tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/driver-safety-13479/articles
Driver safety – The Conversation
2023-03-06T02:47:22Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/200352
2023-03-06T02:47:22Z
2023-03-06T02:47:22Z
When is it time to stop driving? Will mandatory assessments of older drivers make our roads safer?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513063/original/file-20230302-15-plcira.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=936%2C682%2C4020%2C2678&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is a nation of car owners with a <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians/contents/demographic-profile">rapidly ageing population</a>. Drivers aged over 70 have nearly <a href="https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/road-users/older-people">doubled in number</a> in the past 20 years. The trend is the same for <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/Annual_2018_TablesOnly.xlsx">hospitalisations and fatalities</a> due to crashes involving older drivers. </p>
<p>Ageing itself is not a barrier to safe driving. Even so, our ability to drive safely can become compromised as we get older. It can be difficult to know what to do if you have concerns about someone’s driving. </p>
<p>So, how can we ensure ageing family members and friends are safe on the roads? And should regular assessment of drivers over a certain age be mandatory? Some states and territories require it, others don’t.</p>
<h2>What affects our ability to drive safety?</h2>
<p>Driving is a complex task. A driver must be alert and respond quickly to any changes, especially in an emergency. </p>
<p><a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/drugs-and-driving/">Substance usage</a>, <a href="https://www.aaa.asn.au/research/fatigued-driving/">fatigue</a> and <a href="https://www.aaa.asn.au/research/distracted-driving/">distraction</a> all affect a person’s ability to drive safely. So, too, do many of the changes that happen with advancing age. </p>
<p>Declining mobility, eyesight or hearing can impact some of the more obvious skills needed for safe driving. This might include the ability to turn and check mirrors, or to hear other vehicles. Advancing age can also lead to a decline in more hidden skills of safe driving, including our ability to plan effectively, think quickly and react appropriately. </p>
<p>Many older people are able to keep driving safely, though, and recognising the signs of a potential problem can be tricky. However, there are practical steps individuals, families and friends can take to ensure the safety of older drivers and other road users. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Elderly woman behind the wheel of a car gives a thumbs-up" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513082/original/file-20230302-21-xfk2ca.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Deciding when a person should stop driving can be challenging, especially when they don’t think there’s any problem.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>What rules apply around Australia?</h2>
<p>Licensing requirements for senior drivers vary a lot among Australian states and territories. </p>
<p>Broadly speaking, drivers aged 75 years and older must have a medical assessment each year to keep their licence in <a href="https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/ontheroad-65plus/licences.html#:%7E:text=75Plus,to%20take%20to%20your%20doctor">New South Wales</a>, <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/seniors/transport/senior-drivers/safe-driving">Queensland</a>, <a href="https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/seniors">Western Australia</a> (over 80) and the <a href="https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/s/article/act-driver-licence-information-tab-medical-conditions">ACT</a>. In <a href="https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/licensing/health_and_driving/driving_as_you_age">Tasmania</a> senior drivers are asked to volunteer information about any conditions that might negatively affect their driving. </p>
<p>People can drive freely up to any age in <a href="https://www.police.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/955033/Older-Road-Users-Fitness-To-Drive-Fact-Sheet.pdf">South Australia</a>, <a href="https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/health-and-driving/how-ageing-can-affect-your-driving#:%7E:text=In%20Victoria%2C%20you're%20allowed,health%20could%20affect%20your%20driving">Victoria</a> and the <a href="https://roadsafety.nt.gov.au/safety-topics/seniors">Northern Territory</a>. It’s up to the individual to ensure they’re <a href="https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/health-and-driving/information-for-health-professionals/medical-review-process">medically safe to drive</a>. </p>
<p>So, do these differences between states have a major impact on the safety of older drivers? Not really. Some <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2003.11.003">early research</a> showed older drivers in jurisdictions with more stringent rules (such as NSW) were no less likely to be injured or killed in a traffic crash than people in states with voluntary reporting requirements (such as Victoria). </p>
<p>This finding points to the need for multi-tiered – rather than simply age-based – assessment for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2006.06.009">identifying older at-risk drivers</a>. It requires the involvement of a range of health practitioners in more elaborate types of assessment.</p>
<p>Despite these differences in rules and regulations, a common theme is to ensure a person can drive safely, independently and legally. Exactly what that means, and how it is evaluated, is decidedly less clear. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/busted-5-myths-about-30km-h-speed-limits-in-australia-160547">Busted: 5 myths about 30km/h speed limits in Australia</a>
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<h2>How do you know if someone is safe to drive?</h2>
<p>There is no standard way to test a person’s fitness to drive. </p>
<p>National <a href="https://austroads.com.au/publications/assessing-fitness-to-drive/ap-g56/assessing-fitness-to-drive-general-guidance/impact-of-medical-conditions-on-driving#aftd-a-2-2-7">driver medical guidelines</a> outline minimum standards that people should meet to be considered medically safe to drive. The guidelines do not outline how medical safety is assessed nor how we can help older people recognise the signs of declining driving ability. They also do not provide advice on exactly what tests can be used. </p>
<p>Requiring older drivers to complete an advanced driving test (such as on a closed track) would clearly show whether they are fit to drive. However, these tests are very costly, impractical and difficult. </p>
<p>Cognitive screening tests are a practical stand-in solution to test for a decline in many functions needed for driving, such as vision, cognition and motor abilities. The tests range in difficulty from the simpler <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-clock-drawing-test-98619">pen-and-paper clock drawing</a> or the <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/dementia-screening-tool-the-trail-making-test-98624">trail-making test</a>, which can be done at home, to the more complicated <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/alzheimers-and-montreal-cognitive-assessment-moca-98617">Montreal Cognitive Assessment</a>. While these tests are not able to diagnose medical disorders, they reliably indicate whether a person has dementia. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jgs.18157">study in Japan</a> found a decrease in motor vehicle collisions after a cognitive screening test became mandatory during licence renewals for its relatively <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191025-how-japan-is-handling-more-ageing-drivers">high proportion of drivers over 75</a>. As this test also assessed whether they were likely to have dementia, it helped identify and remove the most impaired drivers. This approach might help provide a standard way to quickly identity Australian drivers who are most at risk.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-older-people-and-those-with-dementia-have-their-licences-revoked-57667">Should older people and those with dementia have their licences revoked?</a>
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<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1004804557548015621"}"></div></p>
<h2>Not being able to drive also has impacts</h2>
<p>For many older Australians, having a driver’s licence provides a critical link between health outcomes, mobility and social connectedness. It’s worth noting the Japanese study found cycling and pedestrian injuries increased in the age group affected by mandatory cognitive testing. This was <a href="https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/research-news/20230127140000.html">attributed</a> to the enforced change in their options for getting around. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-all-have-to-walk-across-roads-why-arent-pedestrians-a-focus-of-road-safety-161183">We all have to walk across roads — why aren't pedestrians a focus of road safety?</a>
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<p>Therefore, determining whether an older person is fit to drive should involve proactive conversation, with the goal of enabling them to keep driving for as long as it is safe. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.police.vic.gov.au/older-drivers">easy ways</a> to help older drivers remain confident and safe include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>planning trips in advance</p></li>
<li><p>driving in daytime only</p></li>
<li><p>avoiding peak-hour traffic </p></li>
<li><p>getting regular check-ups that test sight, hearing and mobility. </p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Older man driving at night" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513092/original/file-20230302-29-pcm01y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Driving at night is typically more challenging than daytime driving, especially once eyesight has deteriorated.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Another thing to consider is that older drivers are more likely to drive <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2022/01/12/aging-out-older-drivers-driving-older-cars-are-at-the-greatest-risk-of-getting-into-fatal-crashes/?sh=5ca546ca64b2">old vehicles</a> that lack the technology that keeps us safe before, during and after a crash. Choosing a vehicle that provides the <a href="https://www.ancap.com.au/">best protection</a> makes a difference – drive the safest one you can afford. </p>
<p>If driving has become too difficult or unsafe, it is important that family and friends help with the transition from driving. There’s a need to consider how life can best continue as normal without the use of a vehicle. This might involve conversations about how to access community services and other ways of getting around, whether public or private transport. </p>
<p>Advancing age does not always mean a loss of driving ability. Nonetheless, recognising warning signs will help all drivers safely use the roads. Regular health assessments that include cognitive screening tests, making proactive changes in driving practices and choosing the safest vehicle possible are all practical ways we can help ensure older drivers stay safe.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200352/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amie Hayley is supported by an Al and Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship from the Rebecca L. Cooper Foundation in her role at Swinburne University of Technology. She is the Assistant Treasurer at the International Council for Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS), and is the Founding Chair of the working group for Driver Monitoring Systems.
She has previously received grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Department of Transport, the Department of Health and Human Services and Cannvalate. She currently receives federal funding from the Department of Infrastructure (Office of Road Safety), and industry funding from Seeing Machines Ltd. </span></em></p>
Deciding when someone no longer has the ability to drive safely can be difficult – and it’s not just a matter of age. But there are practical steps we can take to ensure older drivers are safe.
Amie Hayley, Rebecca L. Cooper Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellow and Senior Research Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/193462
2023-01-02T19:44:23Z
2023-01-02T19:44:23Z
Why do people tailgate? A psychology expert explains what’s behind this common (and annoying) driving habit
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494375/original/file-20221109-11-48ns1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C998%2C664&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/angry-man-driving-vehicle-without-seat-164132411">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s hot, you’ve had a battle to get the kids in the car, and now you’re going to be late for the family lunch. </p>
<p>You turn onto the freeway only to get stuck behind a slow driver in the fast lane. You want them to move over or speed up, so you drive a little closer. Then closer. Then so close it would be difficult to avoid hitting them if they stopped suddenly. </p>
<p>When that doesn’t work you honk the horn. Nothing. Finally, frustrated, you dart into the left lane and speed past them.</p>
<p>Today was one of those days where many small annoyances have led to you being aggressive on the road. This isn’t how you usually drive. So why was today different?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tailgating-is-stressful-and-dangerous-our-research-examines-ways-it-might-be-stopped-173915">Tailgating is stressful and dangerous. Our research examines ways it might be stopped</a>
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<h2>Aren’t holidays supposed to be relaxing?</h2>
<p>Holiday driving may look a lot different to your usual commute. It may involve driving longer distances, or involve more frequent driving with more passengers than usual in the car. </p>
<p>Holiday driving comes with <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/road_deaths_australia_monthly_bulletins">increased risk</a> (road deaths tend to spike during the holidays). That’s why news bulletins often carry the latest “road toll” figures around public holidays. </p>
<p>But whether you drive differently to normal comes down to the value you place on your <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-4575(03)00037-X">time</a>, rather than when you drive. </p>
<p>If you are in a rush, your time becomes more precious because you have less of it. If something, or someone, infringes on that time, you may become frustrated and aggressive.</p>
<p>This is basic human psychology. You can get angry when someone gets in the way of what you are trying to achieve. You get angrier when you think they are acting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.106.1.59">unfairly or inappropriately</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/road-rage-why-normal-people-become-harmful-on-the-roads-60845">Road rage: why normal people become harmful on the roads</a>
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<p>Usually before you respond, you evaluate what has happened, asking who is at fault and if they could have done things differently. </p>
<p>But when you are driving, you have less time and resources to make detailed evaluations. Instead, you make quick judgements of the situation and how best to deal with it. </p>
<p>These judgements can be based on how you are <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.81.1.146">feeling</a> at the time. If you are frustrated before getting in the car, you are likely to be easily frustrated while driving, blame other drivers more for your circumstances, and express this through aggressive driving.</p>
<p>Tailgating and speeding <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00063-8">are examples</a> of this aggression.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1573200836691660802"}"></div></p>
<p>A driver frustrated by the perception that someone is driving too slowly, or in the wrong lane, might speed past the offending driver, and maintain this speed for some time <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2010.551184">after the event</a>. </p>
<p>Aggressive tailgating may be seen as reprimanding the driver for their perceived slow speeds, or to encourage them to move out of the way. </p>
<p>The problem is, when you are angry, you underestimate the risk of these behaviours, while <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.81.1.146">over-estimating</a> how much control you have of the situation. It’s not worth the risk. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1513271113">study of real-world driving</a> shows both tailgating and speeding increase the odds of being in a crash more than if driving while holding or dialling a mobile phone. Drivers who are tailgating or speeding have a 13 to 14-fold increase in odds of being in a crash, compared to when they are driving more safely.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-people-drive-differently-in-the-rain-heres-what-the-research-says-181777">Do people drive differently in the rain? Here's what the research says</a>
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<h2>Here’s what you can do</h2>
<p>One way to stay safe on the roads these holidays is to recognise the situations that may lead to your own dangerous behaviours. </p>
<p>The Monash University Accident Research Centre has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2022.07.011">developed a program</a> to help drivers reduce their aggressive driving. This helps drivers develop their own strategies to stay calm while driving, recognising that one strategy is unlikely to suit every driver. </p>
<p>Almost 100 self-identified aggressive drivers <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437522000998?via%3Dihub">developed</a> four types of tips to remain calm while driving:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>before driving:</strong> tips include better journey planning, allowing enough time for the trip and recognising how you are feeling before you get in the car </p></li>
<li><p><strong>while driving:</strong> this includes travelling in the left lane to avoid slow drivers in the right lane, or pulling over when feeling angry</p></li>
<li><p><strong>in your vehicle:</strong> such as deep breathing or listening to music</p></li>
<li><p><strong>‘rethinking’ the situation:</strong> acknowledge that in some situations, the only thing you can change is how you think about it. For example, ask yourself is it worth the risk? Or personalise the other driver. What if that was your loved one in the car in front?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Four months after completing the program, drivers reported less anger and aggression while driving than before the program. The strategies that worked best for these drivers were listening to music, focusing on staying calm and rethinking the problem.</p>
<p>A favourite rethink was a 5x5x5 strategy. This involved asking yourself whether the cause of your anger will matter in five minutes, five hours or five days. If it is unlikely to matter after this time, it is best to let go. </p>
<p>The holidays are meant to be relaxing and joyous. Let’s not jeopardise that through reactions to other drivers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193462/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Stephens works for Monash University Accident Research Centre.
