Traffic Offences Research Articles

Regulatory focus, time perspective, locus of control and sensation seeking as predictors of risky driving behaviors

Empirical evidence shows that most of the road safety efforts fail to reach the most risk-prone drivers. In light of this issue, we have developed this study in order to distinguish between high-risk drivers and low-risk drivers based on variables that have already been shown to affect the effectiveness of preventive messages: regulatory focus orientation, time perspective, locus of control and sensation seeking. We sent paper and pencil questionnaires to five thousand low-risk drivers and five thousand high-risk drivers randomly selected based on their driving records. A driver who has been convicted of two or more traffic infractions with demerit points (e.g., exceeding speed limits, red light violation, no seatbelt, etc.) in the last two years was considered a high-risk driver whereas a low-risk driver had no traffic offense registered in his driving record in the last four years. We received two thousand and sixty-four completed questionnaires for a response rate of 20.6%. Seven hundred and ninety-eight belonged to the group of high-risk drivers and one thousand two hundred and sixty-six to the group of low-risk drivers. The results show that a promotion focused orientation, a present hedonistic perspective, an internal locus of control, and sensation seeking are associated with more risky driving behaviors and could therefore distinguish between high-risk and low-risk drivers. These results increase the understanding of risky drivers’ personalities and motivations. The literature review provides insight into how these findings might be considered in developing more effective road safety programs and campaigns, and the conclusion encourages researchers to explore these new avenues in future research.

Paying Money for Freedom: Effects of Monetary Compensation on Sentencing for Criminal Traffic Offenses in China

The current study seeks to understand the role that monetary compensation plays on the joint occurrence of imprisonment and probation for criminal traffic offenses in China. We argue that monetary compensation influences sentencing decisions primarily by manipulating the probation terms in favor of the defendant. With monetary compensation directly increasing the chances of a more lenient punishment through extended probation as opposed to more severe penalties, we have found sentence lengths for criminal traffic offenses to be concentrated at 36 months, the maximum length eligible for probation. All available sentencing documents for criminal traffic offenses from 2014 to 2016 were retrieved from the China Judgments Online website. The final dataset contains 141,689 observations. Following a joint model approach using both sentence length and probation as outcomes, we utilized a Zero-Truncated-Generalized-Inflated-Poisson model to address the distributional characteristics of sentence length, such as discrete integers, non-zero values, and the concentration of data on certain points. To avoid detecting effects of little scientific importance due to our large sample size, all results were evaluated using bootstrapping techniques. We found that the likelihood of probation increases when monetary compensation is provided, but that compensation does not make a significant difference on the sentence length for those defendants receiving less than 36 months imprisonment. When considering the concentration of sentence lengths at specific values, monetary compensation was positively associated only with the chance of inflation at the value of 36 months, and the probation itself became insignificant in predicting sentence length. The significant positive relationship between monetary compensation and lenient sentencing outcomes suggests that compensation plays a crucial role in the Chinese judicial process. Our study will not only help researchers to better understand the legal process in China, but it will also benefit the larger community as an example of utilizing new sources of data.

A Physiological Sensor-Based Android Application Synchronized with a Driving Simulator for Driver Monitoring.

In this paper, we present an Android application to control and monitor the physiological sensors from the Shimmer platform and its synchronized working with a driving simulator. The Android app can monitor drivers and their parameters can be used to analyze the relation between their physiological states and driving performance. The app can configure, select, receive, process, represent graphically, and store the signals from electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) modules and accelerometers, a magnetometer and a gyroscope. The Android app is synchronized in two steps with a driving simulator that we previously developed using the Unity game engine to analyze driving security and efficiency. The Android app was tested with different sensors working simultaneously at various sampling rates and in different Android devices. We also tested the synchronized working of the driving simulator and the Android app with 25 people and analyzed the relation between data from the ECG, EMG, GSR, and gyroscope sensors and from the simulator. Among others, some significant correlations between a gyroscope-based feature calculated by the Android app and vehicle data and particular traffic offences were found. The Android app can be applied with minor adaptations to other different users such as patients with chronic diseases or athletes.

