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The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of the scaffolding activity of instructors during driving lessons in a French urban traffic context. It focuses on three common and risky tasks: turning right, turning left and overtaking. Data were based on fine-grained longitudinal analyses of the records of five driving lessons involving four student-instructor dyads. The instructor scaffolding activity was analyzed throughout training – an original approach in the sphere of driving. The results show that the instructors implemented the learning process using an integrative approach based on ‘cutting’ and ‘decoupling’ the driving task rather than the step-by-step method recommended in the curriculum. They transferred the responsibility of the driving components to the students in a similar order: 1) technical maneuvers, 2) situation identification and 3) goals focusing on other road-users. As expected, student autonomy and efficiency in driving increased as the training progressed. However, at the end of training, uncertainties remained with regard to the execution of basic sub-goals in complex situation; moreover, the instructors were still in charge of the navigational task. The results were discussed and suggestions were made to improve instructor training with a view to increasing their efficiency in teaching students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given the prevalence of illegal mobile phone use while driving and reliance upon messaging campaigns in deterring the behavior, there is a need to explore to what extent comparative judgements may influence desired outcomes of such campaigns. This exploratory study investigated (a) the perceived relevance and influence of different mobile phone road safety campaigns within a sample of Queensland motorists who reported using their mobile phone while driving and (b) if these varied depending on whether participants believed that their crash risk whilst using a phone was higher (comparative pessimism), lower (comparative optimism) or similar to the same-age and sex driver., Methods: A total of 350 licensed drivers residing within Queensland (Australia) were included in this study, of which 200 reported using their hand-held phone on some occasion. Participation involved completing a 20-25 min online anonymous survey, which included viewing three mobile phone road safety campaigns (injury-based, sanction-based and humor) and responding to questions about the perceived relevance and impact of each campaign., Results: A total of 64 (32%) participants displayed comparative optimism, 50 displayed similar judgements (25%) and 86 (43%) exhibited comparative pessimism. First, it was found that the injury-based campaign was perceived to be significantly more relevant than the humor campaign. Second, whilst the relevance of each campaign did not vary as a function of group membership, the campaigns were significantly less relevant to those displaying comparative optimism relative to those with similar judgements and comparative pessimism. Finally, the injury-based campaign was perceived to be significantly more influential than the other campaigns. However, overall, participants displaying comparative optimism believed that they would be less influenced by the campaigns compared to those with comparative pessimism., Conclusions: Although preliminary, these findings suggest that low perceptions of risk may dilute or extinguish the desired behavioral outcomes of mobile phone road safety campaigns. Nonetheless, experimental research is needed to examine these effects directly.

Although driving risk taking appears to be mainly male, an increase in driving violations has been observed in recent years among French female drivers. The main objective of the present study was to explore the driving behaviors, psychological resources, and vulnerabilities of female and male driving offenders participating in a French driver rehabilitation program. The second aim was to examine to what extent females' and males' resources and vulnerabilities predicted their violations, engagement in distracting activities while driving, and prosocial driving behaviors. In the course of 110 rehabilitation programs, 1686 driving offenders (22.4% females) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Compared to male offenders, females were more likely to have received a higher education, be divorced, or separated, and drive fewer annual kilometers. They also had had fewer demerit points than males in the last three years. They were more empathetic but also more impulsive than their male counterparts and less self-compassionate and mindful. Regression and moderation analyses revealed that, across genders, certain psychological resources such as mindfulness can be considered as protective factors for driving offenders as they tend to decrease dangerous behaviors and increase prosocial ones, while vulnerabilities such as aggressive driving anger expression seem to have the opposite effect. Our results provide a better understanding of driving offenders' behavior and the influence of personal dispositions. They also open new interesting research avenues in the prevention of dangerous behaviors among this high-risk population., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In road traffic, mental overload often leads to a failure to notice new and distinctive stimuli. Such phenomenon is known as 'inattentional blindness'. Safe and efficient interaction between automated vehicles (AVs) and pedestrians is expected to rely heavily on external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs), a tool AVs are equipped with to communicate their intentions to pedestrians. This study seeks to explore the phenomenon of 'inattentional blindness' in the context of pedestrian-AV interactions. Specifically, the aim is to understand the effects of a warning eHMI on pedestrians' crossing decisions when they are engaged in a secondary task. In an experiment study with videos of pedestrian crossing scenarios filmed from the perspective of the crossing pedestrian, participants had to decide the latest point at which they would be willing to cross the road in front of an AV with an eHMI vs. an AV without an eHMI. Participants were also asked to predict the future behavior of the AV. 125 female and 9 male participants aged between 18 and 25 completed the experiment and a follow-up questionnaire. It was found that the presence of a warning eHMI on AVs contributes to a clearer understanding of pedestrians' inferences about the intention of AVs and helps deter late and dangerous crossing decisions made by pedestrians. However, the eHMI fail to help pedestrians avoid such decisions when they face a high mental workload induced by secondary task engagement., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Electric personal mobility devices (ePMDs), as well as crashes involving ePMDs, have been on the rise all over the world. The objectives of this study were: (a) to summarize the literature based on a narrow definition of ePMD (excluding e-bikes) and (b) to sort out the results to fit into a psychological and behavioral framework. The available literature was sorted into three main categories: the behaviors of ePMD drivers, their antecedents, and their consequences., Method: A narrative review of the literature was carried out in 101 documents published between January 2018 and July 