The program to reduce aggressive driving referred to in this article was made possible with the support of the ACT Road Safety Fund</span></em></p>
It’s the holidays and for many of us, that means driving. Here’s how to keep your cool on the road this summer.
Amanda Stephens, Senior Research Fellow Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/175066
2022-03-27T22:45:57Z
2022-03-27T22:45:57Z
Speeding is more common among people regularly exposed to content encouraging speeding
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447426/original/file-20220220-22-1vv5nrp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C22%2C4970%2C3308&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Speeding is more common among people regularly exposed to material encouraging speeding, our new study suggests.</p>
<p>Our research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2022.2049259?src=">Traffic Injury Prevention</a>, found self-reported exposure to content promoting or encouraging speeding on social media and mass media (e.g., movies, television or gaming) was higher in speeders compared to non-speeders.</p>
<p>Speeders also believed their friends more frequently engaged in speeding.</p>
<p>Speeding is a major road safety problem that contributes to many injuries and fatalities in <a href="https://theconversation.com/speeding-drivers-keep-breaking-the-law-even-after-fines-and-crashes-new-research-161672">Australia</a>. </p>
<p>So it’s important to examine factors that may encourage speeding and contribute to making it socially acceptable. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/speeding-drivers-keep-breaking-the-law-even-after-fines-and-crashes-new-research-161672">Speeding drivers keep breaking the law even after fines and crashes: new research</a>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441202/original/file-20220118-15-5zjhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Our survey revealed a trend between increasing exposure to speeding and self-reported speeding in the real world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Self-reported exposure levels significantly higher in speeders</h2>
<p>For our study, a total of 628 Queensland motorists (263 men and 365 women aged between 17 and 88 years) completed an online anonymous survey. </p>
<p>The survey included questions about:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>their own speeding behaviour (specifically, how often they exceed the speed limit by more than 10km/h)</p></li>
<li><p>how often they believe they saw content on social media and mass media (such as TV, movies or gaming) encouraging or promoting speeding</p></li>
<li><p>how often they thought their friends exceeded the speed limit.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, the study found:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>half of the sample admitted they exceeded the speed limit more than 10% of the time they drive</p></li>
<li><p>on average, participants believed they came across social media content encouraging speeding behaviour 29% of the time while using social media</p></li>
<li><p>on average, they believed they came across mass media content encouraging speeding behaviour 40% of the time</p></li>
<li><p>on average, they believed their friends exceeded the speed limit 39% of the time</p></li>
<li><p>self-reported exposure levels across all these sources (mass media, social media and friends) were significantly higher in speeders than non-speeders.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452661/original/file-20220317-8693-855oyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We split the sample into quartiles, based on how often they reported exceeding the speed limit. This demonstrated increasing exposure corresponded with increasing frequency of speeding behaviour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/caught-red-handed-automatic-cameras-will-spot-mobile-using-motorists-but-at-what-cost-125638">Caught red-handed: automatic cameras will spot mobile-using motorists, but at what cost?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Unpacking the link between what we see and how we act</h2>
<p>Our findings suggest many people believe they are regularly exposed to pro-speeding content online or via friends, and this might increase their risk of speeding in the real world. </p>
<p>The findings are consistent with studies showing social media, mass media and one’s peers can all <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.05.023">influence</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2010.07.011">subsequent</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294117697090">risk-taking</a> <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/5450/">behaviour</a>.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, further research is needed. We are yet to clarify whether increasing exposure to this kind of content directly increases the propensity to speed. Conversely, it could be that people who engage in speeding seek out pro-speeding material because they like it, or notice it more than others because they’re more attuned to it.</p>
<p>We also need to determine if people’s estimations of how often they’re exposed to such images are accurate. </p>
<p>For example, the respondents’ estimation of pro-speeding messages was extremely high, which raises questions about whether some individuals are more sensitive to online content that reinforces pre-existing attitudes or behaviour.</p>
<p>In other words, they might be more likely to notice, process and remember speeding messages, simply because they have favourable attitudes towards speeding or regularly engage in it.</p>
<p>There is clearly a need for future research to examine the impact of online messaging on our attitudes and behaviour. This could help determine how what we see on TV, hear from friends and consume on social media relates to real world driving behaviour.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441203/original/file-20220118-15-9dcndq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On average, participants believed they came across mass media content (such as via television or gaming) encouraging speeding behaviour 40% of the time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175066/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Freeman works at the University of the Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration (USCRSRC) that receives funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Verity Truelove receives funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC). </span></em></p>
Our findings suggest many people believe they are regularly exposed to pro-speeding content online or via friends, and this might increase their risk of speeding in the real world.
Kayla Stefanidis, Research Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast
James Freeman, Research Professor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Michelle Nicolls, PhD Candidate, University of the Sunshine Coast
Verity Truelove, Senior Research Fellow in Road Safety Research, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/174869
2022-01-26T19:03:08Z
2022-01-26T19:03:08Z
Police location sites on Facebook are helping drivers avoid detection for drug driving
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441433/original/file-20220119-21-91pke9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C59%2C5000%2C3270&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The internet allows us to check the surf, the news, traffic on the road, what our friends have been up to – all before getting out of bed. While this has made several aspects of life easier, it can also come at a cost. </p>
<p>The last decade has seen a growing number of Facebook groups and pages dedicated to revealing the locations of police traffic operations. </p>
<p>These Facebook communities rely on users to alert the group or page when they drive past a random breath testing or roadside drug testing operation, as well as speed and mobile phone cameras. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925753521004410?dgcid=author">study</a>, published recently in the journal Safety Science, aimed to find out more about how these sites were being used by a sample of 890 people who take drugs.</p>
<p>We found 25% of them reported using police location groups or pages on Facebook; of these people, 43% reported using the sites to avoid roadside drug testing operations (while others used the pages for other purposes, like traffic updates and avoiding speed cameras).</p>
<p>Our results suggest police location groups and pages on Facebook are helping drivers avoid detection for drug driving – a traffic offence recognised as contributing to <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/road_trauma_australia_2020_statistical_summary.pdf">106 fatal injuries</a> in 2019 in Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/speeding-drivers-keep-breaking-the-law-even-after-fines-and-crashes-new-research-161672">Speeding drivers keep breaking the law even after fines and crashes: new research</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What we did</h2>
<p>With <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/road_trauma_australia_2020_statistical_summary.pdf">increases in drug-related traffic fatalities</a> across Australia in the last decade, we chose to focus our study on drug driving behaviours, and investigate how people use Facebook police location groups and pages to avoid roadside drug testing operations. </p>
<p>Our study involved 890 Queensland motorists who reported consuming either marijuana, MDMA and/or methamphetamines in the past 12 months. These are the three drugs tested for on roadside drug tests across all Australian states. </p>
<p>Participants were recruited through Facebook and completed an online survey.</p>
<p>We found:</p>
<ul>
<li>59% of the sample (521 participants) reported at least one instance of drug driving in the previous 12 months</li>
<li>25% of the sample (219 participants) reported using Facebook police location communities</li>
<li>of these 219 participants, almost two-thirds (142 participants) were drug drivers, however only 43% (94 participants) reported using the police location information to avoid roadside drug testing</li>
<li>other reasons for using these sites included for traffic updates, viewing locations of speed and mobile phone cameras and to avoid random breath testing sites.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3308%2C2194&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a car looks at his phone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3308%2C2194&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440577/original/file-20220113-21-ga9qbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While not all offenders use these sites, there is a small proportion of drug drivers who do use the sites to actively avoid being detected.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How drivers use police location sites is important</h2>
<p>How drivers use police location sites is more important than whether they use them or not. Some drivers use them to actively avoid roadside drug testing, while others use them for different reasons (such as for traffic updates or information on speed cameras).</p>
<p>We found those who use these police location Facebook sites aren’t engaging in drug driving any more than people who don’t use these sites at all. And both groups considered it unlikely they would be caught if they were to drug drive. </p>
<p>A difference was found, however, when we compared those who reported using police location communities to avoid roadside drug testing and those who used the sites for a different reason (such as traffic updates or speed camera location information).</p>
<p>Those who used the police location Facebook sites to avoid roadside drug testing: </p>
<ul>
<li>offended more in the past (75 drug driving events on average, compared to 31 drug driving events)</li>
<li>reported being more likely to offend again in the future </li>
<li>viewed the Facebook police location posts more frequently (“few times a week” vs “few times per month”) and</li>
<li>were more likely to believe the posts were accurate and reliable (a score of 6.57 out of 10 vs 5.20 out of 10). </li>
</ul>
<h2>What does this mean for road safety?</h2>
<p>This study provides the first steps in exploring the use of police location sites on Facebook in relation to drug driving. </p>
<p>While not all offenders use these sites, there is a small proportion of drug drivers who do use the sites to actively avoid being detected. </p>
<p>This suggests the use of police location sites is a problematic area that needs more research to see how to further prevent drug driving. </p>
<p>Overall, participants considered it “unlikely” they would be caught for drug driving, regardless of whether they used Facebook police location groups and pages or not. </p>
<p>This is a significant problem as a core component of deterrence theory requires that for the legal punishment to effectively deter people, they need to believe the chance of being caught to be high.</p>
<p>Regardless of police location pages, there remains a fundamental need to increase motorists’ perceptions of being caught for drug driving. </p>
<p>This may be achieved through increasing awareness of drug testing operations when they are occurring on the roadside.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437521001687">A recent study</a> by the same research team found even just driving past a roadside drug testing operation two or more times within a year increased perceptions of being caught for drug driving. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1410748396298596354"}"></div></p>
<p>Many motorists, however, are not aware that roadside drug testing often occurs alongside random breath testing.</p>
<p>Increasing roadside drug testing related signage during active operations may prove to be an important ingredient for enhancing the impact of roadside operations. </p>
<p>Taken together, while police location pages may prove to be a cause for concern, motorists’ already low estimations of being caught should not be overlooked. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-approach-to-cut-death-toll-of-young-people-in-road-accidents-25372">A new approach to cut death toll of young people in road accidents </a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174869/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Mills receives funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Freeman receives funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Verity Truelove receives funding from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC). </span></em></p>
Our results suggest police location groups and pages on Facebook are helping drivers avoid detection for drug driving - with potentially fatal consequences.
