Non-professional Drivers Research Articles

Driver’s Visual Performance in Rear-End Collision Avoidance Process under the Influence of Cell Phone Use

Rear-end crash is the most common type of on-road traffic crash, and cell phone use contributes to the increase of rear-end crashes. The effects of cell phone use on driving performance have been thoroughly investigated in previous research with various measurements. However, change in driver’s visual performance while using a cell phone in situations with high rear-end risk has not yet been fully understood. This driving simulator study investigated drivers’ eye movement performance in a rear-end collision avoidance maneuver during cell phone conversation. Eye movement data of 36 participants were collected in a car-following scenario featuring imminent rear-end collision. The whole collision avoidance process was divided into four stages for eye movement data analysis, including normal driving stage, brake response stage, deceleration adjusting stage, and speed recovering stage. Results showed that the average pupil size, fixation duration, and dwell time on the leading vehicle increased significantly during the brake response and deceleration adjusting stages. This indicated that the drivers’ cognitive workload increased during these stages. Drivers used blink inhibition and quick saccade as a visual compensation strategy to mitigate the increased workload from cell phone use during the brake response stage. However, in the deceleration adjusting stage, the cell phone use condition led to a lower fixation frequency on the leading vehicle than in the no phone use condition. Professional drivers were found to pay more visual attention to the leading vehicle than non-professional drivers in the normal driving stage.

Towards Smart Mobility in Urban Areas Using Vehicular Communications and Smartphones

Nowadays, professional fleets and non-professional drivers pursue to reduce the consumption of fuel and to reduce their travel times. Nevertheless, this may be challenging in urban areas due to the density of traffic. Dense traffic increases travel times and, as a result, the consumption of fuel and the generation of pollution. Thus, it is very important to develop new systems and models that allow us to reduce the negative impacts caused by traffic jams. This paper presents a communication system based on the Wi-Fi Direct technology, in which a conventional smartphone is used to detect and prevent traffic jams in urban areas in real-time. We have developed an autonomous system with commonly available technologies. Our system uses a decision algorithm to determine when a traffic jam occurs (probable and sure), informing other vehicles about this situation. Drivers may act in accordance and change their initial route with the aim of avoiding traffic jams and, consequently, reducing travel times and fuel consumption. Through several field tests in which different conditions have been considered, the results show the feasibility of our system.

Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents Related to Sleepiness at the Wheel: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study objectives Sleepiness at the wheel is widely believed to be a cause of motor vehicle accidents. Nevertheless, a systematic review of studies investigating this relationship has not yet been published. The objective of this study was to quantify the relationship between sleepiness at the wheel and motor vehicle accidents. Methods A systematic review was performed using Medline, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science. The outcome measure of interest was motor vehicle accident defined as involving four- or two-wheeled vehicles in road traffic, professional and nonprofessional drivers, with or without objective consequences. The exposure was sleepiness at the wheel defined as self-reported sleepiness at the wheel. Studies were included if they provided adjusted risk estimates of motor vehicle accidents related to sleepiness at the wheel. Risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were extracted and pooled as odds ratios (ORs) using a random-effect model. Heterogeneity was quantified using Q statistics and the I2 index. The potential causes of heterogeneity were investigated using meta-regressions. Results Ten cross-sectional studies (51,520 participants), six case-control studies (4904 participants), and one cohort study (13,674 participants) were included. Sleepiness at the wheel was associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents (pooled OR 2.51 [95% CI 1.87; 3.39]). A significant heterogeneity was found between the individual risk estimates (Q = 93.21; I2 = 83%). Conclusions Sleepiness at the wheel increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents and should be considered when investigating fitness to drive. Further studies are required to explore the nature of this relationship. Systematic review registration number PROSPERO 2015 CRD42015024805.

