Testing a new intervention to enhance road safety (original) (raw)
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Improving speed behaviour: the potential of in-car speed assistance and speed limit credibility
IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 2008
Speeding is still a common practice on many roads and it contributes to a significant number of crashes. Two new approaches to solve speeding issues are focused on: intelligent speed assistance systems (ISA) and speed limit credibility. Research has indicated that ISA is promising with respect to improving speed behaviour but has not been widely implemented yet. Another promising approach to reduce speeding involves adjusting the environment to improve the speed limit credibility. The aim here is to investigate the potential of both approaches and particularly the potential of the combination of these measures. A driving simulator study was conducted to investigate the individual and combined effects of the use of an ISA system and the speed limit credibility on drivers' average speed and the amount of time spent speeding. The results indicated that both the informative ISA system used here and the speed limit credibility significantly improved speed behaviour. Drivers not using ISA appeared to be more susceptible to the speed limit credibility than those using ISA. It is concluded that both the measures can be effective to improve speed behaviour. The results obtained suggest that the properties of this particular informing and warning type of ISA could have resulted in the speed limit credibility neither affecting the amount of time speeding nor the average speed. The widespread implementation of in-car speed assistance systems, also called intelligent speed assistance (ISA), is
British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953), 2007
In two studies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) including moral norms, anticipated regret and past behaviour was applied to predicting intention to exceed the posted speed limit across different roads and objectively assessed speeding behaviour. All measures except behaviour were taken by self-report questionnaires referring to different driving scenarios. The behaviour measures were based on performance in a simulator (Study 1) or unobtrusive on-road speed camera assessment taken without driver awareness (Study 2) across roads with varying posted speed limits. Results are reported averaged across road types in both studies. In Study 1 (N = 83), 82% of the variance in intentions to speed was explained, with attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), moral norms, anticipated regret and past behaviour being significant predictors. A total of 35% of the variance in speed as assessed on a driving simulator was accounted for with intentions, PBC, moral norms and previous accidents being significant predictors. In Study 2 (N = 303), 76% of the variance in intentions to speed was explained with attitudes, moral norms, anticipated regret and past behaviour being significant predictors. A total of 17% of the variance in speed as assessed on-road was accounted for with intentions and moral norms being significant. Practical implications of the findings for road safety are discussed.
When common sense just won't do: Misconceptions about changing the behaviour of road users
1997
This paper examines the paradox that a number of road safety measures popular with the general community have not proven cost-effective when subjected to rigorous evaluation. While examples of this can be found throughout road safety, it is perhaps most pronounced in the case of behavioural approaches. To demonstrate this point, the paper reviews a number of behavioural measures which have widespread community support, but limited road safety effectiveness, including driver training programs, harsher penalties, and the isolated use of mass media road safety campaigns.
Drivers’ decision to speed: A study inspired by the theory of planned behavior
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2006
Using structural equation modeling (LISREL 8.71), drivers' everyday speeding behavior was predicted using the theory of planned behavior as a frame of reference. One hundred and twelve test drivers had a device installed in their vehicles that continuously logged their speeding behavior in a large area under an extended period of time. The test drivers also completed a questionnaire including questions inspired by the theory of planned behavior. It was found that the independent variables stipulated in the theory afforded a level of prediction of drivers' self-reported speeding as well as of their logged speeding. Attitude towards speeding, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were significant determinants of self-reported speeding. Self-reported speeding, and subjective norm, but not perceived behavioral control, did then contribute to the prediction of drivers' logged speeding. The fact that perceived behavioral control did not directly contribute to the prediction of drivers' logged speeding may be due to the possibility that drivers with several years of experience already take into account the actual control they have over the target behavior. As the theory of planned behavior can be used as a frame of reference to predict drivers' everyday speeding behavior, it is suggested that the drivers might decide on a target behavior and in living up to this decision they continuously monitor their target speed during everyday driving.
Measuring cognitive determinants of speeding: An application of the theory of planned behaviour
Transportation Research Part F-traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2008
This article describes the development and validation of a self-report questionnaire to measure the determinants of speeding behaviour in road traffic, based on the theory of planned behaviour. A provisional questionnaire measuring self-reported speeding behaviour as well as its determinants as predicted by the TPB model (attitudes towards speeding and towards respecting speed limits, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) was completed by 116 drivers. Separate principal component analyses on the items measuring attitudes, social norms and perceived control resulted in two component solutions, explaining between 46.5% and 57.5% of the variance, for each determinant. After Promax rotation, these solutions were used to construct eight scales comprising 2-7 items each, measuring negative and positive attitude towards speeding, negative and positive attitude towards respecting speed limits, explicit and implicit social norm, and perceived internal and external control, respectively. Internal consistencies ranged from .51 to .82. Scale scores accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in intention and self-reported behaviour. Intentions were most strongly predicted by explicit social norms and negative attitude towards respecting speed limits. Self-reported speeding was predicted by intention and perceived internal control. In contrast, actual speeding behaviour was not significantly predicted by intentions and perceived control. The study demonstrates the validity of the theory of planned behaviour to predict self-reported speeding behaviour and provides a valid and reliable measure of the cognitive concepts featured in this model, but suggests that actual speeding behaviour can only partially be predicted from these concepts.
Drivers’ response to speed warnings provided by a smart phone app
Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 2020
The distractive effects of mobile phones are well documented, but the recent development of mobile phone apps that provide speed advisory warnings raises the possibility that this technology may be used to improve driver safety in older vehicles. We examined the effects of an intelligent speed advisory (ISA) app on driving performance in a simulator. One hundred and four participants (mean age = 35.52 years; 52 male) were allocated to complete the drive with the ISA app in one of five modes: active audio visual (n = 22), active visual (n = 22), passive audio visual (n = 21), passive visual (n = 21) or control (n = 18). Another 19 participants (mean age = 27.53 years; 8 male) completed the study wearing eye-tracking glasses. Participants drove a simulated 26.4 km section of rural road which incorporated typical hazards and three speed compliance zones (100 km/h, 80 km/h and 60 km/h speed limits). The app led to good compliance with the posted speed limits, particularly during the 60 km/h road segment, where the control group drove at significantly higher speeds than the groups with the ISA app. No significant differences between the four versions of the ISA app were observed, either for speed compliance or the number of speeding alerts received. Across the entire simulated drive there were relatively few glances at the app with an average glance duration of 190 ms. The ISA app did not lead to any negative effects on driving performance; lane keeping was maintained and it did not impede participants' ability to overtake vehicles. These findings suggest that when properly configured ISA apps have a demonstrable safety benefit and do not produce adverse distractive effects. The greatest challenge may be encouraging drivers' to use them appropriately and consistently.
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 34, 29-40., 2015
We consider road safety interventions to be potential sources of social influence, altering the intentions and behaviors of drivers when they are perceived by the latter as effective. We also consider that perceiving their effectiveness depends on drivers’ self-consciousness. 852 drivers replied to a questionnaire measuring dispositional self-consciousness, the perception of the effectiveness of 10 road safety interventions, and reported intentions and behaviors related to speeding and drinking and driving. The results revealed several phenomena: (1) interventions were perceived as related to penalty/surveillance or social communication (factor analysis); (2) the former were perceived as more effective than the latter; (3) the perceived effectiveness of road safety interventions was moderately correlated with intentions and behaviors; (4) this link was stronger for interventions of the penalty/surveillance type; (5) age, level of education, frequency of use of a vehicle and gender were moderately associated with the perception of these interventions; (6) self-consciousness (in particular its public dimension) had an additional positive association with this perceived effectiveness. These results are discussed from a practical and methodological point of view.