Laura Mills, PhD Candidate, University of the Sunshine Coast
James Freeman, Research Professor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Verity Truelove, Senior Research Fellow in Road Safety Research, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/172327
2021-11-24T13:07:39Z
2021-11-24T13:07:39Z
Drivers and hand-held mobile phones: extending the ban won’t solve the problem – here’s why
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433456/original/file-20211123-15-14hsu90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C5742%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-woman-using-mobile-phone-while-689940928">wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The laws around mobile phone use while driving are to be tightened under new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/any-use-of-hand-held-mobile-phone-while-driving-to-become-illegal">UK government plans</a> to make any use of a hand-held phone illegal. From 2022, mobile phone law will be extended to cover taking photos or videos, scrolling through playlists or playing games while driving or stationary, say, at a traffic light. Use of a mobile phone ‘hands-free’, however, will still be allowed – even though research shows it is <a href="https://theconversation.com/car-firms-are-still-pushing-hands-free-phone-tech-despite-how-dangerous-it-is-75419">equally distracting</a>.</p>
<p>Currently, UK drivers using a hand-held mobile phone can only be prosecuted if it can be proven that they were using it for an “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/expanding-the-offence-of-using-a-hand-held-mobile-phone-while-driving-to-include-non-connected-mobile-application-actions/outcome/using-a-mobile-phone-while-driving-consultation-outcome">interactive communicative function</a>” such as calling or texting. The change in the law closes this loophole, and makes it easier for distracted drivers to be prosecuted, fined £200, and given six points on their licence.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1461840602845356039"}"></div></p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/expanding-the-offence-of-using-a-hand-held-mobile-phone-while-driving-to-include-non-connected-mobile-application-actions/outcome/using-a-mobile-phone-while-driving-consultation-outcome">the UK government</a>, 81% of people who responded to its consultation supported the move. This aligns with findings from roadside breakdown group RAC, whose <a href="https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/features/rac-report-on-motoring-2021/">annual report</a> on motoring regularly shows that mobile phone use by other drivers is a top concern for motorists.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.brake.org.uk/files/downloads/Reports/Direct-Line-Safe-Driving/In-vehicle-distraction-Direct-Line-Safe-Driving-Report-2019.pdf">data also shows</a> that many drivers who claim to support the law nevertheless continue to use their phones while behind the wheel. <a href="https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/features/rac-report-on-motoring-2021/">One survey</a> found that more than a quarter of drivers admitted to hand-held mobile phone use, at least occasionally. </p>
<p>So why do drivers who support the law, and acknowledge the dangers of distracted driving, still use their phones? The answer partly lies in driver attitudes and biases. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/car-firms-are-still-pushing-hands-free-phone-tech-despite-how-dangerous-it-is-75419">Car firms are still pushing hands-free phone tech – despite how dangerous it is</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What the evidence tells us</h2>
<p>Research <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-15150-012">consistently shows</a> that most drivers consider themselves to be above average at driving. Statistically speaking, of course, this is highly unlikely. But this “self-enhancement bias” gives drivers a rationale for believing <em>their</em> mobile phone use is safe, while condemning others for doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Phone-using drivers <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/appliedcognition/files/2015/10/Why-drivers-use-cell-phones-and-support-legislation-to-restrict-this-practice.pdf">justify their behaviour</a> by claiming they are able <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28189943/">to modify</a> their mobile phone use dependent on the driving situation, such as limiting use on busy roads. They believe they are able to multitask and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25133486/">mitigate the risk</a> in a way that other drivers cannot. </p>
<p>Drivers with self-enhancement bias also often demonstrate “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-15150-012">crash risk optimism</a>” – judging themselves to be at lower risk of a crash compared to other drivers.</p>
<p>In a sense, every journey a self-perceived above-average driver successfully completes while using a mobile phone appears to confirm to them that their behaviour is appropriate, and the law is aimed at other drivers. This helps to explain why strong support for a tightened law in this area can coexist with high rates of offending.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man speaking on the phone while driving." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433459/original/file-20211123-13-1bdt0z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research tells us many drivers consider themselves to be above average at driving.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/men-cell-phone-use-while-driving-432261919">APM STOCK/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Education campaigns that, for example, feature fatal or serious collisions caused by a distracted driver can actually play into these biases. Such campaigns appear to confirm drivers’ belief that they can handle it, while these other “inferior” drivers could not.</p>
<p>For these over-confident drivers, perhaps the only deterrent would be the threat of enforcement. But in recent years, numbers of dedicated roads-policing officers in the UK <a href="https://www.pacts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Roads-Policing-Report-FinalV1-merged-1.pdf">have declined</a>, and the public has, apparently, noticed. In <a href="https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/driving-offence-enforcement">one survey</a>, 54% of respondents felt they were unlikely to be caught or punished for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. </p>
<p>This combination of circumstances makes it very difficult to persuade drivers that they shouldn’t use their mobile phones behind the wheel. If a driver thinks they can safely multitask while also avoiding prosecution, what’s stopping them? </p>
<h2>We need to change attitudes</h2>
<p>The tightening of the law may help to encourage some drivers to think about their phone use, but it seems unlikely it will solve the problem of mobile phone use among drivers, and eliminate the harm it causes.</p>
<p>In a broader sense, changes to the law will never be able to keep pace with new technologies. <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-car-technology-are-we-being-sold-a-false-sense-of-security-117473">In-vehicle distractions</a>, such as interactive screens on the dashboard and digital assistants like Alexa, are developing more quickly than the law can keep up with. </p>
<p>If we want to reduce the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain">number of people killed</a> and seriously injured each year by drivers using their mobile phones, we have to <a href="https://viewer.joomag.com/mobileengaged-compendium-2021/0552788001608635854?short&">persuade drivers</a> not to do it regardless of whether or not they’ll get caught.</p>
<p>We need to challenge the narratives that drivers regularly deploy to justify their behaviour, and address driver biases head-on by providing education, based on psychological evidence, that’s harder for drivers to resist or deny. <a href="https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/psychology/are-you-focused-driver">Interactive education</a>, which allows drivers to experience their own distraction, rather than hearing about the failures of others, would be a good place to start. </p>
<p>If we don’t address driver attitudes, we won’t meaningfully address driver distraction, regardless of what the law says.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-vital-things-you-cant-do-properly-when-youre-on-your-phone-85308">Five vital things you can't do properly when you're on your phone</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172327/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gemma Briggs has received funding from UKROEd. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Wells has received funding from UKROEd and The Road Safety Trust.</span></em></p>
Many drivers still use mobile phones despite the fact that it’s illegal.
Gemma Briggs, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, The Open University
Helen Wells, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Keele University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/170904
2021-11-04T14:34:35Z
2021-11-04T14:34:35Z
Another problem with daylight saving time: The time change raises your risk of hitting deer on the road
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429596/original/file-20211101-13-17hk6iz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C52%2C2936%2C1964&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The likelihood of hitting a deer is highest during morning and evening twilight.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/young-deer-stands-by-a-roadside-near-treplin-germany-10-news-photo/1038049036">Patrick Pleul/Picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Daylight saving time ends in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 5, 2023, and <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/usa">most of us</a> will set our clocks back an hour. There is a long-running debate about the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014319">benefit of the time change</a>, given how it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.025">disrupts humans’ circadian rhythms</a>, causing short-term stress and fatigue. </p>
<p>Another risk accompanying the time change is on the roads: As more people drive at dusk during an active time of year for deer, the number of deer-vehicle accidents rises.</p>
<p>Deer cause over 1 million motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. each year, <a href="https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art15/">resulting in more than US$1 billion</a> in property damage, about 200 human deaths and 29,000 serious injuries. Property damage insurance claims average around $2,600 per accident, and the overall average cost, including severe injuries or death, is over $6,000.</p>
<p>While avoiding deer – as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10041059.x">moose, elk and other hoofed animals, known as ungulates</a> – can seem impossible if you’re driving in rural areas, there are certain times and places that are most hazardous, and so warrant extra caution.</p>
<p>Transportation agencies, working with scientists, have been developing ways to predict where deer and other ungulates enter roads so they can post warning signs or install fencing or wildlife passages under or over the roadway. Just as important is knowing when these accidents occur.</p>
<p>My former students <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lwT82GcAAAAJ&hl=en">Victor Colino-Rabanal</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wijesooriya-Arachchilage-Abeyrathna">Nimanthi Abeyrathna</a> and I have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x">analyzed over 86,000</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112774">deer-vehicle collisions</a> involving white-tailed deer in New York state using police records over a three-year period. Here’s what our research and other studies show about timing and risk.</p>
<h2>Time of day, month and year matters</h2>
<p>The risk of hitting a deer varies by time of day, day of the week, the monthly lunar cycle and seasons of the year. </p>
<p>These accident cycles are partly a function of driver behavior – they are highest when traffic is heavy, drivers are least alert and driving conditions are poorest for spotting animals. They are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2019.105365">affected by deer behavior</a>. Not infrequently, deer-vehicle accidents involve multiple vehicles, as startled drivers swerve to miss a deer and collide with a vehicle in another lane, or they slam on the breaks and are rear-ended by the vehicle behind.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Car on road during the start of leaf colors with road sign reading: Caution: High Hit Area" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422438/original/file-20210921-19-1dprmmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sign warns of deer traffic on Route 16 in Franklin County, Maine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fall-foliage-route-16-deer-crossing-franklin-county-maine-news-photo/629562975">Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In analyzing thousands of deer-vehicle collisions, we found that these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x">accidents occur most frequently</a> at dusk and dawn, when deer are most active and drivers’ ability to spot them is poorest. Only about 20% of accidents occur during daylight hours. Deer-vehicle accidents are eight times more frequent per hour of dusk than daylight, and four times more frequent at dusk than after nightfall.</p>
<p>During the week, accidents occur most frequently on days that have the most drivers on the road at dawn or dusk, so they are associated with work commuter driving patterns and social factors such as Friday “date night” traffic.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x">Over the span</a> of a month, the most deer-vehicle accidents occur during the full moon, and at the time of night that the moon is brightest. Deer move greater distances from cover and are more likely to enter roadways when there is more illumination at night. The pattern holds for deer and other ungulates in both North America and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10041059.x">Europe</a>.</p>
<p><iframe id="Emy0i" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Emy0i/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Over a year, by far the highest numbers of deer-vehicle accidents are in autumn, and particularly during the rut, when bucks search and compete to mate with does. In New York state, the peak number of deer-vehicle accidents occurs in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112774">last week of October and first weeks of November</a>. There are over four times as many deer-vehicle accidents during that period as during spring. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2019.105365">Moose-vehicle accidents show a similar pattern</a>.</p>
<h2>The problem with daylight saving time</h2>
<p>We have also found that the daylight saving time clock shift of one hour <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112774">affects the number of deer-vehicle accidents</a>. </p>
<p>In spring, when deer-vehicle accidents are at an annual low, the start of daylight saving time means a later sunrise and sunset. It results in a small decrease in deer-vehicle accidents. However, in fall, when deer-vehicle accidents are at an annual high because of deer rut, the earlier sunrise and sunset cause a significant increase in deer-vehicle accidents. </p>
<p>The clock shift results in more commuters on the road during the high-risk dusk hours. The consequence is more cars driving at the peak time of day and during the peak time of the year for deer-vehicle accidents. The clock shift results in a 37% reduction in deer-vehicle accidents during morning commuter hours, since fewer commuters are on the road before sunrise, but a 72% increase in accidents during evening commuter hours. Overall, there is a 19% increase in accidents during commuter hours the week after the fall time change in New York.</p>
<h2>Deer still cross roads at any time</h2>
<p>It’s important to remember that deer-vehicle accidents can occur at any time of day or night, on any day of the year – and that deer can show up in urban areas as well as rural ones.</p>
<p>The insurance company State Farm found that on average, U.S. drivers have a <a href="https://newsroom.statefarm.com/animal-collision/">1 in 116 chance of hitting an animal</a>, with much higher rates in states such as West Virginia, Montana and Pennsylvania. Over the 12 months ended in June 2020, State Farm counted 1.9 million insurance claims for collisions with wildlife nationwide. <a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/exec.cfm">Around 90% of those involved deer</a>.</p>
<p>Where deer or other ungulates are likely to be present, drivers should always be alert and cautious, especially at dawn, dusk, on bright moonlit nights and during the fall rut. In addition, drivers should be aware that after the fall time change, they may be more fatigued, and their evening commute from work may have shifted into the dusk hours, when risk of hitting a deer is highest, and coinciding with the rut, when the risk is at its annual peak. </p>
<p><em>This is an update to an <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-means-more-deer-on-the-road-4-ways-time-of-day-month-and-year-raise-your-risk-of-crashes-167489">article</a> originally published on Sept. 21, 2021.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170904/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Langen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Dusk is a dangerous time of day for hitting wildlife on the road, and the one-hour time change means more drivers are out while deer are at their most active and visibility is dropping.