2021., Results: Regarding behavioral antecedents, regulations vary from country to country. ePMDs were found to be used primarily by males under 40 years of age. We found no studies on driving skills or learning, driver education or training, or on the effect of health messages on attitudes and behavior. Regarding the main behaviors themselves, the drivers' reasons for focusing on ePMDs were our main focus (use for short distances and mainly for commuting, shopping, and leisure). Few of the studies we reviewed explored the interactions between ePMD drivers and other road users in natural or simulated environments, and the influence of road infrastructure on behavior has rarely been studied. Regarding health consequences, reported ePMD crashes resulted in serious head and limb injuries, especially head and leg fractures. The lack of personal protective equipment (e.g., a helmet) increased the severity of crashes. The conclusion highlights gaps in the literature from a psychological and behavioral point of view., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the links between primary psychopathic traits and driving behavior on the one hand, and driving anger expression on the other hand, through the specific contribution of empathy, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking, in a sample of French driving offenders., Methods: One thousand six hundred and eighty-six driving offenders completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire during 110 drivers' rehabilitation programs., Results: Primary psychopathic traits were positively associated with violations and aggressive driving anger expression, and negatively associated with prosocial driving behaviors. These associations were partially mediated by empathy, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking. In addition, the negative relation between primary psychopathic traits and adaptive anger expression was fully mediated by these three personal dispositions., Conclusion: Low empathy, high impulsiveness and sensation seeking are important characteristics of driving offenders with high psychopathic traits. Our results provide a better understanding of French driving offenders' risky behaviors and the role of primary psychopathic traits., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In road safety research, few studies have examined driving behaviour in chronic pain cohorts. The aim of this study was to investigate driving behaviour among drivers experiencing chronic pain. We compared individuals with chronic pain with age-gender matched healthy controls. Participants completed: (i) an anonymous online survey that included participant demographics, transport characteristics, self-reported driving behaviour, and pain characteristics (ii) a response-time hazard perception test and a verbal-response hazard prediction test for drivers, and (iii) a driving diary in which participants recorded their driving over two weeks. The results showed that participants with chronic pain were not significantly worse than controls for hazard perception and prediction test scores, self-reported attention-related errors, driving errors, driving violations, and involuntary distraction. Drivers with chronic pain did report significantly more driving lapses but this effect became non-significant when variables confounded with chronic pain, such as fatigue, were adjusted for. We also found that participants who reported particularly high levels of chronic pain performed worse in the hazard prediction test compared to the control group (and this effect could not be accounted for by other variables associated with chronic pain). In addition, participants with chronic pain reported significantly higher driving workload (mental demand, physical demand, effort, and frustration) compared with controls. The findings of this study provide new insights into driving behaviour in individuals with chronic pain and recommendations for future research in terms of driving assessment and self-regulation strategies are provided., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Chronic pain affects one in five Australians, and this could impact daily activities such as driving. Driving is a complex task, which requires the cognitive and physical ability to predict, identify, and respond to hazards to avoid crashing. However, research exploring the factors that influence safe driving behaviour for chronic pain individuals is limited. A qualitative study was conducted which involved semi-structured interviews with 23 people who had experienced persistent pain for at least three months and 17 health professionals who had experience working with individuals with chronic pain. The aim of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the experiences and challenges that people with chronic pain may have in their day-to-day driving. Participants were also asked about currently available driving assessments and strategies for individuals with chronic pain in the Australian healthcare system. The themes emerging from the interviews highlighted the need for clearer guidelines and educational materials regarding the impact of chronic pain on an individual's ability to drive. These themes included the physical and cognitive challenges resulting from chronic pain, as well as the potential side effects of pain medications. In addition, participants identified a number of self-regulation strategies and driving assessments currently available for monitoring safe driving behaviour in Australia. This study improves our understanding of how chronic pain affects driving behaviour, as reported by individuals experiencing the pain and relevant health professionals. Recommendations for improving the safety of drivers with chronic pain are discussed, including possible technological interventions and better public education., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Driving is a complex task that requires both the ability to rapidly identify potential hazards and respond appropriately to driving situations to avoid crashing. A great deal of research has sought to increase road safety by focusing on risky behaviours, very few of which have explored the effects of chronic pain (CP) on driving behaviour. This systematic review aimed to assess driving behaviour and motor vehicle crash risk in drivers with CP. Four databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO) were searched using relevant search terms. From 8543 studies, 22 studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in this review. A driving behaviour framework, based on the Michon model of driving behaviour, is proposed to map the effect of CP on driving behaviour. Findings suggest that drivers with CP engage in risk-compensatory strategies that are positive from a precautionary perspective. However, there is considerable variability in the use of such strategies across different samples, suggesting that there are significant barriers and facilitators involved in these decisions. Moreover, our findings provide some evidence that CP could increase crash risk and change driving behaviour. Evidence-based recommendations for practitioners and policymakers are proposed regarding the risks of driving in individuals experiencing CP. Future research into CP in driving could benefit from having a unified evidence-based approach to determine behaviour at all levels of the driving task., (Copyright © 2021 International Association for the Study of Pain.)