Exploring crash characteristics and injury outcomes among older truck drivers: An analysis of truck-involved crash data in the United States

Road freight transportation represents a long-standing public health and transportation safety problem in the United States. Despite the United States’ aging population, and predictions of an aging road freight transportation workforce, there is little information about the unique safety issues faced by older truck drivers, whether they pose an increased safety risk or how to inform the development of new evidence-based preventive strategies. This study represents the starting point for addressing these issues by exploring differences in crash characteristics and injury outcomes in older and middle aged driver groups. Two sets of data in the United States (i.e., Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System) were used to analyze trends and compare truck drivers aged 60 years and older to their younger counterparts (i.e., 27–50 year olds). The results of this study both support and refute previous research. No differences were identified in crash outcomes and characteristics between older and middle aged truck drivers, representing a departure from previous research conducted with non-professional drivers. Furthermore, older drivers were found to display some safer driver behaviors (i.e., safety belt and alcohol use) compared with middle aged drivers. The results support the need for future research in this area and countermeasures that leverage the knowledge and experience of older truck drivers in managing safety in the transportation industry.

A Motion Cueing Algorithm With Look-Ahead and Driver Characterization: Application to Vertical Car Dynamics

Driving simulators are nowadays a widely used tool in the automotive industry. In particular, the need for safe and repeatable conditions in automated driving testing is now defining a new challenge: to extend the use of the tool to nonprofessional drivers. Quality of the motion control strategies in generating both realistic and feasible inputs to the driver is therefore, more than ever, a crucial aspect. The motion strategies are implemented in the so-called motion cueing algorithms (MCAs). A recently proposed effective approach to MCA is based on model predictive control (MPC), as it is well suited to solve constrained optimal control problems and to take advantage of models of the human sensing system. However, the predictive aspect of the algorithm has not been exploited yet, due to the hard real-time requirement when using long prediction windows. In this paper, a real-time implementation of an MPC-based MCA with predictive feature is presented, endowed with an on-line switching policy to a nonpredictive algorithm when the expected driver behavior is considered unreliable. The motion action based on the actual driver behavior and the expected one are considered in the same procedure, thus fully exploiting the availability of a perceptive model. An optimal tuning procedure is also proposed, based on a multiobjective optimization, where both performance improvement due to the prediction exploitation, and robustness to varying driver behaviour are considered. Finally, a characterization of the driver skill level is proposed and validated in an experimental environment for the specific case of the vertical DOF.

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

We used a driving simulator study to measure the effectiveness of eco-driving training for both male professional and non-professional drivers. The eco-driving training was from only static knowledge-based information (“static” education) to guided practice driving (“dynamic” coaching). The guided driving behavior test measured participants to start and stop the vehicle, to determine an appropriate speed and display no-idling of the vehicle. A subjective questionnaire was used to generate an eco-driving score that tested the driver’s understanding of eco-driving information. The results indicated little statistically significant difference between professional and non-professional drivers for both driving behaviors and the eco-driving score, however, professional drivers showed a little more rapid start and stop behavior before receiving eco-driving training. Generally, coaching was more effective for the improvement of the subjects’ eco-driving level than education alone, however, non-professional drivers showed a greater willingness to improve their driving behavior than professional drivers. The eco-driving training showed more statistically significant to start the vehicle for professional drivers; while more statistically significant result was seen to stop the vehicle for non-professional drivers. In addition, education alone and coaching after education had a similar and obvious effect to improve both professional and non-professional driver’s understanding of the basic concepts of eco-driving and to reduce vehicle idling. However, the effectiveness of these two training methods between professional and non-professional drivers in driver’s skills to start and stop the vehicle, and determine an appropriate speed, was diverse.

Working together to reduce land transport safety risk in the CSG sector: can we ever do enough?