Tom Langen, Professor of Biology, Clarkson University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/166471
2021-09-22T12:59:27Z
2021-09-22T12:59:27Z
Your driver-assist system may be out of alignment… with your understanding of how it works
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422495/original/file-20210921-17-1y97clo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C4000%2C2652&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Advanced driver-assist systems can lull drivers into taking their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road when they shouldn't.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jayuny/32070962248">Jakob Härter/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.motortrend.com/features/adaptive-cruise-control/">Adaptive cruise control</a>, <a href="https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-highway-driving-assist-and-how-does-it-work">lane change assistance</a>, <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/collision-avoidance-system">collision avoidance</a>, <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/features/blind-spot-monitoring/">blind spot monitoring</a>, <a href="https://www.automotive-technology.com/articles/the-world-of-autopilot-in-automotives">autopilots</a>: These are just a few of the driver-assist features that are arriving in new cars. As technology races ahead with the aim of making driving safer, drivers are left with the daunting task of figuring out how it all works. </p>
<p>Many dealerships offer car buyers a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3141%2F2660-02">brief orientation</a> to these advanced driver-assist technologies. The glovebox manual, now thicker than ever, provides many of the technical details. But as car technology continues to advance, scientists are making important discoveries about the human side of the equation, particularly what happens when drivers are asked to perform familiar driving tasks in new ways. </p>
<p>This aspect of new cars is seldom discussed during orientations or covered in manuals. Here are some findings about using advanced driver-assist technologies that every driver should know. </p>
<h2>Staying alert</h2>
<p>A recent study that <a href="https://aaafoundation.org/understanding-the-impact-of-technology-do-advanced-driver-assistance-and-semi-automated-vehicle-systems-lead-to-improper-driving-behavior/">observed new car owners</a> during their first month of ownership found that drivers paid close attention as they acquired a sense of what their driver-assist systems can and cannot do. But by the end of the month, many drivers began to allow their attention to drift from the road in uncomplicated driving situations - seemingly impossible-to-get-wrong scenarios such as open stretches of highway. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The crumpled front end of a wrecked car against the rear end of a fire engine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422490/original/file-20210921-19-3ij9sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating a series of crashes involving Teslas hitting emergency vehicles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/TeslaCrashUtah/135a0ad365bc49db8376c2238c305377/photo">South Jordan Police Department via AP</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It may sound harmless enough, but here’s the catch: While an open stretch of road seems safe to a human, it can sometimes push the car’s computer vision system to its limits and beyond.</p>
<p>That’s why the federal government opened an <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-feds-are-investigating-teslas-autopilot-and-what-that-means-for-the-future-of-self-driving-cars-166307">investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assist technology</a> after 11 Teslas being operated on Autopilot smashed into police cars and firetrucks that had their emergency lights flashing.</p>
<p>Computers don’t see and understand the world as humans do. Sure, today’s artificial intelligence systems can beat the world’s greatest chess masters, but they can also miss a flashing firetruck that’s sitting right in front of them. We humans draw upon a powerful and flexible commonsense understanding of the world. Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-ai-expert-explains-why-its-hard-to-give-computers-something-you-take-for-granted-common-sense-165600">cars possess nothing like that</a>. They know the world as data compiled from video footage. </p>
<p>With that in mind, how do you know when to relax and when to be nervous while using a driver-assist system? The short answer is that you don’t.</p>
<p>The hazard detection systems in your new car are designed for those rarest of occasions in which something eludes your watchful eye. But studies of drivers tell us that, after a time, many begin to rely on these systems as more than a backup. One recent study documented that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106348">drivers looked at the road less often</a> and focused their attention on non-driving areas more often while using Tesla’s Autopilot system. </p>
<p>Without even realizing it, and slowly over time, simply knowing that a backup system exists can coax people into letting down their guard. In the most extreme cases, listening for an alarm to sound can become some people’s primary means of detecting a hazard. So instead of having two entities watching the road, it’s down to one.</p>
<h2>Shared driving is hard work</h2>
<p>Maybe you are the type of driver who commits yourself to paying attention at all times, no matter how capable your car may seem. It turns out that watching a computer drive your car is harder than it looks. </p>
<p>What seems like a leisurely activity at first can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1518%2F001872008X312152">oddly tiring</a>. It’s hard to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0018720813495280">keep your mind focused</a> on what’s happening in front of you - especially <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.04.003">along familiar routes</a> and when all is going as expected. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F17470214808416738">Prolonged sitting and staring</a>, waiting for improbable disaster to strike, is not something that humans are naturally good at. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fc-ZWkcltec?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Drivers apparently asleep behind the wheel of Teslas is practically a genre of viral video.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s hard to imagine ever pushing an autopilot button and taking a nap like those drivers you’ve <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/tesla-driver-caught-on-camera-apparently-asleep-at-the-wheel-68543557694">seen on the evening news</a>, but here is where misunderstanding strikes again. Did these drivers plan to take a nap or did it just happen? </p>
<p>To find out, researchers in another study outfitted drivers with brain and vision monitoring systems and found that drivers who used the autopilot were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz067.192">more likely to drift into early stages of sleep</a> without ever realizing it. Today’s busy schedules can cause a great many people to <a href="https://sleepeducation.org/cdc-americans-sleep-deprived/">accumulate sleep debt</a>. People tend to fight off that sleep debt by staying busy. But pushing a button and freeing yourself from the activity of driving may give that lurking sleepiness an opportunity to catch up and overtake you. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 110,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<h2>Literal and figurative blind spots</h2>
<p>Your new rearview camera seems like a lifesaver. It allows you to see into your worst blind spot. But a study of drivers using these cameras found something unsettling. Having the cameras prompts many drivers to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.11.030">skip the traditional over-the-shoulder checks</a>. What these drivers generally don’t realize is that back-over crashes unfold over time and often begin to the side of a car. For example, kids can run out of a house and around the back of a car to say goodbye to the driver. </p>
<p>When you swivel your head around to the back in addition to checking the camera, you see it all. You can catch the beginning and the middle of these unfolding events, and then ensure a safe ending. But among a population of drivers who may not understand this, another study estimated that rearview cameras only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2017.1317758">reduce back-over crashes by about 17%</a> despite largely eliminating the rear blind spot.</p>
<h2>A new kind of driver training</h2>
<p>Driver assistance systems are powerful tools that promise to save a great many lives, but they will require people to adjust their understanding of a familiar driving task to align with one that is new and different in important ways. The challenge is getting everyone to make that adjustment, and there are 250 million drivers in the U.S. alone. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I have pushed for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1555343419830901">standardized training</a> for new car buyers that includes the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2830565">human element of partially automated driving</a>. Part of the challenge is having to approach drivers with some fairly counterintuitive ideas. </p>
<p>Imagine suggesting to someone that they don’t understand the difference between a safe situation and a dangerous one, or that they really don’t know when they are tired, or that watching a car drive itself is more tiring than driving. For many drivers, this advice might not sink in when they first use driver-assist technologies. It may take some profound and personal reconsideration of what you think you know.</p>
<p>And what about the youngest drivers, the ones who account for a <a href="https://aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-vehicle-crashes-injuries-deaths-relation-driver-age-united-states-2014-2015/">disproportionate number of crashes</a>? More than a decade after <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/High-schools-curb-driver-s-ed-as-interest-dies-3287757.php">driver education was virtually eliminated</a> from high school curricula, along came smartphones, apps and now driver-assist technologies. It might be a good time to start teaching some new safety concepts, in the classroom if not behind the wheel of a car. </p>
<p>For now, after you’ve learned to push the buttons and interpret the displays in your new car, keep in mind that there is more to using these technologies than meets the eye.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Casner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Tesla crashes and the investigations that follow generate a lot of headlines, but the dangers of automotive automation are industrywide. The common denominator is the human behind the wheel.
Steve Casner, Research Psychologist, NASA
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/163351
2021-06-24T20:09:59Z
2021-06-24T20:09:59Z
Vital Signs: how to halve serious injuries and deaths from teenage driving accidents
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408091/original/file-20210624-27-afw1ip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C245%2C4000%2C2000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Teenage drivers are a risky bunch. They are inexperienced and don’t always drive carefully, sometimes with tragic consequences. Various studies indicate <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28707/w28707.pdf">15-30% of teens</a> have an accident in their first year of driving. In many countries driving fatalities are the leading cause of death among teenagers.</p>
<p>The policy question is what to do about it.</p>
<p>One can imagine a number of options, from the light touch (such as information campaigns and advertisements) to the dramatic (such as raising the legal driving age).</p>
<p>Many jurisdictions have introduced laws to restrict the driving privileges of younger drivers. But it’s not always easy to tell if such laws are effective.</p>
<p>One could look at places that have the laws and compare them to accident statistics from places without such laws. But this might be misleading. </p>
<p>It is possible those laws were introduced in places with a bigger problem. Suppose the laws have reduced driving fatalities, but only to the same level as places with less severe problems in the first place. With no difference in the teen driving fatality rate between jurisdictions with or without driving restrictions, it could be incorrectly concluded the restrictions have no effect.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-mad-max-than-max-safety-teenagers-dont-dream-of-safe-cars-47425">More Mad Max than max safety: teenagers don't dream of safe cars</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The identification problem</h2>
<p>This is an example of what economists call the “identification problem” – figuring out how to identify the true causal effect of a policy intervention. </p>
<p>To identify the causal effect, one needs to know the right counterfactual – that is, what would have happened if the policy had not been introduced. To put it another way, the group affected by the policy needs to be compared with the right control group.</p>
<p>This is a big general issue on which economists have been working for decades. In that time many useful techniques have been developed to address the identification problem across the social sciences.</p>
<p>The development of this set of tools is what MIT economist Joshua Angrist (one of the leading scholars in this endeavour) has called “<a href="https://economics.mit.edu/files/5566">the credibility revolution</a>”.</p>
<p>It’s a revolution because we now have ways to credibly identify the causal effect of different policy interventions. That allows us to provide sensible policy prescriptions based on empirical evidence.</p>
<p>It even permits scholars to understand the size or “magnitude” of the effects and to undertake careful cost-benefit analysis.</p>
<h2>An Australian policy experiment</h2>
<p>Back to those troublesome teenage drivers. </p>
<p>In 2007 New South Wales introduced a law that banned drivers in their first year of a provisional licence from carrying two or more passengers under the age of 21 between 11pm and 5am. </p>
<p>As economists Tim Moore and Todd Morris write in a working paper published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28707">in April</a>, about 3% of all accidents by first-year drivers occurred while carrying multiple passengers between these hours. But these accidents accounted for about 18% of fatalities.</p>
<p>Moore (an Australian, now at Purdue University in Indiana) and Morris (at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Germany) saw the NSW policy as an ideal opportunity to test the effectiveness of teen-driving restrictions. </p>
<p>So how did they make sure they had the right counterfactual? </p>
<p>They used one of the classic techniques from the identification revolution, known as the “<a href="https://dimewiki.worldbank.org/Difference-in-Differences">difference-in-differences</a>” – or DID – method.</p>
<p>This technique was made famous (in academic and policy circles) by a path-breaking <a href="https://davidcard.berkeley.edu/papers/njmin-aer.pdf">1994 paper</a> by David Card and Alan Krueger (both then economists at Princeton University) on how minimum wage laws affect employment. </p>
<p>To put it at its simplest, rather than comparing one group to another or one group before and after a policy change, the DID method involves comparing the changes over time in one group to the changes over time in another.</p>
<p>Moore and Morris calculated changes in the restricted period (11pm–5am) then compared those to the changes in accidents during the daytime (8am–8pm). This allowed them to control for other factors affecting crash risks. </p>
<p>What they show is striking. The restriction reduced crashes by first-year drivers by 57%, and hospitalisations and fatalities by 58%. </p>
<p>With the restrictions, crashes in the 11pm-5am window dropped from about 18% to 4% of fatalities involving first-year drivers. That’s an effective policy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/automated-vehicles-may-encourage-a-new-breed-of-distracted-drivers-101178">Automated vehicles may encourage a new breed of distracted drivers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Long-run effects</h2>
<p>If you were sitting in an academic seminar hearing these results, you might ask: “OK, but what happens after the first-year restrictions roll off?” </p>
<p>Remarkably, Moore and Morris also find reductions in nighttime multi-passenger crashes in the second and third years. There are no clear differences in the years that follow, but by then crash rates are down to one-fifth of the first-year level.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Impacts on nighttime multi-passenger crashes</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Charts showing Immediate and subsequent impacts on night-time multi-passenger crashes, from the paper 'Shaping the Habits of Teen Drivers' by Timothy Moore & Todd Morris." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408086/original/file-20210624-17-1aaaupn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Timothy Moore & Todd Morris, 'Shaping the Habits of Teen Drivers', National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2021.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>In other words, these restrictions seem to have a persistent effect even after the policy intervention is no longer in place.</p>
<p>There is a broader lesson in this. Policies can have long-run effects, even after the folks targeted by the policy are no longer “being treated”. This is well known in some <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/fryer/publications/aligning-student-parent-and-teacher-incentives-evidence-houston-public-schools">educational interventions</a>. Experiments with small financial rewards for students and parents, for example, have shown improvements in things like attendance and performance continue even after the incentives are discontinued. It is worth looking out for with policies in other areas.</p>
<p>In any case, NSW – and Australia more generally – seems to have cracked the case on teen driver safety. </p>
<p>Thanks to Moore and Morris, and their NBER working paper, it’s an insight from which the rest of the world can learn.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Holden is president-elect of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.</span></em></p>
Australia appears to have cracked the case on teen driver safety by restricting late-night passengers.
