Hazard Perception Research Articles

The Multiple Object Avoidance (MOA) task measures attention for action: Evidence from driving and sport

Performance in everyday tasks, such as driving and sport, requires allocation of attention to task-relevant information and the ability to inhibit task-irrelevant information. Yet there are individual differences in this attentional function ability. This research investigates a novel task for measuring attention for action, called the Multiple Object Avoidance task (MOA), in its relation to the everyday tasks of driving and sport. The aim in Study 1 was to explore the efficacy of the MOA task to predict simulated driving behaviour and hazard perception. Whilst also investigating its test–retest reliability and how it correlates to self-report driving measures. We found that superior performance in the MOA task predicted simulated driving performance in complex environments and was superior at predicting performance compared to the Useful Field of View task. We found a moderate test–retest reliability and a correlation between the attentional lapses subscale of the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire. Study 2 investigated the discriminative power of the MOA in sport by exploring performance differences in those that do and do not play sports. We also investigated if the MOA shared attentional elements with other measures of visual attention commonly attributed to sporting expertise: Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) and cognitive processing speed. We found that those that played sports exhibited superior MOA performance and found a positive relationship between MOA performance and Multiple Object Tracking performance and cognitive processing speed. Collectively, this research highlights the utility of the MOA when investigating visual attention in everyday contexts.

Multiple hazards and risk perceptions over time: the availability heuristic in Italy and Sweden under COVID-19

Abstract. The severe impact of global crises, such as COVID-19 and climate change, is plausibly reshaping the way in which people perceive risks. In this paper, we examine and compare how global crises and local disasters influence public perceptions of multiple hazards in Italy and Sweden. To this end, we integrate information about the occurrence of hazardous events with the results of two nationwide surveys. These included more than 4000 participants and were conducted in two different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic corresponding to low (August 2020) and high (November 2020) levels of infection rates. We found that, in both countries, people are more worried about risks related to experienced events. This is in line with the cognitive process known as the availability heuristic: individuals assess the risk associated with a given hazard based on how easily it comes to their mind. Epidemics, for example, are perceived as less likely and more impactful in Italy compared to Sweden. This outcome can be explained by cross-country differences in the impact of, as well as governmental responses to, COVID-19. Notwithstanding the ongoing pandemic, people in both Italy and Sweden are highly concerned about climate change, and they rank it as the most likely threat.

Yellow (Lens) Better: Bioelectrical and Biometrical Measures to Assess Arousing and Focusing Effects.

Colours can induce several psychological effects, conditioning perceptions, cognitive/emotional states and human performances. In this exploratory study we investigated the effect of a yellow light exposure, obtained filtering the ambient light with coloured glasses, on the human's psychological functioning. In particular we wanted to assess if people are more able to focus when exposed to a yellow light. We recorded EEG, SC, HR and gaze-related data from 16 subjects (50% split in experimental and control group) during the execution of a reactivity test (the Hazard Perception Test, HPT). Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed increases in concentration, focus, visual attention and arousal, as measured by increases of first fixation duration and Beta over-Alpha ratio (BAR) as well as by decreases of distraction, workload, and number of gaze revisits.

<b>Developing Hazard Perception Training for Train Drivers</b>

This study describes the development of two training tasks to improve hazard perception skills: a "Scenario Drawing Task" and an "Oversight Experience Task". The "Scenario Drawing Task" helps trainees acquire knowledge of hazards through drawing a picture of their worksite and considering hazards from a human factor perspective. The "Oversight Experience Task" improves trainee's attitude to search for hazards by experiencing an oversight. The results of experiments confirm that more hazards were detected from more perspectives in the "Scenario Drawing Task" than in a hazard prediction task without drawing pictures. Results also confirmed that the "Oversight Experience Task" improves attitude to search for hazards.

Potential impacts of hazard perception training for novice motorcycle riders

Worldwide studies show that hazard perception training programs help improve the hazard perception capacity and reduce road crashes and fatalities. In Vietnam, however, the existing rider training and licensing program do not include such skills. Therefore, the Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre conducted a research project on a hazard perception training program for novice motorcycle riders in Vietnam. As part of the project, this study component aims to (1) evaluate the effect of the proposed hazard perception training program for young novice motorcycle riders; (2) propose recommendations for improving motorcycle rider training and testing programs in the future. The assessment applies the pre-test and post-test control design to compare the effects between a trained group and a control group. It reveals that the proposed program could enhance the hazard perception capacity and safety for novice riders and recommend including the hazard perception training into the existing motorcycle rider training program.