Introduction: Driving is a risky activity, and road users' behavior is one of the many factors that participate in increasing the risk of road-traffic crashes. Drivers must constantly adapt their behavior to the environment and control their vehicles, and must also anticipate the behavior of others, which may pose a threat to their own safety. Interactions between road users can therefore be stressful and elicit strong negative emotions. Psychological resources and vulnerabilities may be important in understanding how drivers perceive and respond to these driving interactions. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of empathy, self-compassion, personal distress, and alexithymia in both dangerous and prosocial driving behaviors., Method: Our sample (N = 550) of French drivers was recruited via snowball sampling. The drivers filled in paper-and-pencil questionnaires including the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), the French adaptation of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Short-FTEQ), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)., Results: After controlling for gender and age, regression analyses revealed that road traffic violations were positively predicted by alexithymia and negatively predicted by cognitive empathy; errors were positively predicted by alexithymia and personal distress, and prosocial driving was positively predicted by emotional and cognitive empathy. A two-step cluster analysis identified three groups of drivers: unsafe and psychologically vulnerable (n = 176), self-focused and less prosocial (n = 151), and safe and resourceful (n = 223)., Conclusions: Empathy seems to promote safe driving behaviors. Moreover, cognitive empathy appears to safeguard drivers against deliberate violations, whereas psychological vulnerabilities seem to increase the probability of engaging in dangerous behaviors. Practical Applications: These results could open new research avenues for the prevention of dangerous driving behaviors and the promotion of road safety., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to this article., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: The growth of the European market for road-freight transport has recently led to important changes. The growing number of foreign pavilion drivers transiting in France, which plays a bridging role among European countries, has influenced the lives of truck drivers by increasing competition, pressure on day-to-day activities, and constraints related to delivery deadlines. Adding this new pressure to those inherent in the road-freight transport sector has raised concerns, especially ones linked to levels of perceived stress by truck drivers., Method: With safety concerns in mind, we devised a questionnaire aimed at understanding how French truck drivers and non-French truck drivers, passing through four highway rest areas in France perceive stress, organizational factors, mental health, and risky driving behaviors. A sample of 515 truck drivers took part in the survey (260 French nationals), 97.9% of whom were male., Results: The results of a structural equation model indicated that perceived stress can increase self-reported risky driving behaviors among truck drivers. Furthermore, organizational factors and mental health were closely linked to perceived stress. Finally, some differences were found between French and non-French truck drivers with respect to mind-wandering and mental health, and to perceive driving difficulties to overcome and driving skills. Practical Applications: Several recommendations based on the findings are provided to policymakers and organizations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021.)

Introduction: Preliminary research has indicated that numerous drivers perceive their risk of traffic crash to be less than other drivers, while perceiving their driving ability to be better. This phenomenon is referred to as 'comparative optimism' (CO) and may prove to inhibit the safe adoption of driving behaviors and/or dilute perceptions of negative outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate comparative judgments regarding crash risk and driving ability, and how these judgments relate to self-reported speeding., Method: There were 760 Queensland motorists comprised of 51.6% males and 48.2% females, aged 16-85 (M = 39.60). Participants completed either a paper or online version of a survey. Judgments of crash risk and driving ability were compared to two referents: the average same-age, same-sex driver, and the average same-age, same-sex V8 supercar champion., Results: Drivers displayed greater optimism when comparing their crash risk and driving ability to the average same-age, same- sex driver (respectively, 72%, 72.4%), than when comparing to a V8 supercar champion (respectively, 60%, 32.9%). When comparing judgements of crash risk and driving ability to a similar driver, it appears that participants in the present study are just about as optimistic about their risk of crash (i.e. 72%) as they are optimistic about their driving ability (i.e. 74.2%)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Exploratory data reduction techniques, such as Factor Analysis (FA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), are widely used in questionnaire validation with ordinal data, such as Likert Scale data, even though both techniques are indicated to metric measures. In this context, this study presents an e-survey, conducted to obtain self-reported behaviors between Brazilian drivers (N = 1,354, 55.2% of males) and Portuguese drivers (N = 348, 46.6% of males) based on 20 items from the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) on a five-point Likert Scale. This paper aimed to examine DBQ validation using FA and PCA compared to Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) which is more indicative to use with Likert Scale data., Results: The results from all techniques confirmed the most replicated factor structure of DBQ, distinguishing behaviors as errors, ordinary violations, and aggressive violation. However, after Varimax rotation, CATPCA explained 11% more variance compared to FA and 2% more than PCA. We identified cross-loadings among the component of the techniques. An item changed its dimension in the CATPCA results but did not change the structural interpretability. Individual scores from dimension 1 of CATPCA were significantly different from FA and PCA. Individual scores from factor 1 of CATPCA were significantly different from FA and PCA. Practical applications: The CATPCA seems to be more advantageous in order to represent the original data and considering data constrains. In addition to finding an interpretable factorial structure, the representation of the original