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101178
2018-09-24T20:14:57Z
2018-09-24T20:14:57Z
Automated vehicles may encourage a new breed of distracted drivers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237670/original/file-20180924-129871-kzng9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Driving conditions that don’t require frequent use of vehicle controls, but do require constant vigilance for hazards, can reduce driver alertness</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/excessively-tired-young-asian-women-drivingsleeping-1116595130?src=KoX4o3D8SPyojngBQDLtiA-1-3">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Few people pay close attention to the traffic situation unfolding around them when they’re travelling as a passenger in a car, even if they’re in the front seat. And that could make <a href="https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_201609/">partially automated vehicles</a>, which are operating on our roads right now, problematic.</p>
<p>Also known as <a href="https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_201609/">Level 2 automated vehicles</a>, partially automated vehicles are capable of controlling steering, acceleration and deceleration. The <a href="https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/autopilot">Tesla AutoPilot system</a> is a good example. (Cadillac, Volvo, Audi and Nissan <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-autopilot-crash-dui/">also offer partial automation</a>).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-these-levels-of-autonomous-vehicles-96396">What are these 'levels' of autonomous vehicles?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These kinds of automated vehicles, although designed to optimise driver comfort and safety, require a human driver to remain on standby when the vehicle is in autonomous mode. That means paying close attention to the driving environment, and taking back control of the vehicle if required.</p>
<p>This may sound straightforward, but it’s not. </p>
<h2>Passive fatigue and distraction</h2>
<p>There are two main reasons why people find it difficult to pay close attention to the driving environment, especially for extended periods of time, when a vehicle is driving itself. </p>
<p>Firstly, people are prone to <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-32706-001">passive fatigue</a>. Driving conditions that don’t require frequent use of vehicle controls, but do require constant vigilance for hazards, may paradoxically reduce driver alertness – <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720818761711?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed">even after only 10 minutes on the road</a>. Such conditions may even put drivers to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457518301179">sleep</a>.</p>
<p>Secondly, prolonged periods of automated driving may become outright boring for some drivers left on standby. Bored drivers tend to engage spontaneously in distracting activities that stimulate them, such as using a phone, reading a magazine or watching a movie. This may be especially true if the driver feels a high level of trust in the automation. </p>
<p>These by-products of automation have been demonstrated in both <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720812460246">simulated</a> and <a href="https://trid.trb.org/view/1261940">real-world</a> driving studies. </p>
<h2>Safety concerns</h2>
<p>Drivers who are inattentive to the driving environment when a partially automated vehicle is operating in autonomous mode may pose a significant safety risk to themselves and others. They may be less likely to anticipate critical events that spark a takeover request, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25794922">be ill-prepared to safely take back control if required</a>.</p>
<p>The tragic fatality in 2016 of a driver of one of Tesla’s partially automated vehicles bears on this issue. The US National Transportation Safety Board’s <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HAR1702.pdf">accident report</a> notes that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the probable cause of the Williston, Florida, crash was the truck driver’s failure to yield the right of way to the car, combined with the car driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation, which resulted in the car driver’s lack of reaction to the presence of the truck.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Helping people remain vigilant</h2>
<p>Autonomous vehicle manufacturers seem to be aware of this problem, and of the need to make the interaction between the driver and the automation safe. To compensate, they require drivers to keep a hand on the wheel when the vehicle is driving itself, or to periodically touch the steering wheel to signal that they remain vigilant.</p>
<p>But it’s unclear whether this is an effective strategy to keep drivers attentive.</p>
<p>Some drivers have devised some creative ways of circumventing the requirement to touch the steering wheel. For example, by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSYbiTgJ7z4">placing a bottle of water on the steering wheel in lieu of their hand</a>. </p>
<p>Even if a driver touches the wheel when requested, their eyes may be focused elsewhere, such as on a mobile phone display. And if their eyes are focused on the roadway at times when they touch the steering wheel, their minds may not be. There is evidence periods of prolonged automation can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978915005004">cause drivers’ minds to wander</a>. Indeed, drivers may fail to attend to things on the roadway, even if they are physically looking at them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preliminary-report-on-ubers-driverless-car-fatality-shows-the-need-for-tougher-regulatory-controls-97253">Preliminary report on Uber's driverless car fatality shows the need for tougher regulatory controls</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This calls into question whether partially automated vehicles can keep drivers attentive to the driving task during periods of autonomous driving. Researchers are actively trying to work out ways of improving this. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10111-018-0484-0">recent paper</a> proposes a set of design principles for the human-machine interface – the technology built into the vehicle that allows it to communicate messages to the driver, and vice versa. </p>
<p>But, in our view, until vehicles become automated to the point there is no longer a requirement for drivers to pay attention to the driving environment, driver inattention is likely to remain a road safety problem.</p>
<h2>What about the vehicle itself?</h2>
<p>While humans may become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2011.04.008">inattentive to driving</a> due to mechanisms such as distraction or misprioritised attention, could vehicles operating autonomously become inattentive through similar mechanisms? For example, could they focus their attention, or computational resources, on one aspect of driving to the exclusion of another that is more time critical to safety?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-driverless-vehicles-should-not-be-given-unchecked-access-to-our-cities-102724">Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The safe operation of these vehicles will be determined largely by the software algorithms that drive them. Just like a human driver, a vehicle driven by these algorithms will need to prioritise its attention on activities critical for safe driving. </p>
<p>But how do we design algorithms that define what a vehicle should pay attention to from moment-to-moment when we don’t yet fully understand what <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720816672756">human drivers should pay attention to at any moment in time</a>? Poorly designed automation could make vehicles as vulnerable to inattention as humans. </p>
<p>Driver inattention is currently a problem in partially automated vehicles. In the future, this may morph into “vehicle inattention” unless we can design vehicles capable of reliably attending to all activities critical for safe driving. Until then, inattention as a road safety problem may not be going anywhere.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors would like to thank Dr Bill Horrey, Dr Steve Most and Associate Professor Vinayak Dixit for reviewing an earlier version of this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101178/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Humans are poor at remaining vigilant over time. That’s bad news for the safety of partially automated cars, which sometimes need the person behind the wheel to quickly take over control.
Mitchell Cunningham, PhD Candidate + Casual Academic (USyd); Senior Behavioural Scientist (ARRB Group), University of Sydney
Michael Regan, Professor of Human Factors, Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/78922
2017-06-13T20:21:35Z
2017-06-13T20:21:35Z
Cars overwhelmingly cause bike collisions, and the law should reflect that
<p>On a Thursday morning in June 1817, the prolific inventor Karl Drais took his <em>Laufmaschine</em> (running machine) for a 13km spin along the banks of the Rhine.</p>
<p>The voyage on the wooden bike, not dissimilar to a modern toddler’s balance bike, lasted just under an hour. The early bicycle sparked an <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=uS9LAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=velocipede&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tk3-Tu73MOT40gG1wviRAg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=velocipde%20schools&f=false">immediate craze</a>, and later versions became a symbol of <a href="http://www.bikecitizens.net/200th-anniversary-bicycle-changed-society/">freedom for workers and women</a>.</p>
<p>Two hundred years after their invention, bicycles are widely recognised as an effective tool to combat physical and mental health problems, reduce congestion on urban roads and improve the quality of the environment. </p>
<p>However, cycling participation across Australia is <a href="https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-C91-15">stagnating</a>. This is mainly because of <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/australians-too-scared-to-ride-their-bikes-survey/news-story/f6faedfa7dbc68a5a61ce4dff8840ca5">concerns about safety</a>. A report <a href="http://www.raa.com.au/community-and-advocacy/media-releases/1208">released last week</a> by the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia found that in the vast majority of crashes the cyclist was not at fault. </p>
<p>To keep our cyclists safe, it may be time to adopt the approach of many European nations by introducing legislation that, in civil cases, presumes that car drivers caused a collision unless there is evidence to the contrary.</p>
<p>Shifting the burden of proof to drivers – who must prove they didn’t cause a crash – <a href="http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2176&context=ealr">has been highly successful in other nations, along with other measures</a>, in keeping cyclists safer and reducing accidents. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172671/original/file-20170607-11311-14wuse7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Karl Von Drais and his Laufmaschine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© TECHNOSEUM</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cars generally cause collisions</h2>
<p>Despite a significant reduction in road deaths in Australia over the past few decades, recent data point to a <a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129554604">steady increase</a> in serious injuries among vulnerable road users, including cyclists.</p>
<p>Australia needs serious action if we want to reverse this trend. Last week’s report from the <a href="http://www.raa.com.au/community-and-advocacy/media-releases/1208">RAA</a> confirms other research in this area, such as a 2013 University of Adelaide study that examined police crash records and found drivers caused four in every five crashes between cars and bicycles.</p>
<p>These results are similar to a <a href="https://theconversation.com/helmet-cam-captures-bike-accidents-and-could-make-cycling-safer-3540">Monash University study</a> in which researchers examined camera footage of similar incidents. They found that drivers were responsible for the actions preceding the incident in 87% of cases. </p>
<p>The previous studies show that most of these crashes occur at intersections, and generally involve a cyclist travelling in a straight line on a single carriageway at the time of the collision with the motor vehicle.</p>
<h2>The presumption of liability</h2>
<p>Previous road safety lessons, like the <a href="link?">successful seatbelt campaign</a>, tell us education and infrastructure only work in combination with strong regulations. However, legislation in the area of cycling safety is inadequate and puts an unfair burden on cyclists. </p>
<p>Under current laws, if a car collides with a bicycle or a pedestrian on Australian roads, they must make a case against the motorist to claim on the motorist’s insurance. If the insurance company contests the claim, the injured cyclist or pedestrian has to take the case to a civil court. </p>
<p>Surely the burden of proof should shift onto the more powerful road user, especially given that the research suggests they are more likely to be the one at fault. </p>
<p>To do so, we need a presumed liability law that protects vulnerable road users. Similar laws have been introduced in Canada and in many European countries, including <a href="http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2176&context=ealr">the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and France</a>. Under these laws, sometimes also referred to as “reverse onus” or “strict liability” laws, drivers must prove that a collision with a cyclist or a pedestrian was not their fault.</p>
<p>These laws affect civil cases only and do not remove the presumption of innocence. In criminal law, drivers in collisions with vulnerable road users remain innocent until proven guilty. It’s also not about always blaming motorists; for example, if a cyclist ran a red light and caused a collision, they would obviously be at fault and would not receive compensation. </p>
<p>An Australian version of these laws would mean that cyclists were more likely to be fairly compensated in the event of a crash. More importantly, such laws would encourage motorists to take extra care when driving alongside vulnerable road users. In many European nations presumed liability, which was originally introduced to reduce traffic crashes, is widely believed to be a key component of <a href="http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2176&context=ealr">encouraging safer cycling</a>.</p>
<p>A presumed liability law would encourage the full range of health, environmental and social benefits of cycling, and keep the spirit of Drais’s original <em>Laufmaschine</em> alive.</p>
<p>However, the law alone is not sufficient. Better cycling infrastructure, reduced speed limits in residential areas, and improved education for drivers and cyclists are all needed to keep our roads safe for everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78922/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Soufiane Boufous is a member of the Australasian College of Road Safety Executive Committee, NSW Chapter.</span></em></p>
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the bicycle, we look at new research that confirms cars cause the majority of bike collisions. It’s time to follow much of Europe and shift liability to drivers.