Community Perceptions of Tree Risk and Management

Urban forests (trees growing in urban and peri-urban areas, including villages and large cities) are vital to mitigating the effects of climate change and urbanization but require special considerations such as risk mitigation in developed landscapes. Despite abundant research on risk perceptions of natural hazards, there is limited knowledge about risk perceptions associated with urban trees. As such, this research examines community perceptions of urban tree risk mitigation with a focus on four cities in the U.S. south. To better understand risk perceptions and mitigation, this study employs key informant interviews with community members. Guided by a socio-ecological resilience framework, the findings identify factors affecting resident attitudes towards tree management on the individual parcel and the community levels. The findings benefit tree risk governance in the face of climate variability, which increases societal and environmental vulnerability in urban settings.

Classification of construction hazard-related perceptions using: Wearable electroencephalogram and virtual reality

Improving construction workers' safety is one of the most critical issues in the construction industry. Methods have been developed to better identify construction hazards on a jobsite by analyzing workers' physical and physiological responses collected from the wearable devices. Among them, electroencephalogram (EEG) holds unique potential since it shows immediate abnormal responses when a hazard is perceived. However, there remain limitations in the current knowledge base to attain the ultimate goal of ubiquitous hazard identification. In this context, this study investigates the feasibility of identifying construction hazards by developing an EEG classifier based on the experiments conducted in an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment. Results show that the CatBoost classifier achieved the highest performance with 95.1% accuracy. In addition, three important channel locations (AF3, F3, and F4) and two frequency bands (beta and gamma) were found to be closely associated with hazard perception.

Assessing Willingness to Engage in Risky Driving Behaviour Using Naturalistic Driving Footage: The Role of Age and Gender.

Young novice drivers are more prone than older drivers to get involved in a risky driving situation. Some young drivers underestimate risk while overestimating their driving abilities, increasing the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviour. Age and inexperience both influence risk estimation, though it is not clear which of these variables is more important. Can drivers’ willingness to engage in risky behaviour be assessed in a similar way to hazard perception skill using video-based risky situations? The aim of the current study was to assess whether a video-based tool could measure the willingness to participate in risky driving situations and whether it can distinguish between different types of risky driving scenarios across gender and driver age groups. We also explored the moderating effect of age and gender on drivers’ experience in relation to the risky manoeuvres and participants’ willingness to engage in risky situations. Participants were presented with naturalistic videos from the perspective of the driver that contained active risky situations (result of driver’s own actions) and were asked to make a decision regarding a potential action (to overtake a bus/bicycle or pass through an amber light) and whether they would accelerate at this point. Participants reported that they were more willing to accelerate and overtake cyclists and buses and less willing to pass a light in amber. Young drivers were more willing to both engage in the risky behaviours and accelerate than older drivers, with young males reporting higher scores than the other groups. Gender differences were observed, with males being more prone to overtake and pass through a light in amber than females; however, this difference was not observed for the intention to accelerate. All the above effects remained when we tested the impact of experience on decision making while controlling for age and gender, although driving experience was no longer significant. These results demonstrate that drivers’ intention to assume risk can indeed be measured in a similar video-based methodology to that used by hazard perception tests. The findings raise the possibility of assessing and training drivers on a wider range of safety-related behaviours.

Earthquake and Fire Hazard Risk Perception: A Study on the Emerging Rangpur City of Bangladesh

Rangpur city is one of the emerging cities in Bangladesh. In 2012, this city upgraded from municipality to city corporation. On the one hand, the city population started to increase; on the other hand, vulnerability to earthquake and fire hazards are increased due to rapid urbanization. Therefore, we investigate the risk perception of earthquake and fire hazards in Rangpur. The purpose of this study is fourfold: (i) to assess the risk perception of earthquake hazards and fire hazards at the household level; (ii) to investigate the influence of demographic and socio-economic factors on the risk perception of each hazard; (iii) to investigate the preparedness for earthquake and fire hazards; and (iv) to propose planning guidelines and policy interventions for the disaster resilience of the Rangpur city focusing on earthquake and fire hazards. We conducted a questionnaire survey with 558 participants and 9 semi-structured interviews in fifteen electoral wards in Rangpur city. Afterward, we analyzed the data in SPSS and ArcMap platforms. The study results show that socio-demographic indicators such as gender, household ownership type, and residential floor are likely to influence citizens’ risk perception. We also find that the spatial distribution of risk perception of both hazards is diversified at the electoral ward level. At the same time, we observe that the level of preparedness for both hazards is not satisfactory. Based on the study findings, we recommend a few planning guidelines and policy interventions for disaster resilience in Rangpur city.

