) is the signal from the drivers that they do not intend to give way to the pedestrian at the zebra crossing. The conclusion is that encounters between cars and pedestrians at the zebra crossing are critical situations in which the driver has to be influenced before he reaches the decision zone at 50 to 40 m before the zebra crossing in order to prevent the `signalling by speed' behaviour. Countermeasures to improve driver behaviour at the zebra crossing are discussed.

Human Behavior—Factor X

Driver reward and punishment are examined as influences in driver behavior. Perception and judgment are accepted as significant factors, and a number of research needs are suggested. Public information and education are evalu ated, and deficiencies pointed out. Driving as a social process is examined; recommendations are made for reasonable traffic regulations, a moral approach to traffic safety, and the group discussion-decision technique for improving driver behavior. Limiting conditions of the driver—such as fatigue and intoxica tion—are discussed. Electronic devices to take control when the driver fails are described and recommended. Lack of in formation about causes of accidents is a major impediment to progress in most areas of traffic safety. The "mixed team" approach to accident investigation is endorsed. Pedestrian safety is defined as primarily an urban problem with many of the same socio-psychological bases as driver safety.