Soufiane Boufous, Senior Research Fellow, Road Safety and Injury Prevention, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/69201
2016-12-12T18:59:55Z
2016-12-12T18:59:55Z
There’s little to gain and much to lose from lowering the minimum driving age
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147391/original/image-20161124-15359-10ensyy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Road fatalities could increase if young people start driving solo at 17.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/pic-280368509/stock-photo-nervous-father-teaching-teenage-son-to-drive.html?src=U66vXfEK_oSdpLhTnq8bRw-1-27">shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Victoria is currently the only Australian state where the <a href="http://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/transport-and-regional/drivers-licence-application">earliest opportunity for unsupervised driving</a> is 18. The minimum age is 17 in all other states and territories, except the Northern Territory (16 years and six months).</p>
<p>This disparity prompted a <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/lrrcsc/article/2960">Victorian parliamentary inquiry</a> to investigate the possibility of lowering Victoria’s probationary driving age to 17. After hours of hearings and hundreds of submissions, the state government decided to extend the date the inquiry will report from November 2016 to March 2017. </p>
<p>The inquiry was prompted by concerns that the high licensing age is contributing to youth unemployment, especially in regional areas. But if a reduction in Victoria’s youth unemployment rate is what is wanted, lowering the state’s driving age to 17 is not the way to achieve it.</p>
<p>Michael Byrne (a recent graduate of Monash University) and I analysed data from the most recent <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/CO-56">Australian Census</a>, in 2011. <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/86._30.05.2016_-_Submission_Newnam-Monash_University.pdf">We found</a> there is no evidence to suggest the existing 18-year-old probationary driving age is linked to a high youth unemployment rate in Victoria. </p>
<h2>Unemployment rates across Australia</h2>
<p>According to census data, 82% of people used a car to travel to work in 2011. The argument is that setting the minimum driving age at 18 is putting Victorian 17-year-olds at a disadvantage compared to 18-year-olds who can potentially drive to job opportunities.</p>
<p>If this was the case, then in Victoria there should be a higher unemployment rate for 17-year-olds than 18-year olds. And 17 year-olds in Victoria (especially in regional areas) should have a higher unemployment rate than 17-year-olds elsewhere in Australia.</p>
<p>Not all 17-year-olds are looking for work; many are still in school. And perhaps not being able to drive is discouraging Victorians from seeking a job in the first place. 41% of 17-year-olds in Victoria are working or seeking work, similar to New South Wales (39%) and Northern Territory (41%).</p>
<p>The unemployment rate among teenagers who are trying to find work is dismally high, ranging from 11% to 18%. But the unemployment rate was actually <em>higher</em> for 18-year-olds in Victoria than 17-year-olds. And Victoria’s percentage of unemployed 17-year-olds (14%) was actually one of the lowest in Australia – lower than New South Wales (15%), the Northern Territory (17%), Queensland (16%), South Australia (14%) and Tasmania (18%).</p>
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<p>There are important differences between Victoria and the rest of Australia beyond the licensing age. Victoria is far less remote than other states, which means fewer teenagers are dependent on a car to get to work. So, we used the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/1270.0.55.005">classification of regions</a> as either urban, regional or rural to compare 17-year-old unemployment rates for different regions. </p>
<p>Even so, we found that Victorian 17-year-olds in regional areas had the equal <em>lowest</em> unemployment rates of any regional area (tying with Western Australian regional areas at 11%). In all other states and territories, 17-year-olds in regional areas had higher unemployment rates. </p>
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<p>Perhaps economic conditions in Victoria, especially regional areas, are more favourable than other states. We ran a regression model to predict the greatest cause of unemployment for 17-year-olds. Indeed we found the most significant predictor of 17-year-old unemployment was the overall unemployment rate. </p>
<p>In the end we found no evidence, at the macro level, that a higher driver licensing age in Victoria has resulted in higher unemployment rates for 17-year-olds. A teenager’s success in securing a job is dependent on a range of social and economic factors beyond when someone can first get a driving licence. </p>
<h2>Safety implications of a change</h2>
<p>These findings do not negate the very real experience of individuals in regional areas who are struggling to find a job. It does not mean that their struggles do not exist or that they do not matter.</p>
<p>But driver licensing policy is not just about individuals; its impacts are felt across all of society. So, we must weigh potential economic benefits against potential road safety consequences. </p>
<p>The safety implications of lowering the licensing age have been examined extensively by experts – including <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/91._01.06.2016_-_Submission__VicRoads.pdf">VicRoads</a>, <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/75._27.05.2016_-_Submission_Prof._Senserrick_UNSW.pdf">Transport and Road Safety Research</a> (NSW), the <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/88._30.05.2016_-_Submission__Australiasian_College_of_Road_Safety.pdf">Australasian College of Road Safety</a>, the <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/31._06.05.2016_-_Submission_NTC_Australia.pdf">National Transport Commission</a>, and the <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/lrrcsc/Probationary_Age/Submissions/79._20.06.2016-_Amended_copy_TAC.pdf">Transport Accident Commission</a> (TAC). </p>
<p>Each of these submissions did not recommend changing the driving age, because of the significant increase in road trauma and death that would result.</p>
<p>The TAC <a href="http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/lrrcsc/Probationary_Age/Submissions/79._20.06.2016-_Amended_copy_TAC.pdf">has found</a> that if the licensing age is reduced to 17, every year there will be an additional ten deaths, 235 serious injuries and 700 other injuries on our roads, as well as A$243 million in community costs. </p>
<p>This burden will fall disproportionately in rural areas, where someone is more than <a href="http://www.carrsq.qut.edu.au/publications/corporate/rural_and_remote_fs.pdf">four times</a> more likely to die on the road than in a city.</p>
<p>For a young person, the ability to drive a car brings with it increased mobility and a wider range of potential employment opportunities. Yet our work suggests that on the whole, there is little to gain and much to lose from reducing the driver licensing age in Victoria.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69201/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexa Delbosc does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
New research reveals there is no evidence to suggest a higher driver licensing age in Victoria has caused higher unemployment rates for 17-year-olds.
Alexa Delbosc, Lecturer in Transport, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65225
2016-09-26T00:32:49Z
2016-09-26T00:32:49Z
Pedestrian safety needs to catch up to technology and put people before cars
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138372/original/image-20160920-16646-1n17b3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most road-safety initiatives prioritise a rapid clearing of the road so cars can pass.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thales/4384459855/in/photolist-7Frvar-nxi2Cv-apPzZy-7n93yC-6onEQ3-tXmjF-7nbjTX-7DoqaH-5YCE6X-HKEtVy-dwwwhN-HrtDH-pnPsSQ-7TgfzH-5E2ohh-47yipf-7xJqww-dhPMPb-7NUSRs-d9edjY-7eLzvb-nf4ioW-hXDE1y-nE8wtB-dCYiD7-t7Ztc-qFWesJ-nGcHNx-53GqGz-bH1tT8-4EXe5p-57UnTv-73ucwY-7vepYj-6Av1y7-cirDKY-5YHjxQ-47yiJ3-3Xnysz-u4WYS-6WUpy4-47yit3-rkDdxt-9nWxms-a6Edr-73FH1M-73q6NZ-pQBsfe-avJR4M-9rT19d">Thales/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One pedestrian is <a href="https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-R510-16">killed every two days</a> on Australia’s roads, the majority in metropolitan areas. While advances in safety systems and technology over past decades have greatly improved driver and passenger safety, there has been relatively little new technology to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Even current innovations to improve pedestrian safety are still designed from a car-centric approach.</p>
<p>In many places walking is significantly <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457509000876">more dangerous than travelling by car</a>, despite mostly separated facilities and slower speeds than any other mode of travel. Worldwide, more than 270,000 pedestrians lose their lives on roads each year – 22% of all road traffic deaths.</p>
<p>Improvements in pedestrian safety are mainly byproducts of driver-focused policies such as random breath-testing and speed cameras. No doubt these reduce pedestrian fatalities, but are we relying too much on driver behaviour when a significant proportion of drivers are <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457514003972">unwilling to change</a>? </p>
<p>Despite 34 years of random breath testing in New South Wales, 12% of crashes in the state’s cities <a href="http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/statistics/interactivecrashstats/nsw.html?tabnsw=2">involve alcohol</a>. Speed cameras have been in use in NSW for 25 years, but 33% of crashes in cities <a href="http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/statistics/interactivecrashstats/nsw.html?tabnsw=2">still involve speeding</a>.</p>
<h2>Technology design focus is still on cars</h2>
<p>In spite of efforts to increase walking, Australian cities continue to be built with cars, rather than pedestrians, in mind. Australia is attempting to update traffic lights, which have shown little innovation since first introduced in the US in 1912. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/counting-down-new-signal-trial-high-risk-pedestrian-intersections">Trials of countdown timers</a> are underway at major Sydney CBD crossings, such as Elizabeth Street in Sydney, and throughout Brisbane. But this technology is only exacerbating the problem. By encouraging people to make a “run for it” across an intersection, they put themselves at greater risk of an accident. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138373/original/image-20160920-11117-s551q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Countdown timer at a pedestrian crossing in the Brisbane CBD.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Martin Tomitsch</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Neither the technology nor pedestrians are to blame for this. The issue is that these initiatives still take a car-centric perspective: they prioritise a rapid clearing of the road so cars can pass.</p>
<p>What matters to pedestrians is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856403000612">how long they have to wait</a> until they can cross the road, but their needs are <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856403000612">often treated as an afterthought</a>. As urban populations continue to grow and age, it is critical to put people before cars. </p>
<p>Understanding people’s behaviour and needs is <a href="http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470229101.html">at the heart of designing technology</a>. It’s what has led to new products and services that are disrupting industries and transforming our lives – whether it’s <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/">booking a hotel</a>, <a href="https://www.uber.com">catching a taxi</a> or <a href="https://www.netflix.com">watching TV</a>. But the roll-out of costly road safety systems seems to be lagging and ignoring this important principle. </p>
<p>Instead, we blame people for <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/smombies--zombies-on-smartphones--are-walking-into-accidents/news-story/8836ae43fbc574ea8a2053567b599561">texting while crossing roads</a> as the cause of pedestrian fatalities, despite a lack of crash data to support this. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.03.021">Evidence from hospitals</a> suggests talking on a mobile or listening to music is more dangerous for pedestrians.</p>
<p>Even then, it must be recognised that pedestrians die due to collisions with vehicles, not each other. Any safety solution must consider the way all road users interact with each other and infrastructure.</p>
<h2>New sensors aimed at pedestrian safety</h2>
<p>The car industry is slowly taking on this challenge by trialling new sensors that automatically stop the vehicle when approaching a pedestrian. </p>
<p>Safety systems that focus on the people around the car will become even more important as we move closer to a future of autonomous vehicles. Audi’s driverless concept car achieves this by using a display behind the windscreen that lets onlookers know that the car sees them. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138375/original/image-20160920-16646-r4mzva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Audi’s driverless concept car has a display to show pedestrians that the car has seen them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fastcodesign.com/3054330/innovation-by-design/the-secret-ux-issues-that-will-make-or-break-autonomous-cars">Audi/www.fastcodesign.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>New sensors collect data about conditions and the movement of people and vehicles in cities. In 2014, Chicago announced it was installing 40 sensors, with plans for 1,000 over the next few years. In Australia, Melbourne has been installing and testing pedestrian-counting sensors since 2012. </p>
<p>At the same time algorithms are being developed to make sense of the massive amounts of data being collected and to assist cities in their decision-making and planning processes. </p>
<p>However, these systems are mostly designed for city and government authorities, instead of making data available to those using the city infrastructure. The technology exists to extract information from these data sources and transmit them in real time to whomever and wherever it is needed, but has yet to be utilised. </p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/183234813" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Pedestrian and car sensor data.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/it/innovation-hub/sydney-hack.shtml">A recent hackathon</a> at the University of Sydney, held in collaboration with the NSW government’s Data Analytics Centre, demonstrated the growing interest in finding solutions to pedestrian safety. </p>
<p>The data is there, but we need to identify and test solutions that bring a direct benefit to pedestrians. For example, it may be possible to warn drivers and/or pedestrians of an impending collision, recognising that all people make mistakes. </p>
<p>We require a more detailed study of which digital solutions will make our roads and cities safer. It’s important to understand people’s needs before rolling out these technologies on a large scale – whether it’s countdown timers or <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/28/movie-buro-north-ground-level-traffic-lights-prevent-pedestrian-accidents-video/">traffic lights embedded in the road</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YEauBD7gaWs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An Australian proposal for ground-level traffic lights to prevent pedestrian accidents.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65225/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
In contrast to increases in vehicle safety over the decades, we have seen little new technology to ensure the safety of pedestrians – and current innovations are still based on a car-centric approach.