Queensland coal seam gas (CSG) company, Arrow Energy (Arrow), has been implementing a strategy to improve land transport safety across its business. The present paper examines the strategy Arrow has taken to better understand and mitigate the risks associated with land transport. It looks at current transport risk, specific examples of existing good practice adopted by Arrow and future opportunities. Land transport-related incidents have historically been the main cause of fatalities in this sector. To address this risk, Arrow has developed a seven-pillar strategy, comprising safe vehicles, safe drivers, safe speeds, safe roads, Arrow assurance program, industry collaboration and contracting strategy. The strategy applies equally to light and heavy vehicles and both professional and non-professional drivers. The unique approach focuses on changing driver behaviours, having a robust assurance and controls program, appointing a third party logistics (3PL) specialist transport provider and developing key relationships with contractors and internal stakeholders. A continuous improvement approach to safety culture, positive driving behaviours, transport safety education, industry focus group participation (Safer Together), better vehicle technical standards, and having supplier relationships to drive outcomes will further ensure that land transport safety is a key priority across the business. Arrow believes this integrated approach yields the best results, but that it is an ongoing journey, as long as the industry has vehicles and is driving.

The Effects of an Eco-Driving Assistance System for a City Bus on Driving Style

Fuel consumption of a city bus is greatly influenced by driving style, and driving assistance systems (DAS) is a key technology to encourage driving style improvement. In the research reported here, we construct a real-time DAS for a city bus based on a decision tree algorithm. The DAS aims to reduce fuel consumption by encouraging three behaviors: reduced rates of acceleration, reduced depth of acceleration pedal and early upshifting through the gears. Using the proposed DAS, we establish a driver experiment platform with a driving simulator. Then, we design an experiment for 4 non-professional drivers with various driving experience to determine the effects of DAS on their driving style. The driving simulator experiment results show that all the drivers exhibited an observable change in acceleration pedal depth distribution, acceleration pedal positive gradient distribution, and shift timing. These findings indicated that through the real-time guidance on the manipulation of the accelerator pedal position and gear, the drivers could obey the devices from DAS to a certain extent, so the eco-driving device can help drivers change their driving style.

Behaviours of drivers in Serbia: Non-professional versus professional drivers

DBQ has been confirmed in a large number of countries and represents the basis for examining driver behaviour. However, the results of the previously conducted studies indicate differences in the behaviours between different groups of drivers. So, the results must not be generalized, but individual studies should be carried out and the comparative analysis of their results should be performed. The objective of this paper is to carry out a comparative analysis of the behaviours of non-professional and professional drivers on the basis of the undertaken individual studies. Factor analysis showed that the data best fitted into the five-factor solution with the different ranking of various factors according to the type of behaviour and with different percentages of the explanation of variance. The results showed the correlation between non-professional drivers and ordinary and aggressive violations and errors, while professional drivers were associated with positive behaviours. In addition to the correlation with specific behaviour groups, the comparative analysis of these two different driver categories also stated that the same individual characteristics of drivers appeared as predictors of different behaviour types.

Driving anger and its relationships with type A behavior patterns and trait anger: Differences between professional and non-professional 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.

Are professional drivers less sleepy than non-professional drivers?

Objective It is generally believed that professional drivers can manage quite severe fatigue before routine driving performance is affected. In addition, there are results indicating that professional drivers can adapt to prolonged night shifts and may be able to learn to drive without decreased performance under high levels of sleepiness. However, very little research has been conducted to compare professionals and non-professionals when controlling for time driven and time of day. Method The aim of this study was to use a driving simulator to investigate whether professional drivers are more resistant to sleep deprivation than non-professional drivers. Differences in the development of sleepiness (self-reported, physiological and behavioral) during driving was investigated in 11 young professional and 15 non-professional drivers. Results Professional drivers self-reported significantly lower sleepiness while driving a simulator than non-professional drivers. In contradiction, they showed longer blink durations and more line crossings, both of which are indicators of sleepiness. They also drove faster. The reason for the discrepancy in the relation between the different sleepiness indicators for the two groups could be due to more experience to sleepiness among the professional drivers or possibly to the faster speed, which might unconsciously have been used by the professionals to try to counteract sleepiness. Conclusion Professional drivers self-reported significantly lower sleepiness while driving a simulator than non-professional drivers. However, they showed longer blink durations and more line crossings, both of which are indicators of sleepiness, and they drove faster.

Assessing fitness for professional and non-professional drivers: legislation and medico-legal issues.