data is regarded as relevant since the factor scores could be used for crash prediction in future analyses., (Copyright © 2020 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To assess and explain finely drivers' a priori acceptance of highly automated cars, this study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Further, the current study sought to extend upon previous research to assess if intentions to use highly automated cars in the future differed according to country (i.e., Australia, France, & Sweden). These three countries were selected to enable comparisons of a priori acceptance between countries of differing levels of exposure to highly automated cars. Participants (N = 1563; 62.1 % male) were recruited in Australia (n = 558), France (n = 625), and Sweden (n = 380) to complete a 20 min online questionnaire. The findings differed according to country of residence. Individuals residing in France reported significantly greater intentions to use highly automated cars when they become publicly available compared to individuals residing in Australia and in Sweden. Of the TPB constructs entered at step 1 in the hierarchical regression, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (capability and controllability) were significant predictors of intentions to use highly automated cars for participants residing in Australia and France. For participants residing in Sweden, only attitudes and PBC-capability were significant predictors of intentions. Of the UTAUT constructs entered at step 2, performance expectancy and effort expectancy were significant predictors of intentions for participants residing in France and only performance expectancy a significant predictor of intentions for participants residing in both Australia and Sweden. Age and gender did not add to the prediction of intentions when entered at step 3. However, pre-existing knowledge was a significant negative predictor of intentions when entered at step 3 for participants residing in Australia. Overall, the findings found some support for applying the TPB and UTAUT to assess intentions to use highly automated cars in different countries. The findings also highlight differences in a priori acceptance across countries and the factors which predict such acceptance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In Brazil, driver aggressiveness in road traffic is a critical issue and could be an important contributing factor to the high number of traffic accidents. Because no instruments are available in Portuguese to register driving aggressiveness or driving anger in Brazil, we adapted English instruments into the Brazilian context. The aims of this study were to provide a Brazilian adaptation of the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) and to try to validate it by testing its psychometric properties and investigating its relationships with risky driving behaviors (DBQ), road accidents, driving sensation seeking, and hostility., Method: The Brazilian adaptations of the DAX, DBQ, the Driving Sensation Seeking Scale (DSSS) and the hostility Scale were administered to a sample of 512 undergraduate students (with a mean age of 23.7 years, 52.1% men)., Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Brazilian DAX (DAX-BR) items yielded a four-factor solution with 43 items, which obtained the best goodness-of-fit to the data. Cronbach's alpha for the DAX-BR factors ranged from 0.69 to 0.88. Other results on validity were a positive correlation (range 0.39-0.59) between the factors of the DAX-BR, DSSS, and DBQ., Conclusion: DAX-BR as the same structure as the original and is a reliable instrument for use with young drivers. Other studies should be conducted to further validate the DAX-BR in different types of populations such as older and more experienced drivers, professional drivers, and traffic regulation offenders whose driver's license has been taken away. Practical applications: This Brazilian version can be recommended for the assessment of driving anger expression in Brazil among young drivers in view of helping them driver more safely, and in particular to reduce traffic violations., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Driving an automobile is an important activity for the social participation of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Return to safe driving is usually addressed during rehabilitation, but we know little about driving behaviors in the years following TBI rehabilitation. Objective: To explore self-reported and objective (official driving records) post-rehabilitation driving behaviors and offenses in individuals with TBI: (a) having passed a driving evaluation, (b) who did not undergo a driving evaluation, and (c) non-injured controls. Methods: Cross-sectional design with 162 adults: (a) 48 participants with mild, moderate, or severe TBI whose drivers' license was suspended and reinstated following a driving evaluation during rehabilitation (TBI-DE; M = 42.2 years of age, SD = 11.5); (b) 24 participants with TBI who maintained their driving privileges without undergoing a driving evaluation (TBI-NE; M = 36.5 years of age, SD = 9.9); (c) 90 non-injured controls ( M = 43.8 years of age, SD = 11.4). Participants with TBI were recruited from seven rehabilitation centers, 2-3 years after the end of rehabilitation in the province of Quebec, Canada. During a telephone interview, data were obtained regarding self-reported driving: (a) habits; (b) self-efficacy; (c) anger expression; (d) sensation-seeking; (e) violations/errors; (f) accidents, driving offenses, and demerit points for the two-year interval predating the study. Objective data for driving offenses, accidents, and demerit points were obtained from the automobile regulatory body for the same period and for the two-year interval before the injury for the TBI groups. Results: Compared to non-injured controls, the TBI-DE group reported significantly lower scores for self-reported verbal aggressive expression of anger and driving violations/errors. Conversely, their official driving records showed significantly more demerit points for the last 2 years, and a significantly higher frequency of serious post-rehabilitation accidents (10), compared to the TBI-NE group (one) and the control group (none). Compared to pre-injury levels, individuals with TBI had significantly more demerit points post-rehabilitation. Conclusions: Individuals with TBI may underestimate risky driving behaviors even if they have been deemed fit to drive. Reduced self-awareness, memory, and dysexecutive problems following TBI could influence self-report of driving behaviors and explain discrepancies between self-reported and objective driving-related behaviors. Recommendations for research and practice are provided.