Preparedness behaviors for natural hazards and their association with experiences, perceptions, and social engagement in Taiwanese society

ABSTRACT This study examined how individuals’ past experiences and perceptions of natural hazards, as well as their participation in voluntary organizations, were associated with their hazard preparedness. The study first explored how individuals’ past experiences of three types of natural hazards (floods, landslides, and earthquakes), and their perceptions of hazard risk and controllability, were associated with their participation in voluntary organizations – an important indicator of social capital. This study also investigated how individuals’ experiences and perceptions of natural hazards, and their participation in voluntary organizations, were associated with their adoption of preparedness behaviors for future hazards. The results of this study indicated that residents who experienced a natural hazard in the past generally reported better preparedness behaviors although the results differed according to the type of natural hazard. Both perceived risk and perceived controllability were positively associated with preparedness behavior, but perceived controllability was more strongly associated with participation in voluntary organizations.

Occupational hazard perceptions as factors influencing students’ intentions to engage in part-time jobs

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the joined effects of students’ perceived importance of occupational hazards and financial gains on intentions to engage in part-time jobs. The role of students’ maturity value levels was also investigated. We used conservation of resources theory (COR) and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory as theoretical frameworks to test our hypotheses. Method. We conducted a factorial survey experiment using a sample of 858 students. Multilevel regression analyses with random effects were used to investigate effects of hazards perceptions and financial gains on intentions to engage in part-time jobs. The direct and moderating effects of students’ maturity values were investigated. Results. Students considered financial gains more important in developing their intentions to take a part-time job, compared to occupational hazards. We also found interactions between occupational hazards and between occupational hazards and financial gains in predicting intentions. Students’ maturity scores were negatively related to intentions and moderated the effects of financial gains and perceptions of psychological hazards on intentions. Conclusion. The study provided insights into students’ perceptions of occupational hazards and financial benefits and their intention to take a part-time job. The results also indicate the direct and moderating effects of students’ maturity values.

Safety vs. Sustainability Concerns of Infant Food Users: French Results and European Perspectives

Context. In line with Sustainable Development Goals 3 “Good health and well-being” and 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”, this paper is concerned with the fragile population of the less-than-3-years-old children. More specifically, it investigates how infant food safety is perceived at the household level and at the level of childhood and health professionals directly in contact with them. Objective. The paper aims to analyze consumer priorities and perceptions of hazards in infant foods qualitatively and quantitatively. Methodology. To do so, a survey was carried out in France on 1750 people representative of the general population. A hybrid method is proposed to analyze the results of the survey, mixing artificial intelligence and statistics. Main insights. Within the declared priorities when choosing infant food, health comes first, with a top ranking for the absence of harmful substances, followed closely by nutritional balance—far ahead of environment, ease of use and price. The results show that the rankings of the hazards that cause the most worry are globally homogeneous throughout the populations (families, professionals, etc.) and higher for chemical contaminants from agricultural practices and packaging. For health professionals, concerns are higher than in the general population for all categories of contaminants, and specific concerns such as risk related to environmental and unknown contaminants are much more prevalent. The perception of risk varies with the food considered. For infant formula in particular, users seem puzzled by somehow contradictory messages. Perspectives. The study is intended to be generalized to Europe.

Mental fatigue delays visual search behaviour in young cyclists when negotiating complex traffic situations: A study in virtual reality

IntroductionMental fatigue has been shown to negatively affect motor and sport performance. To date, however, no research focused on assessing the effects of mental fatigue on hazard perception in young cyclists who are highly vulnerable in traffic, especially after school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of induced mental fatigue on hazard perception and anticipation in young cyclists using a novel Virtual Reality bicycle simulator. MethodsIn this randomised, counterbalanced, cross-over investigation, forty-eight young cyclists cycled through a Virtual Environment (VE) in which they were confronted with eight simple and six complex traffic situations. Simple traffic situations are considered events including only one other actor can cause a dangerous situation while complex traffic situations include multiple actors than contribute to the dangerous situation. Half of the children were mentally fatigued using the Stroop colour-word task while the other half immediately started the VR hazard perception test. On the second test occasion, one month later, the other half of the group was mentally fatigued. ResultsThe results demonstrate that mentally fatigued cyclists fixated the relevant areas of interest (AOIs) in the simple and complex later and showed delayed response times for the complex hazards. Mental fatigue, however, did not alter the speed with which participants cycled through the virtual environment and did not change the hazard perception score. ConclusionTo our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate the effect of mental fatigue in young cyclists with an innovative VR hazard perception simulator. Due to increased mental fatigue, young cyclists might have experienced more episodes of fatigue-related mind-wandering and a deterioration of selective attention for the task at hand. This resulted in a less thorough visual inspection of the scene and delayed braking responses.