The psychomotor vigilance task: Role in the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy and relationship with driving ability

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a syndrome of decreased vigilance and has been associated with impaired driving ability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), which is used to assess both vigilance and driving ability, in a group of patients with cirrhosis and varying degrees of HE. A total of 145 patients (120 males, 59 ± 10 years, model for end-stage liver disease [MELD] score 13 ± 5) underwent the PVT; a subgroup of 117 completed a driving questionnaire and a subgroup of 106 underwent the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and an electroencephalogram (EEG), based on which, plus a clinical evaluation, they were classed as being unimpaired (n = 51), or as having minimal (n = 35), or mild overt HE (n = 20). All patients were followed up for an average of 13 ± 5 months in relation to the occurrence of accidents and/or traffic offences, HE-related hospitalisations and death. Sixty-six healthy volunteers evenly distributed by sex, age and education served as a reference cohort for the PVT. Patients showed worse PVT performance compared with healthy volunteers, and PVT indices significantly correlated with MELD, ammonia levels, PHES and the EEG results. Significant associations were observed between neuropsychiatric performance/PVT indices and licence/driving status. PVT, PHES and EEG results all predicted HE-related hospitalisations and/or death over the follow-up period; none predicted accidents or traffic offences. However, individuals with the slowest reaction times and most lapses on the PVT were often not driving despite having a licence. When patients who had stopped driving for HE-related reasons (n = 6) were modelled as having an accident or fine over the subsequent 6 and 12 months, PVT was a predictor of accidents and traffic offences, even after correction for MELD and age. The PVT is worthy of further study for the purposes of both HE and driving ability assessment. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complication of advanced liver disease that can manifest as excessive sleepiness. Some patients with HE have been shown to have difficulty driving. Herein, we used a test called the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), which measures sleepiness and can also be used to assess driving competence. We showed that PVT performance is fairly stable in healthy individuals. We also showed that PVT performance parallels performance in tests which are commonly used in cirrhotic patients to measure HE. We suggest that this test is helpful in quantifying HE and identifying dangerous drivers among patients with cirrhosis.

The statistical analysis of road traffic in cities of Poland

Abstract The main purpose of the study was a statistical analysis of of road safety in voivodeship cities of Poland. Spatio-temporal data contained, inter alia, in the Regional Data Bank and in the Police reports available on the Internet was used to conduct this study. In the study a zero unitarization method proposed by Kukula was used. This method allowed to characterize the cities in Poland according the traffic offences and indicate those of them which are distinguished by the best level of road traffic safety. In the analysis the number of traffic offences registered by the Police, the number of fatalities in road accidents and the detection rate of perpetrators of offences were included. The value added of considerations presented in this article is the analysis and evaluation of available statistical data on traffic crime as well as the use of multi-dimensional statistical analysis in the study regarding the determination of the road traffic safety level in voivodeship cities of the country. The taxonomic development measure based on the zero normalization applied in this paper enabled to order voivodeship cities in Poland by the level of traffic crime.

Source reputation assessment in an IoT-based vehicular traffic monitoring system

Vehicular traffic safety relies, to a great extent, on traffic control and traffic offence detection. While this is currently in the domain of governmental and road maintenance services, many alternatives, such as crowdsensing-based approaches have emerged. We present a traffic event reporting scheme, focusing on event detection and data source reputation mechanisms. Proposed scheme is evaluated on a set of representative scenarios. Proposal is critically discussed and is followed by guidelines for future work.

The impact of game day on crime on a university police department: application of the civilizing process to sport-related law enforcement

ABSTRACT Sport has been associated with antisocial behavior and increases in crime on game days in and around sports venues. College sport in the United States is especially linked with an increase in alcohol-related behavior. As part of the civilizing process, Elias and Dunning posit that sport has become a space in which individuals engage in the Quest for Excitement, where behavior normally considered antisocial is accepted. The purpose of this study was to consider whether university sport events, which are often associated with ritualistic behavior and alcohol consumption, impact law enforcement activity on game day near university-owned stadiums. The results indicate that citations for alcohol were strongly impacted by in-state rivalry and conference games, and also influenced by increased temperature and game start time. Traffic offenses were associated with conference and in-state rivalry games. There were no significant predictors of battery citations. Analyses support the suggestion that the college sporting events analyzed impact alcohol-related misconduct and traffic crime. Conclusions suggest extension of the Quest for Excitement to include alcohol consumption behavior by fans.