Vehicle-dynamics data, now more readily available thanks to moderate-cost, embedded data logging solutions, have been used to study drivers' behavior (acceleration, braking, and yaw rate) through naturalistic driving research aimed at detecting critical safety events. In addition, self-reported measures have been developed to describe these events and to assess various individual risk factors such as sensation seeking, lack of experience, anger expression while driving, and sensitivity to distraction. In the present study, we apply both of these methods of gathering driving data in order to assess risk proneness as accurately as possible. Data were obtained from 131 drivers, who filled in an introductory questionnaire pertaining to their driving habits. Their vehicles were equipped with an external, automatic data-capture device for approximately two months. During that period, the participants reported critical safety events that occurred behind the wheel by (a) pressing a button connected to the device and (b) describing the events in logbooks. They also filled in weekly questionnaires, and at the end of the participation period, a final questionnaire with various self-reported measures pertaining to their driving activity. We processed the data by (a) performing a multiple correspondence analysis of the characteristics assessed via the automatic data capture and self-reports, and (b) categorizing the participants via hierarchical clustering of their coordinates on the dimensions obtained from the correspondence analysis. This allowed us to identify a group of drivers (n = 43) at risk, based on several self-reported measures, in particular, their recent crash involvement, and the frequency of critical acceleration/deceleration events as an objective measure. However, the at-risk drivers did not themselves report more critical safety events than the other two groups., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The development of skills essential for avoiding crashes depends, in particular, on how drivers explain the causes of dangerous driving behaviors that resulted in a near crash. Here, we analyze causes attributed to such behaviors by car drivers in a self-report study. We explore the relationships between the dimensions of causal attribution, attribution of responsibility for the near crash, and drivers' comparative judgments., Method: For approximately two months, drivers used logbooks to document the near crashes that occurred during their trips. The causes attributed in those reports to driving behaviors resulting in near crashes were then coded by two judges on the basis of several causal dimensions. Drivers also estimated their own and an average driver's skill levels, and their risk of being involved, as a driver, in a crash., Results: We distinguished main types of causes of the near crashes reported. Drivers had a tendency to more often attribute external causes to their own behaviors resulting in near crashes than to those of others. The probability of attributing a controllable cause increased with overestimation of one's own skills and decreased with underestimation of one's own risk in comparison to other drivers. The probability of attributing a stable cause increased with underestimation of one's own risk., Conclusions: When they explained their own behaviors resulting in near crashes, drivers mentioned different causes than when they explained those of others. Overestimation of one's own skills as compared to other drivers could be beneficial for developing crash-avoiding skills, insofar as it seems to foster attribution of controllable causes. By contrast, underestimation of one's own risk could have the opposite effect., Practical Applications: Vulnerability to road risks should be stressed in driver's training and risk communication campaigns. However, self-confidence with respect to one's skills should not always be targeted as a safety problem., (Copyright © 2018 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Based on an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB, Ajzen, 1985, 1991), we conducted surveys in order to explain and predict violations at a railroad crossing, among pedestrians (n=153) and car drivers (n=151). Measures were made with respect to three chronologically related railroad crossing situations that varied in risk level. The situations were described in scenarios and depicted on photographs. The participants were recruited in the suburbs of Paris, at two automated railroad crossings with four half-barriers. We found that the pedestrians had stronger crossing intentions than did car drivers, especially at the more congested crossing of the two under study. For both categories of road users, intentions and the amount of intention variance explained by the extended TPB factors decreased significantly with risk level. In the most dangerous situations, risk-taking was the most unlikely and the least predictable Self-reported past frequency of crossing against safety warning devices was the main predictor of the intention to commit this violation again, especially among males, followed by the attitude and the injunctive norm in favor the violation. Moreover, car drivers were influenced in their crossing intentions by the descriptive norm. The presence of another vehicle on the tracks when the safety warning devices were activated was perceived not as facilitating, but as an additional risk factor. The discussion addresses the importance of taking into account these determinants of violations in conceiving countermeasures. Our findings could be especially useful for conceiving risk-communication campaigns., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: An experiment was performed in a driving simulator to investigate the impacts of practice, trust, and interaction on manual control recovery (MCR) when employing fully automated driving (FAD)., Background: To increase the use of partially or highly automated driving efficiency and to improve safety, some studies have addressed trust in driving automation and training, but few studies have focused on FAD. FAD is an autonomous system that has full control of a vehicle without any need for intervention by the driver., Method: A total of 69 drivers with a valid license practiced with FAD. They were distributed evenly across two conditions: simple practice and elaborate practice., Results: When examining emergency MCR, a correlation was found between trust and reaction time in the simple practice group (i.e., higher trust meant a longer reaction time), but not in the elaborate practice group. This result indicated that to mitigate the negative impact of overtrust on reaction time, more appropriate practice may be needed., Conclusions: Drivers should be trained in how the automated device works so as to improve MCR performance in case of an emergency., Application: The practice format used in this study could be used for the first interaction with an FAD car when acquiring such a vehicle., (© 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.)

Introduction: This study investigated the relation between co-presence and bicyclists' riding behavior. We assumed that the presence of peer riders would either facilitate or inhibit risky behaviors depending on bicyclists' perceptions of three traffic contexts conducive to risk taking (i.e., red-light, go straight, and turn to left)., Method: Young bicyclists (N=207) were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions (alone vs. with peers). They filled in a scenario-based questionnaire about their intentions to adopt risky behaviors in three specific traffic situations as well as their risk perception of these situations and their general self-perceived efficacy as a bicyclist. We hypothesized that the presence of peer riders engaged in a risky behavior will facilitate the intention to adopt risky behaviors in situations where group risk is evaluated as lower than individual risk. In opposition, the presence of peer riders engaged in a risky behavior will inhibit the intention to adopt risky behaviors in situations where group risk is evaluated as higher than individual risk., Results: The results confirmed the hypotheses., Practical Applications: The findings offer insights for developing new effective education and intervention programs in order to reduce the frequency of dangerous behavior among bicyclists., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.)