Permanencia y cambio en la percepción de los peligros urbanos

This paper explores changes and permanence in the perception of environmental hazards of the inhabitants of the city of Mexicali, Mexico, from 2011 to 2016. The analysis is based on a previous study that identified an amplified perception of hazards as an effect of their physical manifestation at the site and predicted the attenuation of perception as the supply of stimuli decreased or ceased. This work takes into account this assumption to contribute to the analysis of a broader path on risk perception in the city with emphasis on its dynamics and temporality. For that purpose, the information from two local surveys about the dangers that inhabitants recognized in the place was compared and based on indicators of change, the permanent and changing hazards in social perception were identified, as well as their physical manifestation in the city. As a result of this analysis, a significant decrease in social which may result in the reduction of preventive measures and safety practices in urban homes.

Covid – 19 Readiness Organizational Trust Scale

It was aimed to develop a scale to evaluate how trust-distrust is structured in the context at the macro level;the state, lower organizations, employees and organization managers, decisions and measures regarding the epidemic and also communication between the employees and the organization and the changes brought about the way of doing business after being declared the outbreak in Turkey COVID-19. For this purpose, online interviews conducted with the help of open-ended questions. The obtained data transformed into measurable scale items and applied to 150 participants (Male: 78, Female: 72;Age: 22-67, Average: 38.3, SS: 12.43) together with the Socio-Demographic Information Form, General Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention scales. The findings obtained revealed that the scale has a three-factor structure: ‘Trust in Manager’, ‘Trust in Organization’ and ‘Trust in Employee’. The results of the correlation analysis performed within the scope of the criterion validity showed that all the sub-dimensions of the scale are associated with General Job Satisfaction and the Turnover Intention. The analyzes carried out to test the discrimination validity showed that there is a significant differences in terms of Trust in Organization and Trust in Employees in groups where the perception of work-related health hazard is less dangerous and very dangerous. As a result, the findings obtained in this study show that the COVID – 19 Readiness Organizational Trust Scale is a valid and reliable scale whose psychometric properties have been empirically tested in the Turkish sample. © 2021 The Author(s). is an open access articl.

The differences in hazard response time and driving styles of violation-involved and violation-free taxi drivers

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between taxi drivers’ traffic violations in past driving and two domains: driving skill (hazard perception skill) and driving style. Five hundred and fifty taxi drivers aged 25 – 59 were recruited to finish a video-based hazard perception test and the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI). The relationships between hazard response time, driving style and traffic violations were examined, and the differences in hazard response times and driving styles of violation-involved drivers (n = 220) and violation-free drivers (n = 330) were compared. The results showed that taxi drivers’ traffic violations are closely related to their driving styles and hazard response time. Violation-involved drivers scored significantly higher in hazard response time and maladaptive driving styles (i.e., anxious, risky and angry styles) and lower in careful driving style than violation-free drivers. More importantly, drivers’ hazard response time and driving styles can effectively predict their violation involvement in the last 12 months with an overall classification accuracy of 66.4%. The findings provide evidence for the usefulness of video-based hazard perception tests and the MDSI in taxi driver testing and training.

Perception of agroforestry adopter and non-adopter on volcano risk and hazard: a case in Mt. Merapi, Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Rozaki Z, Rahmawati N, Wijaya O, Khoir IA, Senge M, Kamarudin MF. 2021. Perception of agroforestry adopter and non-adopter on volcano risk and hazard: a case in Mt. Merapi, Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3829-3837. Agroforestry is an agricultural system that many people use in mountainous areas. Some experts have proven that this system can become the mitigation strategy in volcano areas. This study analyzes the risk and hazard perception of agroforestry adopters and non-adopters in the Mt. Merapi prone area. 139 agroforestry adopters and 130 non-adopters were randomly taken from four different areas in Mt. Merapi. Results show that both adopters and non-adopters show different perceptions regarding hazards and risk. The effectiveness of agroforestry practice for mitigation strategies needs to be studied more. The awareness of hazards and risks in the Mt. Merapi prone area is essential to save more lives during the eruption. The challenge is how to persuade agroforestry adopters and non-adopters to flee when the big eruption comes. Even though they flee, they still insist on returning home to take care of their livestock, farm, and protect properties. Mitigation education is needed; also, the infrastructure is important in supporting the mitigation efforts.

Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Environment to Assess Cycling Hazard Perception Skills.

Safe cycling requires situational awareness to identify and perceive hazards in the environment to react to and avoid dangerous situations. Concurrently, tending to external distractions leads to a failure to identify hazards or to respond appropriately in a time-constrained manner. Hazard perception training can enhance the ability to identify and react to potential dangers while cycling. Although cycling on the road in the presence of driving cars provides an excellent opportunity to develop and evaluate hazard perception skills, there are obvious ethical and practical risks, requiring extensive resources to facilitate safety, particularly when involving children. Therefore, we developed a Cycling and Hazard Perception virtual reality (VR) simulator (CHP-VR simulator) to create a safe environment where hazard perception can be evaluated and/or trained in a real-time setting. The player interacts in the virtual environment through a stationary bike, where sensors on the bike transfer the player’s position and actions (speed and road positioning) into the virtual environment. A VR headset provides a real-world experience for the player, and a procedural content generation (PCG) algorithm enables the generation of playable artifacts. Pilot data using experienced adult cyclists was collected to develop and evaluate the VR simulator through measuring gaze behavior, both in VR and in situ. A comparable scene (cycling past a parked bus) in VR and in situ was used. In this scenario, cyclists fixated 20% longer at the bus in VR compared to in situ. However, limited agreement identified that the mean differences fell within 95% confidence intervals. The observed differences were likely attributed to a lower number of concurrently appearing elements (i.e., cars) in the VR environment compared with in situ. Future work will explore feasibility testing in young children by increasing assets and incorporating a game scoring system to direct attention to overt and covert hazards.

Safe driving and road-crossing tasks: A particular case of successful transfer of learning

The current study examines whether crucial safe driving skills are associated with safe road-crossing skills as pedestrians. The main research question was whether skills that are acquired from the point of view of a driver are associated with the skills of pedestrians in different platforms or settings. Furthermore, the study examines whether task performance on one platform (driving) primes an operator for task performance on another (road-crossing as a pedestrian) or vice versa. Sixty people took part in this study and completed a demographic questionnaire, a Driving Behavior Questionnaire, a Pedestrian Behavior Scale and two computerized tests – a Hazard Perception Test for Drivers and a Hazard Perception Test for Pedestrians.We found that the better the participants detect hazards on the road as drivers, the better they detect hazards as pedestrians as well, and that most of the participants’ self-reported values regarding their driving and their road-crossing as pedestrians are correlated. The study revealed an association between years of seniority in driving and the number of driving hours per week, and some behavioral variables as pedestrians – meaning that exposure to the road as a driver may be related to safer behavior as a pedestrian.

Learner drivers (and their parent-supervisors) benefit from an online hazard perception course incorporating evidence-based training strategies and extensive crash footage

We previously found that a six-session online hazard perception training course, which incorporates evidence-based learning strategies and footage of over a hundred real crashes, improved hazard perception skill and reduced risk-taking intentions in novice drivers who had passed their on-road driving test within the previous three years. However, one issue with targeting crash-prevention training at individuals who are already driving unsupervised is that drivers are at their highest crash risk immediately after they pass their on-road driving test. That is, the training may arrive too late to protect drivers while they are at their most vulnerable. It is also possible that it may prove difficult to persuade drivers to complete an unsupervised training course if they are already licensed to drive independently. Given that learner drivers cannot drive unsupervised, and that they are typically supervised by a parent, one potential strategy is to target the training at learners and to ask their parents to provide one-on-one mentoring throughout the course. We therefore recruited learner driver/parent-supervisor dyads to participate in a randomized control study, with the objective of examining the effects of the hazard perception training course on aspects of driving behaviour associated with crash risk (as measured using validated computer-based tests). Outcome measures included two hazard perception skill assessments (a response time hazard perception test and a verbal response hazard prediction test), and three tests assessing aspects of risk-taking propensity in driving (speed choice, following distance, and gap acceptance). Learners who completed the course (N = 26) significantly improved their scores on both hazard perception skill measures, and also chose safer following distances, compared with a waitlist control group (N = 23). However, the training did not significantly reduce learners’ speed choice or gap acceptance propensity. The hazard perception skill of parent-supervisors, who observed the course but did not complete it, also improved on both hazard perception measures, relative to controls. Additionally, both learners and their parent-supervisors reported a range of positive effects on the learners’ real-world driving performance. These results suggest that this type of hazard perception training could be beneficial if deployed during the learner phase of driver licensing.