Driving While Stoned: Issues and Policy Options

Abstract THC is the most commonly detected intoxicant in US drivers, with approximately 13 % of drivers testing positive for marijuana use, compared to the 8 % that show a measurable amount of alcohol . Because cannabis use remains detectable for much longer than alcohol, and also for long after the driver is no longer impaired, the difference in rates does not show that stoned driving is more common than drunk driving. Nonetheless, cannabis intoxication while driving is on the rise and has been shown to impair reaction time and visual-spatial judgment. Many states, including those where cannabis sales are now permitted by state law, have laws against cannabis-impaired driving based on the drunk-driving model, defining criminally intoxicated driving as driving with more than a threshold amount of intoxicant in one’s bloodstream—a per se standard—as opposed to actual impairment. That approach neglects crucial differences between alcohol and cannabis in their detectability, their pharmacokinetics, and their impact on highway safety. Cannabis intoxication is more difficult to reliably detect chemically than alcohol intoxication. A breath alcohol test is (1) cheap and reliable; (2) sufficiently simple and non-invasive to administer at the roadside; and (3) a good proxy for alcohol in the brain, which in turn is (4) a good proxy for subjective intoxication and for measurable driving impairment. In addition, (5) the dose-effect curve linking blood alcohol to fatality risk is well-established and steep. None of those things is true for cannabis. A breath test remains to be developed. Oral-fluid testing can demonstrate recent use but not the level of impairment. A blood test requires a trained phlebotomist and therefore a trip to a medical facility, and blood THC levels drop very sharply over time-periods measured in minutes. Blood THC is not a good proxy either for recency of use or for impairment, and the dose-effect curve for fatality risk remains a matter of sharp controversy. The maximum risk for cannabis intoxication alone, unmixed with alcohol or other drugs, appears to be more comparable to risks such as talking on a hands-free cellphone (legal in all states) than to driving with a BAC above 0.08, let alone the rapidly-rising risks at higher BACs. Moreover, the lipid-solubility of THC means that a frequent cannabis user will always have measurable THC in his or her blood, even when that person has not used recently and is neither subjectively intoxicated nor objectively impaired. That suggests criminalizing only combination use, while treating driving under the influence of cannabis (however this is to be proven) as a traffic offense, like speeding.

Traffic Violations: A Study of Measures Aimed at Bringing Perpetrators to Justice

The article is devoted to a study of administrative and legal enforcement actions against violators of road safety (RS) laws used in the Republic of Kazakhstan and some foreign countries. The aim of the present article is to analyze ways of bringing to justice the perpetrators of traffic offences in the national legislation of Kazakhstan and some foreign countries, to assess their effectiveness and the possibility of using foreign experience in the national legal field. The article examines the foreign organizational and legal experience in the application of administrative responsibility for violators of RS laws and the administrative regulations of Kazakhstan; the conclusions have been made, and the recommendations for further improvement of measures to bring to justice violators of RS laws have been given. The author subjects the use of the fine as the main mechanism for bringing to justice perpetrators of the traffic violations to fair criticism. Based on the study of normative materials on administrative law and the experience of foreign countries in counteraction to RS violations, the author suggests ways to eliminate causes and conditions for committing traffic safety violations and formulates the proposals for further improvement of the administrative legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in particular, excluding the prevarication when using the data of photo and video fixation of traffic offences. The main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific and practical activities in addressing the issues of law violation prevention, the comparative characteristics of the norms of responsibility for RS violations of Kazakhstan and foreign countries laws, and in the subsequent reform of statutory regulations on administrative offences.

‘Buiten de rechter om?’