Crashes at level crossings are a major issue worldwide. In Australia, as well as in other countries, the number of crashes with vehicles has declined in the past years, while the number of crashes involving pedestrians seems to have remained unchanged. A systematic review of research related to pedestrian behaviour highlighted a number of important scientific gaps in current knowledge. The complexity of such intersections imposes particular constraints to the understanding of pedestrians' crossing behaviour. A new systems-based framework, called Pedestrian Unsafe Level Crossing framework (PULC) was developed. The PULC organises contributing factors to crossing behaviour on different system levels as per the hierarchical classification of Jens Rasmussen's Framework for Risk Management. In addition, the framework adapts James Reason's classification to distinguish between different types of unsafe behaviour. The framework was developed as a tool for collection of generalizable data that could be used to predict current or future system failures or to identify aspects of the system that require further safety improvement. To give it an initial support, the PULC was applied to the analysis of qualitative data from focus groups discussions. A total number of 12 pedestrians who regularly crossed the same level crossing were asked about their daily experience and their observations of others' behaviour which allowed the extraction and classification of factors associated with errors and violations. Two case studies using Rasmussen's AcciMap technique are presented as an example of potential application of the framework. A discussion on the identified multiple risk contributing factors and their interactions is provided, in light of the benefits of applying a systems approach to the understanding of the origins of individual's behaviour. Potential actions towards safety improvement are discussed., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Co-Drive on-board traffic information system is a complementary tool providing a dynamic management of transportation infrastructure and traffic as well as the diffusion of accurate real-time information about the road environment and motorists' driving behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine drivers' acceptability of Co-Drive by investigating the impact of traffic information provided via on-board display devices on motorists' beliefs and behaviour. 116 drivers (Men=46.6%), between 22 and 62 years, participated to a driving simulator experiment. They were randomly divided into two experimental groups according to the type of display device (Blackberry vs. iPhone) and a control group. The experimental groups were exposed to fourteen on-board traffic messages: warning (e.g., road crash), recommendation (e.g., the use of seat-belt) and comfort messages (e.g., the location of a gas station). They had to validate each message by pushing the headlight flashing button as soon as they understood it. At the end, all participants had to fill in a questionnaire. Drivers evaluated positively the on-board messages, expressed a high level of confidence in the on-board information and estimated having received it sufficiently in advance for them to adjust their behaviour. Regardless of the type of display device, they took more time to read warning and recommendation messages as compared to comfort messages and complied with them. Finally, those exposed to the messages adapted their behaviour easier to the road events than those who did not receive them. Practical implications of the results are discussed., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Today's increase in the number of cyclists has triggered a change in the interactions to be handled by road users. However, few studies have investigated crash risk perceived by cyclists interacting with other users, and few have compared cyclists' and drivers' perceptions of crash risk in bike-car interactions, the most dangerous situation for cyclists. Our aims here are to study perceived crash risk (no matter the seriousness of the crash) in six common road situations during which cyclist crashes are frequent and also to study cyclists' and drivers' perceived risk in bike-car interactions, in comparison to other interaction types (cyclist vs. cyclist and driver vs. driver). We predicted that perceived risk of being involved in a crash during a particular interaction would be greater when in interaction with a car than with a bike, and that drivers would perceive more risk than cyclists would. We also predicted that perceived risk would decrease with drivers' and cyclists' experience of their transportation mode and their perceived control over the interaction situation. We ran an online survey on two samples, experienced cyclists (N=336) and non-cyclist car drivers (N=92). Participants evaluated their personal risk - as cyclists or as drivers - of being involved in a road crash if they were in an interaction with a bike or a car for each of six risky road situations. Experience was measured in terms of years of vehicle driving and driven km; perceived control was measured in terms of perceived skill and responsibility for the risky behavior. The results validated our hypotheses: perceived risk was higher for car drivers than for cyclists and for interacting with a car than with a bike. The implications of these results for interventions to improve road safety for both cyclists and car drivers are discussed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The growing proportion of older adults in Australia is predicted to comprise 23% of the population by 2030. Accordingly, an increasing number of older drivers and fatal crashes of these drivers could also be expected. While the cognitive and physiological limitations of ageing and their road safety implications have been widely documented, research has generally considered older drivers as a homogeneous group. Knowledge of age-related crash trends within the older driver group itself is currently limited., Objective: The aim of this research was to identify age-related differences in serious road crashes of older drivers. This was achieved by comparing crash characteristics between older and younger drivers and between sub-groups of older drivers. Particular attention was paid to serious crashes (crashes resulting in hospitalisation and fatalities) as they place the greatest burden on the Australian health system., Method: Using Queensland Crash data, a total of 191,709 crashes of all-aged drivers (17-80+) over a 9-year period were analysed. Crash patterns of drivers' aged 17-24, 25-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80+ were compared in terms of crash severity (e.g., fatal), at fault levels, traffic control measures (e.g., stop signs) and road features (e.g., intersections). Crashes of older driver sub-groups (60-69, 70-79, 80+) were also compared to those of middle-aged drivers (40-49 and 50-59 combined, who were identified as the safest driving cohort) with respect to crash-related traffic control features and other factors (e.g., speed). Confounding factors including speed and crash nature (e.g., sideswipe) were controlled for., Results and Discussion: Results indicated that patterns of serious crashes, as a function of crash severity, at-fault levels, road conditions and traffic control measures, differed significantly between age groups. As a group, older drivers (60+) represented the greatest proportion of crashes resulting in fatalities and hospitalisation, as well as those involving uncontrolled intersections and failure to give way. The opposite was found for middle-aged drivers, although they had the highest proportion of alcohol and speed-related crashes when compared to older drivers. Among all older drivers, those aged 60-69 were least likely to be involved in or the