Martin Tomitsch, Associate Professor and Head of Design, University of Sydney
Adrian B. Ellison, Research Fellow, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65060
2016-09-12T09:50:36Z
2016-09-12T09:50:36Z
Are older people safe enough to keep driving?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137236/original/image-20160909-13371-tkotz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Don't believe the stereotype - not all elderly drivers are bad drivers.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-225921418/stock-photo-mature-woman-in-sunglasses-driving-automobile-.html?src=P37jlvjoWVvP-mRoGDrOLA-1-11">Little Moon/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the Western world, people are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. As everyone ages, there is a desire to stay mobile, and in particular continue to drive in order to maintain their lifestyles. Shops and services are becoming dispersed, moving away from villages and towns to larger urban areas. Connections to lifelong family and friends need to be maintained often through long distance travel. It’s therefore no surprise that there has been a huge <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24204489">increase in older driving licence holders</a>, and in the number of miles driven by the over-70s. </p>
<p>In 1975, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/transport-statistics-great-britain">UK figures showed</a> that 15% of people aged over 70 held a driving licence; in 2014, this figure was 62%. Overall, fewer women now hold licences than men -– but there has been a substantial increase in female licence holders in the older age bracket, from 4% in 1975-6 to 47% in 2014. Correspondingly, 32% of men held a licence in 1975, compared to 80% in 2014. Since 1995, the increase in miles driven has fallen across all age groups by 8%, however for those aged 60-69 and those aged over 70, miles driven have increased by 37% and 77% respectively.</p>
<p>Driving has become both such a necessity and a desire that giving it up <a href="https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa22913">has been linked to</a> loneliness and isolation, an increase in <a href="http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/giving-up-your-drivers-licence-can-lead-to-depression-study-39531">depression</a> and <a href="https://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/misc-aging-news-10/when-seniors-stop-driving-poorer-health-may-follow-707454.html">health-related</a> problems. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2655033/">One US study</a> even found that non-drivers were four to six times more likely to die within three years than drivers within a three-year period.</p>
<h2>Compensating well</h2>
<p>But are older drivers actually safe to stay on the road? Deterioration in working memory, cognitive overload, and eyesight, all related to ageing, can hamper driving. Recovering from the glare of a low sun, for example, can change from two seconds of white out to <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100202151748/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme3/olderdriversaliteraturerevie4770?page=4#a1012">as much as nine seconds</a>. Physiological and cognitive deterioration can also prolong reaction time: over 65s can be <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100202151748/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme3/olderdriversaliteraturerevie4770?page=4#a1012">22 times slower</a> than someone under 30, making manoeuvres difficult and potentially making driving dangerous. </p>
<p>UK police data, collected at the scene of road traffic collisions, also suggests there is a slight increase in injuries and deaths from driving <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-main-results-2015">from 75 years onwards</a>. However, much, if not almost all, of this increase is <a href="https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa22913">due to frailty or fragility</a>. Older people seem to compensate well for changes <a href="https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14528">in cognition and eyesight</a>, mainly by picking and choosing when and on what roads to drive, avoiding heavy traffic or certain types of road, and situations with low sun or at night, for example. This ability to choose when to drive could change though, if we start to work later in life and have less choice over when and where to travel.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137065/original/image-20160908-25266-auzxbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Road traffic collisions by differing severity and age group in Great Britain, 2014.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Casualty rates for car drivers per driving licence in Great Britain, 2014. Reported Road Casualties Great Britain and National Travel Survey</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Changing lanes</h2>
<p>Older people are typically linked to <a href="http://www.drcharliemuss.com/uploads/1/2/8/0/12809985/musselwhite_2015_gr_training_to_prolong_safer_driving_among_older_people.pdf">a similar group of road traffic collision</a>. Our research, <a href="http://www.eurorap.org/wp-content/uploads/Older-Drivers-First-Report-AGE006-SSDIOA-v7.pdf">concurs with previous studies</a>, suggesting that older people are over-represented in collisions when turning right, and across traffic, particularly at junctions without signals. </p>
<p>We ran a desktop simulator study to look at why older drivers might not compensate for this kind of collision, and compared younger with older drivers using a mocked-up turning across traffic situation. Older drivers took significantly longer than younger drivers to make the turn, but made no fewer mistakes. In a second condition, we added a time pressure: the action of turning across the traffic had to be completed in 15 seconds. Here there was a significant increase in older drivers making mistakes compared to younger drivers. Though more research is needed, older people appear to be making these errors due to feeling under pressure to make the turn as quickly as possible. </p>
<p>So how do we change the environment to support older drivers? It’s difficult: we obviously can’t get rid of right-hand turns. We could introduce more traffic lights to aid the turn but that would be costly and slow traffic down for every junction. We could <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/t-junctions-replaced-roundabouts-road-safety-older-drivers-pensioners-a7118691.html">change turns to roundabouts</a>, but this takes up a lot of space. We could encourage people to be more respectful of other drivers, but again this is very hard to do.</p>
<p>Of course there are road safety problems for all age groups and older people are certainly no exception. Drivers do need to be aware of their own limitations, however, and alter their behaviour accordingly, even if it means giving up driving all together. </p>
<h2>Safety in numbers</h2>
<p>We know that testing doesn’t seem to work. In New South Wales, Australia, medical assessments are required for drivers at 80-years-old, and an on-road test at 85. But its collision rates for older drivers (or any other driver) are <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15389580801975632">no different to Victoria</a> state, where there are no such tests. Likewise, evidence from across Europe has produced <a href="https://pure.sfi.dk/ws/files/218739/1_s2.0_S2214140514000632_main.pdf">similar findings</a>. </p>
<p>Education and training could well be the answer but there is limited evidence that they make any long term difference to safety. Though short-term results seem useful, it is likely regular continual education and training is needed for full effect. </p>
<p>A fundamental part of driving is to be wary of other road users and, though there has been no conclusive research to support education of younger drivers on the difficulties older drivers might face, the <a href="https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/3625476/Older-Road-Usersfinal.pdf">little study that has been done</a> seems to suggest that it could work in both parties’ favour.</p>
<p>Overall, driving is becoming more prevalent for older people and on the whole older drivers are as safe as other road users, often compensating well for changes in physiology and cognition – but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for ways to improve driver behaviour or alternatives to driving. In the meantime, all drivers could benefit from being more road aware: older drivers could learn to stay calm, and not panic even when they feel like they are being rushed. Younger drivers, meanwhile, could have more patience with the older generation, and recognise that their driving is a vital link to the outside world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles Musselwhite has received funding looking into older drivers over the past 15 years from EPSRC, ESRC and BBSRC research councils, EU funded research, Department for Transport, Mercedes-Benz,Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) and UK Government Office of Science.
He is an executive committee member of the British Society of Gerontology and the International Association of Applied Psychology.</span></em></p>
Society often assumes older drivers are bad drivers but that is not necessarily true.
Charles Musselwhite, Associate Professor, Centre for Innovative Ageing, Swansea University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/55363
2016-02-26T13:49:57Z
2016-02-26T13:49:57Z
Will self-driving cars reduce energy use and make travel better for the environment?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113074/original/image-20160226-26687-1g95dox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I started learning driving only three years ago, and – inevitably – failed my first test. Naturally, I was disappointed: but then it occurred to me that I could avoid the whole issue, if only I could get my hands on a driverless car. And this triggered the research question: what would the overall impact on travel demand, energy use and carbon emissions be if driverless cars were readily available to the likes of you and me? </p>
<p>I joined a few like-minded academics in the US – <a href="http://www.ce.washington.edu/people/faculty/faculty.php?id=120">Don MacKenzie</a> and <a href="http://www.esd.ornl.gov/people/leiby/">Paul Leiby</a> – to <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856415002694">research</a> how the automation of road transport might affect energy use, and to quantify the potential range of these impacts.</p>
<p>We found that a widespread adoption of self-driving vehicles could indeed help to reduce energy consumption in a number of ways. For example, on motorways, automated vehicles can interact with each other and drive very closely as a “platoon”. This can reduce the total energy consumption of road transport by 4% to 25%, because vehicles which follow closely behind each other face less air resistance. </p>
<p>What’s more, when vehicles can interact with each other and road infrastructure – such as traffic control systems – this will smooth out the traffic flow. The result will be less congestion and a reduction in energy use of up to 4%. On top of this, automated “ecodriving” – a driving style which controls speed and acceleration for more efficient fuel use – can reduce energy use by up to 20%.</p>
<p>When you are riding in your self-driving car, obviously you won’t be at the controls, so you will no longer be able to enjoy the rapid acceleration of your driving days – so perhaps the desire for more powerful engines could diminish. And given that vehicle safety is <a href="https://theconversation.com/where-we-are-on-the-road-to-driverless-cars-50079">expected to improve dramatically</a> in self-driving cars, some of the heavy safety features could be removed, making cars lighter. Each of these changes could reduce energy use by up to 23%. </p>
<h2>The bigger picture</h2>
<p>So far, so good – all of these mechanisms improve the efficiency with which a car travels. But, as a society, our interest lies in reducing total energy use, or total carbon emissions – and energy efficiency forms only one half of this picture. Our total carbon emissions also depend on the demand for travel. So, while improving the energy efficiency of cars by automating the driving process will reduce the carbon emissions of individual vehicles, the overall impact of this change will depend on how many people use them.</p>
<p>For instance, consider what would happen if large numbers of people switched to self-driving cars from travelling by train. We generally prefer the <a href="http://content.tfl.gov.uk/technical-note-15-why-do-people-travel-by-car.pdf">privacy and convenience</a> of travelling by car, but using public transport means we can concentrate on other stuff – such as reading a book or getting some work done. A self-driving car offers all of these benefits. As a result, we found that driverless cars could prove so attractive that they increase car travel by up to 60% in the US. </p>
<p>As you can see below, the features of driverless cars may have a range of impacts on energy consumption – both positive, and negative. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113070/original/image-20160226-27003-1fobd8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes in energy consumption, due to various mechanisms facilitated by automation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wadud Z, MacKenzie D and Leiby P</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Self-driving cars could also encourage a completely new group of people to own vehicles – for example, the elderly, the disabled and possibly those too young to drive themselves. This would increase the welfare of that demographic by giving them greater mobility. Yet travel demand, energy use and carbon emissions would all rise: our estimate for the US is an increase between 2% and 10%.</p>
<h2>Sharing is caring</h2>
<p>But it’s not all bad news: self-driving cars could encourage a move away from current car-owning culture to a car-sharing or on-demand culture. This opens up a few different possibilities. For one thing, by making the per-mile costs more visible to the user, car sharing or automated taxis could reduce travel demand from individuals. Yet these shared automated cars may still travel empty for some parts of their trips, so this option could lead a reduction of energy use between 0% to 20%. </p>
<p>But even greater energy savings are possible if the size of the self-driven shared car is matched to the trip type: for example, if a one-person commute trip is undertaken by a compact car, while for a family leisure trip a medium-sized sedan is used. This approach could reduce energy demand by 21% to 45%.</p>
<p>One thing we haven’t touched in great detail is the potential for self-driving cars to encourage a switch to alternate fuels such as electricity and reduce carbon emissions. Imagine the car dropping you off at your destination and finding a charging point to recharge itself. </p>
<p>So, automation does have the potential to reduce energy use for road transport. But this is not a direct result of automation per se; rather, it is due to how automation changes vehicle design, operations and ownership culture. It’s also interesting that some of the energy-saving benefits of self-driving cars are possible at a lower level of automation, through increased interaction between vehicles and infrastructure. </p>
<p>It is clear that the benefits of self-driving cars will depend on how we use them. The widespread adoption of automated vehicles could well have some unexpected effects, so it’s vital that we find and implement ways to realise the full energy-saving and carbon-reducing potential of self-driving cars. Until then, we’d better keep practising our driving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55363/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zia Wadud does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Self-driving cars are way more energy efficient than your average vehicle – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll reduce carbon emissions.