The Dutch Judiciary has only a very limited role in the imposition of sanctions with traffic offenses. With other minor offenses its role is rather limited and has decreased. There has been a striking shift from the imposition of penal sanctions to sanctions based on administrative law in this area. With major offenses (crimes) the role of the judiciary is still significant and has not diminished over the last 20 years. This despite policy efforts to boost out of court sanctioning.The Judiciary is a fundamental pillar of the rule of law. It offers legal protection, by judging and, if necessary, penalizing violations of norms in a fair trial. In this way not only justice is done with individual cases. Case law has wider implications: confirmation and development of norms and thus general prevention. To fulfil this aim a certain volume of cases and openness of the judgment process is necessary.

JUSTIÇA RESTAURATIVA, ALTERNATIVAS PENAIS E O PROJETO BLITZ-PROSSIGA NO PROGRAMA DE EXTENSÃO PATRONATO DE PONTA GROSSA: RESPONSABILIZAÇÃO E EDUCAÇÃO MEDIADAS PELA FILOSOFIA DA ALTERIDADE

This study aims to reflect on restorative justice practices in the field of penal alternatives. It is an exploratory research that relies on qualitative approach and has as an investigative focus the actions developed by the project Blitz/Prossiga linked to the Patronage Extension Program of State University of Ponta Grossa that is in charge of the penal enforcement actions in Ponta Grossa. This project provides assistance to individuals that committed traffic offences and are complying with an alternative penal measure. Initially, it was carried out a bibliographical review based on the conceptions of justice and alterity of Emanuel Levinas. The research results demonstrated that the project developed by the Patronage Extension Program/ UEPG is a concrete experience to the enforcement of restorative penal alternatives and it is a viable possibility to the penal alternatives of retribution which take into account to the accountability and education of the perpetrators of traffic violation.

Driving While Stoned: Issues and Policy Options

THC is the intoxicant most commonly detected in US drivers, with approximately 13% of drivers testing positive for marijuana use, compared to the 8% that show a measurable amount of alcohol (NHTSA, 2015). (The two figures are not strictly comparable because cannabis remains detectable for much longer than alcohol, and also for long after the driver is no longer impaired; therefore, the difference in rates does not show that stoned driving is more common than drunk driving.) Cannabis intoxication has been shown to impair reaction time and visual-spatial judgment. Many states, including those where cannabis sales are now permitted by state law, have laws against cannabis-impaired driving based on the drunk-driving model, defining criminally intoxicated driving as driving with more than a threshold amount of intoxicant in one’s bloodstream — a per se standard — as opposed to actual impairment. That approach neglects crucial differences between alcohol and cannabis in their detectability, their pharmacokinetics, and their impact on highway safety. Cannabis intoxication is more difficult to reliably detect chemically than alcohol intoxication. A breath alcohol test is (1) cheap and reliable; (2) sufficiently simple and non-invasive to administer at the roadside; and (3) a good proxy for alcohol in the brain, which in turn is (4) a good proxy for subjective intoxication and for measurable driving impairment. In addition, (5) the dose-effect curve linking blood alcohol to fatality risk is well-established and steep. None of those things is true for cannabis. A breath test remains to be developed. Oral-fluid testing can demonstrate recent use but not the level of impairment. A blood test requires a trained phlebotomist and therefore a trip to a medical facility, and blood THC levels drop very sharply over time-periods measured in minutes. Blood THC is not a good proxy either for recency of use or for impairment, and the dose-effect curve for fatality risk remains a matter of sharp controversy. The maximum risk for cannabis intoxication alone, unmixed with alcohol or other drugs, appears to be more comparable to risks such as talking on a hands-free cellphone (legal in all states) than to driving with a BAC above 0.08, let alone the rapidly-rising risks at higher BACs. Moreover, the lipid-solubility of THC means that a frequent cannabis user will always have measurable THC in his or her blood, even when that person has not used recently and is neither subjectively intoxicated nor objectively impaired. That suggests criminalizing only combination use, while treating driving under the influence of cannabis (however this is to be proven) as a traffic offense, like speeding.

Analysis and Evaluation of Trapezoidal Speed Humps and Their Impact on the Driver

Operating speed is one of the leading safety risk factors, which increases accident risk and influences accident severity. Speeding is the leading cause of accidents and the most common road traffic offense. The key measures of speed control are educational activities and engineering traffic calming measures. This paper presents an investigation of trapezoidal speed humps – one of the traffic calming measures – and their impact on the driver and the occupants of the vehicle. The level of discomfort to the driver and the occupants, caused by vibrations when the vehicle passes the speed hump, was determined during experimental research. The discomfort level, calculated by three methods, indicated the leading cause of discomfort generated by the analysed trapezoidal speed humps.