cause of crashes, but most likely to crash at interchanges and as a result of driving while fatigued or after consuming alcohol. Drivers aged 70-79 represented a mid-range level of crash involvement and culpability, and were most likely to crash at stop and give way signs. Drivers aged 80 years and beyond were most likely to be seriously injured or killed in, and at-fault for, crashes, and had the greatest number of crashes at both conventional and circular intersections. Overall, our findings highlight the heterogeneity of older drivers' crash patterns and suggest that age-related differences must be considered in measures designed to improve older driver safety., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Drivers' tend to overestimate their competences, which may result in risk taking behavior. Providing drivers with feedback has been suggested as one of the solutions to overcome drivers' inaccurate self-evaluations. In practice, many tests and driving simulators provide drivers with non-evaluative feedback, which conveys information on the level of performance but not on what caused the performance. Is this type of feedback indeed effective in reducing self-enhancement biases? The current study aimed to investigate the effect of non-evaluative performance feedback on drivers' self-evaluations using a computerized hazard perception test. A between-subjects design was used with one group receiving feedback on performance in the hazard perception test while the other group not receiving any feedback. The results indicated that drivers had a robust self-enhancement bias in their self-evaluations regardless of the presence of performance feedback and that they systematically estimated their performance to be higher than they actually achieved in the test. Furthermore, they devalued the credibility of the test instead of adjusting their self-evaluations in order to cope with the negative feelings following the failure feedback. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these counterproductive effects of non-evaluative feedback., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Due to the innate complexity of the task drivers have to manage multiple goals while driving and the importance of certain goals may vary over time leading to priority being given to different goals depending on the circumstances. This study aimed to investigate drivers' behavioral regulation while managing multiple goals during driving. To do so participants drove on urban and rural roads in a driving simulator while trying to manage fuel saving and time saving goals, besides the safety goals that are always present during driving. A between-subjects design was used with one group of drivers managing two goals (safety and fuel saving) and another group managing three goals (safety, fuel saving, and time saving) while driving. Participants were provided continuous feedback on the fuel saving goal via a meter on the dashboard. The results indicate that even when a fuel saving or time saving goal is salient, safety goals are still given highest priority when interactions with other road users take place and when interacting with a traffic light. Additionally, performance on the fuel saving goal diminished for the group that had to manage fuel saving and time saving together. The theoretical implications for a goal hierarchy in driving tasks and practical implications for eco-driving are discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Promoting self-assessment accuracy among student drivers could help improve road safety for young novice drivers (Minimum Requirement for Driving Instructor Training, 2005). It is crucial to investigate the development of this ability in student drivers, although few studies have been conducted on this issue to our knowledge. The present study was aimed at examining the development of accuracy in student drivers' self-assessments. Students' self-ratings of their skills were compared to instructors' ratings based on the students' progression through the four steps of the French driver training course. The ratings were collected from two versions of an ad hoc questionnaire about students' ability to turn right, overtake another vehicle, and turn left in driving situations. The questionnaire included a three-part assessment scale (six driving subtasks required to perform the maneuver, the number of driving subtasks managed simultaneously, and the student's autonomy), demographic data, and the students' progress in the training program. The participants were 149 student drivers (58 men and 91 women) with a mean age of 22.2 years, and 38 professional driving instructors (36 men and 2 women) from 13 driving schools in Paris. The psychometric quality of the scale was satisfactory (α(s)>.9) concerning the self-ratings as well as the instructors' ratings in the three parts of the scale. As a whole and as expected, the self-ratings and the instructors' ratings became increasingly positive as the training progressed, on each part of the assessment scale. The students' and the instructors' ratings did not differ significantly between the three driving situations tested, nor between male and female students in each training step. Furthermore, students' overestimation of their driving skills was mainly observed on step 1, less on steps 2 and 3, but never on step 4. Thus, the students became rather aware of their current driving skills as the driver training course progressed. The results on the development of the self-assessment accuracy in driver training are discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Promoting self-assessment accuracy among student drivers could help improve the road safety for young novice drivers (Minimum Requirement for Driving Instructor Training, 2005). However, it is essential to first examine the time course of student drivers' assessments of their own driving skills. As a result, the present study examined the time course of student drivers' self-assessments in relation to their general driving abilities during the four steps of French driver training. We used Victoir et al.'s (2005) self-efficacy scale, which we translated into French. We set four goals for the present study: (1) to examine the psychometric qualities of this self-assessment scale, (2) to study the time courses of the students' self-assessments, (3) to investigate the relationship of these time courses to the number of driving hours that the students estimated that they needed to complete before taking the driving test, and (4) to compare the number of hours estimated by the students to the number of hours estimated by their driving instructors. In total, 150 students (58 men and 92 women) and 38 instructors from 13 driving schools in Paris participated in the present study. The self-assessment scale was composed of 12 items that were rated on a 7-point Likert scale that ranged from 1 (certainly so) to 7 (certainly not). The internal consistency of the scale was satisfactory (α=.88). The self-assessments became increasingly positive as the training progressed (at the beginning of training, M=3.45 vs. at the completion of the training, M=4.8). Globally, the men assessed themselves more positively than the women. However, no significant gender difference was observed at each training step. The students' self-ratings were negatively correlated with the number of driving hours that they estimated they still needed before taking the driving test. This number did not differ significantly from the number of hours that was estimated by the instructors at each training step throughout the training. The results describing the time course of the student drivers' self-assessments during driver training and this time course's correlation with the estimated number of driving hours still needed to take the driver test were