For a long time, European legislation has not considered the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) a relevant factor for road safety. In Italy, in 2010 the Scientific Society of Legal Medicine COMLAS published Guidelines for the assessment of fitness to drive. An entire chapter, written in collaboration with the Commission "Sleepiness, Safety and Transportation" of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine (AIMS), is dedicated to the criteria for assessing fitness to drive of people with OSAS or narcolepsy. Only in 2016, following the adoption of European Commission Directive 2014/85/EU, Italian law recognized OSAS as a condition to be considered in the assessment of fitness to drive. The author discusses the ascertainment criteria and the medico-legal implications regarding information to patients and reporting duty.

Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents Related to Sleepiness at the Wheel: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Sleepiness at the wheel is widely believed to be a cause of motor vehicle accidents. Nevertheless, a systematic review of studies investigating this relationship has not yet been published. The objective of this study was to quantify the relationship between sleepiness at the wheel and motor vehicle accidents. A systematic review was performed using Medline, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science. The outcome measure of interest was motor vehicle accident defined as involving four- or two-wheeled vehicles in road traffic, professional and nonprofessional drivers, with or without objective consequences. The exposure was sleepiness at the wheel defined as self-reported sleepiness at the wheel. Studies were included if they provided adjusted risk estimates of motor vehicle accidents related to sleepiness at the wheel. Risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were extracted and pooled as odds ratios (ORs) using a random-effect model. Heterogeneity was quantified using Q statistics and the I2 index. The potential causes of heterogeneity were investigated using meta-regressions. Ten cross-sectional studies (51,520 participants), six case-control studies (4904 participants), and one cohort study (13,674 participants) were included. Sleepiness at the wheel was associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents (pooled OR 2.51 [95% CI 1.87; 3.39]). A significant heterogeneity was found between the individual risk estimates (Q = 93.21; I2 = 83%). Sleepiness at the wheel increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents and should be considered when investigating fitness to drive. Further studies are required to explore the nature of this relationship. PROSPERO 2015 CRD42015024805.

German taxi drivers' experiences and expressions of driving anger: Are the driving anger scale and the driving anger expression inventory valid measures?

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.

Impact of on‐board tutoring systems to improve driving efficiency of non‐professional drivers

Efficient driving has been positioned as the most popular alternative to reduce air pollution and obtain fuel savings. However, efficient driving requires a continuous learning process in order to prevent users reverting to their original habits. To facilitate the learning process, on-board tutoring systems have appeared. In this study, the authors analyse in detail the impact of two types of such eco-feedback devices on driver's behaviour. The evaluated tutoring systems include information related to the optimal engaged gear, but also related to other safety and comfort parameters. Their analysis is based on one of the largest and heterogeneous population groups of non-professional drivers who have participated in experiments with feedback devices specifically designed to achieve more efficient driving. A total number of 158 volunteers participated in the experiments covering periods of time between 3 and 11 months and using the feedback devices during their daily routine. Results show that, in general, users evolve positively following the eco-driving recommendations throughout the duration of the experiments. In addition, there are significant differences in the use of the tutoring system depending on the type of route, the time of day and other factors such as age or gender.

The Gig Economy and Contingent Work: An Occupational Health Assessment.

"The gig economy describes forms of contingent work arrangements that require digital platforms, representing an evolution in contingent work, both in moving up the educational scale and in increased visibility. It has engaged many workers who are highly educated and might previously have been in traditional employer-employee relationships, and appears to increase their vulnerability to wage theft, independent contractor misclassification, job insecurity, and lack of occupational health protections. As occupational health physicians, our need to develop, evaluate, and implement interventions to address the needs of workers in non-traditional employment relationships is growing."

