PSYU3399 Driver behaviour

Question 1

How did Rothengatter (1997) define Traffic Psychology?

Answer 1

The study of the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying that behaviour. (relationship between behaviour & accidents)

Question 2

How much has the % of drivers and cyclists dying on the roads changed in 2020?

Answer 2

-18.6 %, + 46.9%

Question 3

How many lives were lost by the date of the lecture compared to this time last year?

Answer 3

2020: 213, 2019: 247

Question 4

How does ‘vision Zero’ challenge previous road safety strategies?

Answer 4

Instead of punishing road users for making mistakes it aims to have everyone focusing on creating a system where those mistakes are not fatal. It takes into account human vulnerability and is forgiving of human error.

Question 5

What are the cornerstones of ‘vision zero’?

Answer 5

Safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe people

Question 6

What interventions have brought down the road toll so far?

Answer 6

Compulsory seatbelts, RBT, speed cameras, graduating license scheme

Question 7

What is the accident pyramid? And what does it teach us?

Answer 7

The same unsafe act can lead to a near miss or a fatality with a strong relationship between the frequency and other contributing factors.

Question 8

What percentage deaths on roads are men?

Answer 8

73%

Question 9

Which age group is most likely to die on the road?

Answer 9

17-25 year olds

Question 10

What percentage of road deaths occur in regional or remote areas? What factors contribute to this?

Answer 10

66%. Road quality and speed.

Question 11

What percentage of fatal crashes occur in speed zones of 100 km/hr or over? And why?

Answer 11

~ 45%.

• Speed reduces field of vision
• Impact speed increases (50 km = 3 storey drop, 100km = 12 storey drop)
• Stopping distance needed increases. Drivers underestimate the distance needed to stop

Question 12

What are the 3 error types according to James Reason’s taxonomy of errors?

Answer 12

Slip: attentional failure (distracted)
Lapse: memory failure (forgot speed zone)
Mistake: rule & knowledge based (misapplication, wrong lane)

Question 13

What are types of cognitive components that affect our capacity/ attention resources?

Answer 13

• Arousal: excitability/stress/fatigue
• Capacity/resources
• Selective attention: allocation of attention, road, person, mobile, map.

Question 14

Why does driving in the rain affect our ability to drive safely?

Answer 14

Rain reduces how effective light sources are by scattering the light, reducing contrast and making objects hard to discern.

Question 15

Do headlights and road markings help us see better driving on a rainy night?

Answer 15

Light from headlights backscatters reflecting back in eyes not on objects. And it means road markings can’t reflect light to be seen

Question 16

What impact does fog have on perception while driving?

Answer 16

It causes drivers to underestimate own speed and speed of objects. Objects also appear further away than they really are. It becomes more difficult to tell is something is stationary or not.

Question 17

How does age interact with fatal driving?

Answer 17

For young drivers there is an age based effect due to inexperience and more risk taking behaviour/complex thinking as prefrontal cortex isn’t yet fully developed. Older drivers are more likely to be fatally injured and also experience impaired vision, cognition and motor skills to respond in complex situations.

Question 18

Does having multiple passengers increase the risk of a fatal crash?

Answer 18

Yes for provisional drivers, 26% of first year drivers were carrying multiple passengers. 18% occur in the day/evening.

Question 19

What does it mean to consider yourself invulnerable?

Answer 19

To underestimate our own risk and assume others are the risk and therefore give ourselves an exemption from many risks based on our own experience. (3rd person effect)

Question 20

What personality types are associated with poor driver behaviour?

Answer 20

Type A personality, aggressive personality and sensation seeking personality.

Question 21

How do we change driver behaviour?

Answer 21

Enforcement, education and engineering.

Question 22

What are the human factors that lead to fatal crashes?

Answer 22

Speed, fatigue, alcohol & drugs, distraction & inattention, no seatbelt.