The relationship between the Driver Behavior Questionnaire, Sensation Seeking Scale, and recorded crashes: A brief comment on Martinussen et al. (2017) and new data from SHRP2

We provide a brief comment on the work of Martinussen et al. (2017), who studied the relationships between self-reported driving behavior, registered traffic offences, and registered crash involvement. It is argued that if the number of crashes is small, then the correlation with crashes is also small. Our analysis of the SHRP2 naturalistic driving study shows that the violations score of the Driver Behavior Questionnaire and the Sensation Seeking Scale exhibit small correlations with recorded crashes, and small-to-moderate correlations with recorded near-crashes and measures of driving style.

A qualitative approach to the study of the characteristics of individuals convicted of road traffic offences

Significant changes have been applied to the regulation of criminal law concerning road traffic in Spain, in a similar way to many of the countries surrounding us. This has led to a gradual increase in the number of individuals who are convicted with custodial sentences or sentenced to community service. Nevertheless, the available data on the psychosocial traits of road traffic offence convicts is highly limited. The objective of this qualitative study is to provide more insight into those convicted of road traffic offences through the use of focus groups, thus enabling the analysis of their attitudes towards sentences related to road safety offences, opinions regarding their driving styles, the profile of convicts of road traffic offences and how they feel about being labelled as delinquents. The results of this study are particularly relevant with regards to improving the rehabilitation process of convicts of road safety offences.

Predicting Truck At-Fault Crashes Using Crash and Traffic Offence Data

Introduction:The number of truck-related injuries and deaths can be reduced by understanding the factors that contribute to the higher risk of truck-related crashes and violations. Truck drivers are at fault of more than 80% of all the truck crashes on Wyoming interstates, and the literature review indicated that in order to identify appropriate countermeasure to crashes, each crash type should be analyzed individually. The literature review also revealed that relationships exist between driving records and driver culpability in crashes.Method:This study employed two approaches to identify contributory factors to truck-at-fault fatal and injury crashes, and truck-related violations. Interstate 80, a Wyoming corridor in a mountainous area with one of the highest truck crash rates in the US, was selected as a case study. Only truck-at-fault crashes and specific types of truck-related violations were considered in this study. The analyses include two approaches. First, the logistic regression model was employed to explore vehicle, driver, crash, and environmental characteristics that contribute to truck-at-fault fatal and injury crashes. Second, truck violations were used as a proxy for truck crashes to examine the tendency to violate truck-related traffic laws in relation to driver and temporal characteristics. Based on the literature, only violations associated with higher risk of severe crashes were included in the analyses. The included violations accounted for more than 70% of all the violations.Result:This study considered more than 30 variables and found that only 10 variables impact truck-at-fault crashes. These factors included: gender, history of past violation, crashes involving multiple vehicles, exceeding the speed limit, occupant distraction, driver ejection, fatigued driving, non-seat belt usage, overturn, and head-on collision. Results of the second analysis indicated that both residency and time of crash are factors that impact truck-related violations. Results of the analysis also indicated that both residency and time of the crash are factors that impact truck-related violations.

TINJAUAN YURIDIS TERHADAP PERILAKU PENGGUNA HELM DI UNIVERSITAS HALUOLEO

Violations committed by motorists with not using a helmet shows compliance (compliance) are low traffic rules as regulated in section 57 subsection (2) of Act No. 22 of year 2009 about traffic Transport and streets. This type of research is conducted with the normative-legal research efforts are empirical. The research results showed that the factors cause motorists not wearing a helmet at the cross roads and surrounding A H.E. Mokodompit still in Kecamatan Kambu is a factor of consciousness and behavior, because almost all violations and traffic accidents on the road sekitasrnya and H.E. à Mokodompit that Kecamatan Kambu is still in its primary cause is the rider. These factors gave rise to differences of level of knowledge and/or understanding of the people against the prevailing rules resulted in a disparity that potentially gave rise to traffic problems in particular knowledge of the importance of the benefits the use of helmets for motorbike riders of vehicles that do not wear a helmet, both between road users themselves as well as between road users with apparatus that served to carry out law enforcement on highways, environmental factors contribute active in creating behavior-behavior that deviates. The citizens of the society like the breach of rules that have been set out in the legislation are likely to form a bad or aberrant personality on the individual efforts being done Satlantas Polres Kendari in tackling traffic offences caused by motorcyclists not wearing a helmet at the cross streets of H.E. à Mokodompit is by way of enforcing methods of pre-emptif, is an effort or prevention efforts against irregularities.