discussed., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aims of this study were to provide further evidence of validity and reliability for the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) French adaptation (Villieux & Delhomme, 2008, Le Travail Humain, 71(4), 359-384) and to investigate the relationships between driving anger, how people express their anger while driving, and traffic violations among young drivers in France., Method: The French adaptations of the DAX, of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS), and of the Extended Violations Scale were administered to a sample of 314 drivers., Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the French DAX items yielded a three factors solution with 11 items, which obtained better goodness-of-fit to the data. Cronbach α reliabilities for DAX factors ranged from .71 to .79. Aggressive forms of anger expression correlated positively with driving anger and traffic violations whereas the 'Adaptive/Constructive Expression' factor correlated negatively with these variables., Discussion: Globally, our results replicated earlier findings and showed that DAX factors are useful predictors of self reported violations and complement established measures like the DAS., Impact on Industry: Implications for driver education and interventions were examined., (Copyright © 2010 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Speeding is one of the main factors of car crash-risk, but it also contributes to increasing air-pollution. In two studies we attempted to lead drivers to abide by speed limits using "reducing air-pollution" as a new argument. We presented prevention messages that highlighted the role of speeding in increasing "crash-risk", "air-pollution", or both (Studies 1 and 2). The messages were also positively or negatively framed (Study 2). Given that women are more concerned with environmental issues than are men, we expected the following hypotheses to be validated for women. The message with the "air-pollution" argument was expected to be evaluated more positively than the "crash-risk" message (H1). The "air-pollution" and "crash-risk and air-pollution" messages were expected to be more effective than the "crash-risk" message on the behavioral intention to observe speed limits (H2a) and on the perceived efficacy of speed-limit observance in reducing air-pollution (H2b; Studies 1 and 2). Furthermore, positive framing was expected to be more effective than negative framing (H3), and presenting a message to be more effective than presenting no message (H4; Study 2). Broadly, our results argue in favor of our hypotheses. However in Study 2, the effects of message framing did not allow us to conclude that negative or positive framing was superior. All in all, messages with the "air-pollution" argument were more effective at leading drivers to observe speed limits. Thus, environmental protection may be a fruitful route to explore for increasing road safety.

Introduction: This study focused on comparative judgments about speeding risks among young drivers who have a high risk of being involved in a traffic accident., Method: We examined (a) how these drivers assess their risk of sanctions and their risk of causing an automobile crash because of speeding in comparison to the estimated risks of other drivers, and (b) how realistic their comparative risk judgments are. We measured the relationship between the drivers' comparative risk judgments, self-reported speeding, and driving-related sensation-seeking. We hypothesized that (a) they would think they have less risk of sanctions and of causing a car accident than others, and (b) their comparative judgments of speeding risks would be linked to self-reported speeding and driving-related sensation-seeking. The study was based on a computerized questionnaire survey conducted with 3,002 young drivers (mean age=22.3) administered by professional investigators., Results: The results confirmed our hypotheses., Impact on Industry: In order to improve the effectiveness of prevention measures and to evaluate the effect of them, road-safety interventions should take into account comparative risk judgments about the targeted risk behavior.

Comparative optimism consists of projecting oneself into a situation that is advantageous in relation to others. This is observed in the estimation of future risks, as well as in the evaluation of prevention messages: people who consider themselves less exposed to risks but more receptive than others to prevention messages. Our experimental research, which included a sample of 523 people, examines the effect of prevention messages on comparative optimism regarding future risks such as automobile accidents, domestic accidents or infectious diseases. Three independent variables were tested: the framing of messages, the context of judgement, and the target of comparison. The framing of messages consisted of centering the arguments on losses resulting from the absence of prevention or on the benefits of prevention. The context allowed for the evaluation of the perception of risks with or without a prevention message or reading instructions. People should have indicated if they were more or less likely to be at risk compared to someone close to them (a friend) or to an abstract entity (someone of their generation). Our study shows that the preliminary attention to prevention messages diminishes comparative optimism relative to future risks when the target of comparison is abstract, and the instruction increases the personal implication; it increases the comparative optimism regarding future risks when the comparison is to someone familiar and the messages are framed negatively. The discussion relates to the applications of these results for the conception and evaluation of prevention messages.

Research into self-evaluation of driving abilities has shown that drivers in North America and Europe consider that their driving abilities to be superior to those of the average driver. This survey (N = 454), carried out using a questionnaire, has confirmed this phenomenon in France where about 60% of the subjects rated themselves superior to other drivers in general. If this result is interpreted as a bias towards superior conformity of self, the study appears to show a bias with regard to conformity to driving regulations (assessed in terms of the frequency of driving offences committed). This interpretation would thus confirm the hypothesis that all subjects, whether they consider themselves superior or not to other drivers in general, believe they commit fewer offences than other drivers in general. The consequences of such a bias for the effectiveness of road safety campaigns and for drivers' risk-taking are discussed.

In the last five years, 7 teams, members of a surgical club of lower Normandy, have performed 1,136 colon procedures, including 247 for severe diverticular disease. The patients were grouped in two categories according to the severity of the complications presented: 159 sub-acute complications including 137 acute cases of sigmoiditis (diverticulitis, peri-colic micro abscesses, pseudo-tumoral forms) and 22 fistulae, 88 severe acute complications including 60 generalized peritonites, 12 huge abscesses, 9 occlusions and 7 hemorrhages. The total post-operative mortality is 6 p. cent. It is quite different in the surgery of sub-acute complications (0.6%) and the surgery of acute severe complications (16%). The total morbidity reaches 14.8 p. cent. Complications are more frequent and more severe in acute forms (18.5%) than in subacute forms (10.5%). At long term, 10.8 p. cent of the patients operated upon, kept a permanent colostomy (25 p. cent in acute forms vs 2.3 p. cent in subacute forms). 89.2 p. cent have a normal digestive tract following treatment (97.7 p. cent in subacute forms and 53 p. cent in acute forms).