Professional Stress Factor of Vulnerability in Which Has Occurred of the Road Traffic Accidents at a Sample of Drivers in Morocco

The professional stress is a physical and emotional harmful reaction. In fact, it presents a major public health problem in Morocco. Our work is directed to study the differences between the various groups of professional and non-professional drivers in terms of stress reactions, noise nuisance and implication in the production accidents. The present study is transversal descriptive type based on a questionnaire and neuropsychological tests conducted by 60 non-professional drivers and 60 taxi drivers in Kenitra. Two scales evaluated the stress: the Resistance Test of Stress (TRS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). According to this last scale, 63.5% of the taxi drivers were considered as stressed. These drivers have the following specific components: mood trouble, sleep trouble, pressure of time, work boredom, stress sensation and tiredness at the end of driving. 65% of drivers take a pause after 5 to 6 hours of work. According to the Test of Resistance at the Stress, the taxi driver’s populations are more homogeneous but are less likely to resist stress compared to their non-professionals counterparts. Indeed to work on the professional stress requires a qualitative and quantitative approach phenomenon allowing a more complete vision. This study sheds new light on the understanding of stress at work by using new measurement and evaluation methods such as TRS, with an aim to reduce or to eliminate the number of road accident.

Driving Style Recognition Based on Driver Behavior Questionnaire

The ability to classify driver behavior lays the foundation for more advanced driver assistance systems. The present study aims to research driver pattern and classification feature. Driver behavior self-reported investigation was conducted with standardized driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ) by 225 nonprofessional drivers on the internet in Beijing. Questionnaire’s reliability was verified by statistics analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to analyze the underlying factor structure. Speed advantage, space occupation, the contend right of way and the contend space advantage were extracted from the ques-tionnaire results to quantify driver characteristics. Based on fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm and taking the four factors as pattern features, the number of driver classification distribution was discussed. Then the number of driver classification was determined by statistical indices. The comparison of classification results with the survey finding on whether the driver occurred in traffic accidents within five years shows that the classification result is the same as the actual driving conditions. Finally, correlation between the demographic and types of driving behavior has been analyzed. Female were more likely than male to careful driving, and the older the driver and the less driving experience, the more careful and moderate driving behavior is.

Trust in Technology as a Safety Aspect in Highly Automated Driving

Abstract Trust in technology is an important factor to be considered for safety-critical systems. Of particular interest today is the transport domain, as more and more complex information and assistance systems find their way into vehicles. Research in driving automation / automated driving systems is in the focus of many research institutes worldwide. On the operational side, active safety systems employed to save lives are frequently used by non-professional drivers that neither know system boundaries nor the underlying functional principle. This is a serious safety issue, as systems are activated under false circumstances and with wrong expectations. At least some of the recent incidents with advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) or automated driving systems (ADS; SAE J3016) could have been prevented with a full understanding of the driver about system functionality and limitations (instead of overreliance). Drivers have to be trained to accept and use these systems in a way, that subjective trust matches objective trustworthiness (cf. “appropriate trust”) to prevent disuse and / or misuse. In this article, we present an interaction model for trust calibration that issues personalized messages in real time. On the showcase of automated driving we report the results of two user studies related to trust in ADS and driving ethics. In the first experiment (N = 48), mental and emotional states of front-seat passengers were compared to get deeper insight into the dispositional trust of potential users of automated vehicles. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we found that subjects accept and trust ADSs almost similarly as male / female drivers. In another study (N = 40), moral decisions of drivers were investigated in a systematic way. Our results indicate that the willingness of drivers to risk even severe accidents increases with the number and age of pedestrians that would otherwise be sacrificed. Based on our initial findings, we further discuss related aspects of trust in driving automation. Effective shared vehicle control and expected advantages of fully / highly automated driving (SAE levels 3 or higher) can only be achieved when trust issues are demonstrated and resolved.

Hazard perception in emergency medical service responders

The perception of on-road hazards is critically important to emergency medical services (EMS) professionals, the patients they transport and the general public. This study compared hazard perception in EMS and civilian drivers of similar age and personal driving experience. Twenty-nine EMS professionals and 24 non-professional drivers were given a dynamic hazard perception test (HPT). The EMS group demonstrated an advantage in HPT that was independent of simple reaction time, another indication of the validity of the test. These results are also consistent with the view that professional driving experience results in changes in the ability to identify and respond to on-road hazards. Directions for future research include the development of a profession-specific hazard perception tool for both assessment and training purposes.