Long-term effects of alternative deterrence policies: Panel data evidence from traffic punishments in Denmark

This paper aims to quantify the long-term effects of alternative traffic punishments, ranging from demerit point assignment to conditional suspension of driving privileges. We employ unique longitudinal traffic offense data and exploit the introduction of a point-recording scheme in Denmark. We find that drivers who are assigned one or more demerit points reduce their frequency of traffic offenses and that these effects increase with the number of demerit points accumulated. However, these effects are short-lived, lasting only for the first two years post-reform and fading thereafter. In contrast, a stricter traffic punishment that conditionally suspends the driving license seems to have significant short-run and long-run effects. Our investigation into the types of offenses suggests that the deterrence effects are specific to the offense type for which they are imposed rather than generic improvements in driving behavior. These results imply that the effects of some of the existing traffic punishments are not only short-lived but also provide “specific deterrence”.

A comparison of overtime patrol stops made inside and out of cluster identified hotspots

ABSTRACTObjective: The annual rate of impaired driving crashes in the United States has remained nearly constant over the last decade. While engineers, educators, enforcement, and emergency response personnel have worked diligently in their combined efforts to reduce the loss of life, there is still significant progress to be made. One area of recent interest is the use of data driven enforcement. The basis for data driven enforcement is the use of statistical clustering to identify geographic areas that represent the location of problem identification for various criminal or traffic offenses. In the case of impaired driving fatalities, the clustering represents locations with high rates of impaired driving crashes. Law enforcement officers and supervisors may allocate resources towards more specifically and efficiently addressing problem areas.Methods: While data driven enforcement has been proven to be an effective tool in addressing crime and traffic safety problems, it has been a slow process for agencies to adopt data driven techniques. This study aims to explore the difference in traffic stops made inside and outside of hotspot identified areas. The study uses data from the Stark County Operating a Vehicle Impaired Task Force between 2013 and 2014.Results: The analysis determined that stop occurring in hotspot defined areas are more likely to result in impaired driving arrests and seatbelt citations. Additionally it is found that the average cost of impaired driving arrests is significantly cheaper for stops occurring inside of hotspot areas.Conclusion: Clustering as a means of directing law enforcement efforts are a way to increase the productivity and benefits of law enforcement agencies with limited finances or personnel. From this study it is seen that traffic stops made within defined cluster or hot spot areas are more effective in resulting in OVI arrests.

Mortalities and morbidities due to traffic accidents: the unknown criminal

PurposeStudying the relationship between crime and traffic accidents in different geographical regions is very critical since varying relationships have been reported to exist in diverse areas. The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between crime with injuries and deaths due to road traffic accidents in Iran.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, macro-level panel data between 2007 and 2013 were used. The number of folders due to crimes in each province was used as explanatory variables to show the amount of crime in each province. The number of fatal and injury death was used as outcome variables. The models were estimated using fixed effect panel regression estimator.FindingsThe results of this study showed that the number of records in courts (Cr) had a significant positive relationship with fatal accidents (coefficient=0.006). In the injury accidents model, Cr coefficient was 0.008 and significant. In addition, GINI had positive relationship with fatal accidents (coefficient: 1.396), while it had no significant relationship with injury accidents.Originality/valueA positive association was found between crime and mortalities and morbidities due to traffic accidents. Traffic accidents and crimes are derived from a similar nature. So traffic accidents could be categorized as crime and it is important to increase more prohibitions to decrease traffic accidents. Prevention programs should focus on population groups with high social distinction and criminals, especially traffic offenses.