Zia Wadud, Associate Professor, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/49877
2015-11-30T23:45:42Z
2015-11-30T23:45:42Z
Young driver crashes: the myths and facts
<p>Many Australians will recognise young driver crashes as a serious problem. However, few might realise that crashes are the <a href="http://www.youngdriverfactbase.com/key-statistics/">leading cause</a> of death and acquired disability of young Australians, during the otherwise healthiest stage of life (<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/cars-suicide-killing-young-australians/story-e6frg6n6-1226337875778">rivalled</a> only by suicide in late adolescence).</p>
<p>Youth aged 17-25 comprise 13% of the Australian population, but 22% of the annual road toll. They are more likely to go to hospital due to a crash than any other age group. </p>
<p>While the statistics are confronting, the myths surrounding them are affronting. Having trained in developmental psychology, I was surprised to hear comments within the road safety community such as: they just think they’re invincible, there is nothing you can do about it, and their brains aren’t developed properly – following advances in brain imaging research.</p>
<h2>The ‘youth factor’ in crashes</h2>
<p>The truth is that newly licensed drivers of any age have the <a href="http://www.mylicence.sa.gov.au/parents-and-supervisors/reducing-crash-risk">highest risk</a> of crashing in the months following the (very safe) learner period. They are novices of a very complex skill and, as with any complex skill, they make mistakes. Factor in that most new drivers are young and it follows that young people <a href="https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/tac-campaigns/young-drivers">have more crashes</a>. </p>
<p>Why then is this not readily accepted? </p>
<p>A “youth factor” contributes to the high crash risk. The increased risk for young new drivers is higher than for older new drivers. However, it is questionable whether this is due to intentional or unintentional risks. </p>
<p>In all age groups a proportion of drivers intentionally break road rules; speeding is probably the most widely accepted example. Young drivers are no exception and are more likely to speed and break other such rules than other age groups. Yet this still relates only to a minority. </p>
<p>Developmental factors, however, apply to all youth and particularly contribute to unintentional risks. During childhood, changes in the brain start to occur that strengthen neural connections. They allow quicker and more efficient travel of nerve impulses, as cognitive abilities become more localised to certain brain areas. </p>
<p>It is <a href="http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/brain_development_teenagers.html">during middle adolescence</a> – when new licensed driving typically begins – that this process reaches the frontal lobe of the brain. This area is associated with <a href="http://biau.org/about-brain-injuries/cognitive-skills-of-the-brain/">functions</a> such as controlling impulses, overriding emotions and anticipating consequences – all extremely important for ensuring safe driving. This process continues into the early 20s.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/teenagers-and-sleep">Sleep needs</a> also increase at this time, to around nine hours. The <a href="http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/melatonin.pdf">hormone</a> that helps bring on sleep is released later at night, around 11PM. With lifestyles typically demanding earlier bed times and rise times, these changes result in youth being prone to fatigue. This is reflected in their over-representation in <a href="http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/statistics/summaries/fatigue-statistics">fatigue</a> and fall-asleep crashes. </p>
<p>Adolescence is also a time of important <a href="http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/social_and_emotional_development_teenagers.html/context/1101">social shifts</a>, including decreased dependence on parents and greater standing of peers. For reasons such as social outings and casual work, young people drive more at night than adults, which is a higher crash risk time for all drivers. Therefore youth are more likely to be in a crash simply by when they choose to drive.</p>
<p>Adolescent brains are therefore developing “properly” and in important ways, including changes that facilitate leaving home and moving into the adult workforce. Yes this results in intentional “pushing the limits” for some. However, for <em>all</em>, everyday factors such as hazards and distractions are not as easy to perceive and manage compared to older drivers. </p>
<p>What then can we do?</p>
<h2>Moving towards safer roads</h2>
<p>Calls for mandatory driver training are common. However, traditional programs fail to focus on these key factors. Often they target advanced vehicle handling skills in imminent crash scenarios, which, contrary to expectations, are shown to increase crashes. Such complex skills cannot be mastered in a day. Nor can they be applied effectively without practice, yet these skills might be needed months later.</p>
<p>Such approaches increase young drivers’ judgement of their skills beyond their actual ability. This results in more rather than less risk being accepted when driving.</p>
<p>Alternatively, licensing conditions for new drivers – including restrictions on night driving and peer passengers – serve to reduce exposure to high-risk conditions. Contrary to some beliefs, they do not punish all for the sake of the intentionally risky few, but rather address inexperience and developmental limitations. They have proven to be the single most successful initiative in reducing youth crash casualties.</p>
<p>With increased cries of “the nanny state” and a <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Personal_choice">current federal inquiry</a> into restrictions on “personal choices”, it is timely to increase general understanding of the young driver problem (rather than the problem young driver). Through this, we should support initiatives that protect youth during an important stage of development while they learn an also important but complex life skill.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49877/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Senserrick receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Previously she has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Austroads (Australian and New Zealand government road agencies), state and territory govenment bodies in Australia and the
National Science Foundation in the United States. </span></em></p>
It is widely believed that youth recklessness is often the cause of young driver crashes, but is this simply a myth?
Teresa Senserrick, Associate Professor, Transport and Road Safety Research, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/48976
2015-10-21T00:07:50Z
2015-10-21T00:07:50Z
The ‘fatal five’ causes of road trauma: who’s in control?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98357/original/image-20151014-12614-3xb71i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The makers of GPS devices are among the many factors and actors whose role in road safety has not been fully considered.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/litandmore/3632167092/in/photolist-6wXNJy-8A8MvT-cT211Y-2hYq6-5twC7S-9tVkuU-9sLbw-oqMYmY-danU6J-86Ld4F-4MytfK-7MDLio-8CM6cP-dw6baa-6z9Kvr-9zVFo4-9zVCqK-9zVFeM-9zYDY5-9zVFi6-9zVCqp-9zVFpk-9zYE1G-dJySRB-4R56yQ-8Dsb4J-8Ds9BN-ctchmu-ctchME-9zVFvv-aCbkhx-aCbkpx-apfxdu-pkxtzm-pkxr75-p466N8-pix7UQ-p45S3o-pkxt6q-p455cM-p45fKG-pkhXog-pkza16-pix6cm-p465eM-p45hEy-72cb1P-9XomHZ-8DrZ8C-oP6MZQ">flickr/Schu</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite significant progress, road transport systems continue to kill people on a <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/">scale that is comparable</a> to cancers, cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases.</p>
<p>In Australian states such as Queensland, the focus is on reducing the <a href="https://www.racq.com.au/about/club-enews/fatal-five">“fatal five”</a> behaviours that cause road trauma: speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and driving while distracted. </p>
<p>Alongside this, <a href="https://infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/national_road_safety_strategy/">road safety strategy</a> calls for a shared responsibility for road safety that spans many stakeholders. They include road users, road and vehicle designers, policymakers, advocacy groups, road safety authorities and government.</p>
<p>While this is a step in the right direction, it is not entirely clear who shares this responsibility, or what the responsibilities are. Given contemporary <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/engineering-safer-world">accident models</a>, which argue that accidents are caused by a loss of control between actors and organisations across levels of a system, it seems pertinent to clarify two questions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Who is in the road transport system (and thus shares the responsibility for road safety)?</p></li>
<li><p>What control measures do different actors and organisations enact in pursuit of road safety?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If there are shared responsibilities, what do these entail? As part of a program of research that involves applying new systems thinking <a href="http://sunnyday.mit.edu/">models and methods</a> in road transport, we built a <a href="http://sunnyday.mit.edu/accidents/safetyscience-single.pdf">control structure model</a> of the Queensland road transport system to answer these questions. </p>
<p>Based on control theory, this type of model argues that the behaviour of complex systems is managed through control and feedback loops. Controls are constraints imposed by actors and organisations at higher levels on the behaviour of those below. Feedback loops provide information about the impact of the controls at the lower levels, enabling decision-makers to evaluate and adapt control strategies over time.</p>
<h2>What does the model reveal?</h2>
<p>We have reviewed and amended the model based on feedback from almost 50 experts in road safety and systems thinking. The initial findings are compelling.</p>
<p>The model shows the actors and organisations within the Queensland road transport system along with the control and feedback relationships between them. These actors and organisations span six levels: the road environment; local management and supervision; operational delivery and management; government agencies, industry associations, user groups, insurance companies and the courts; parliament and legislatures; and international influences. </p>
<p>The model gives an indication of the breadth of intertwined actors and organisations who share responsibility for road safety. The usual suspects are in there; however, there are many others that may not typically be thought of as playing a role in road safety. They include the media, manufacturers of devices such as mobile phones and in-vehicle GPS devices, organisations employing drivers, insurers, schools, parents and local council officers. </p>
<p>The forms of control adopted are interesting. These include managerial (such as resource allocation), organisational (such as policies and procedures), physical (such as signage and signals) and manufacturing-based controls (such as standards). Forms of control vary widely depending on which level of the road system you look at, which is similar to other safety-critical systems. </p>
<p>Another interesting thing to note is the relative strength of the controls. These can be weaker in comparison to other transportation domains such as aviation and rail transport. Consequently, there is more latitude for behaviour, and a range of societal influences readily affect the choices that drivers make.</p>
<p>For example, controls around impairment by drugs and alcohol are stronger in aviation, where pilots have to comply with strictly enforced rules on drug and alcohol consumption. Although road users are bound by similar rules, the nature of road transport systems is such that the rules cannot be so consistently enforced. Alcohol and drug testing in road transport systems will never achieve the same coverage and impact as it does in aviation systems. </p>
<p>The same can be said for controls around other fatal five behaviours such as fatigue and distraction, exacerbated by there being no accepted test (unlike blood alcohol testing) for these performance impairments.</p>
<p>A challenge for the road safety community is to strengthen the controls enacted on road users while ensuring they are practical to enact. This will likely involve developing new forms of control, rather than simply increasing the frequency with which current controls are applied. </p>
<p>In addition, the impact of wider societal influences on driver behaviour should be considered and exploited when developing controls.</p>
<h2>Knowledge gaps compromise safety</h2>
<p>Finally, the model raises questions about our current understanding of road traffic crashes. If road transport systems are so large and complex, comprising multiple actors and organisations tightly bound together by control relationships and feedback loops, then surely there are more factors that contribute to crashes? The model suggests that interactions not typically considered in road crash data analysis can play a role in creating or enabling the fatal five behaviours. </p>
<p>When, for example, will we consider mobile phone and vehicle designers and related standards as contributing to crashes involving drivers distracted by a mobile phone? Similarly, the causal chain in work-related driving crashes likely extends up to managers, chief executives, policymakers and ministers. </p>
<p>The current focus is on driver-, vehicle- and road environment-related factors. According to our model, this leaves a significant gap in the knowledge base.</p>
<p>On a positive note, the model also shows a diverse group is involved in attempting to minimise road trauma, and many control and feedback loops have been implemented. These are the hallmarks of safe systems. </p>
<p>The efforts of the road safety community should be applauded; we should not forget the significant and tangible impact that has been achieved to date. </p>
<p>There is still work to be done. It may be that, as well as focusing our efforts on improving road user behaviour on the front line, we should consider how to optimise other levels in road transport systems. We have spent a great deal of time focusing on the controlled; it may be time to focus on the controllers.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Paul will be taking part in an Ask An Expert Q&A on Twitter from 4 and 5pm on Wednesday, October 21. Head over to Twitter and post your questions about road safety using #AskAnExpert.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48976/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Salmon receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gemma Read does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The focus is on reducing the “fatal five” behaviours that cause road trauma: speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and driving while distracted.
Paul Salmon, Professor, Human Factors, University of the Sunshine Coast
Gemma Read, Research Fellow in Human Factors & Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/47425
2015-09-15T20:17:16Z
2015-09-15T20:17:16Z
More Mad Max than max safety: teenagers don’t dream of safe cars
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94755/original/image-20150915-16973-1ibafaw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Weapons and flames: this 'dream car' design by teenagers doesn't include any safety features.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bridie Scott-Parker</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hardly a week goes by without <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/jandakot-car-crash-victims-family-urge-young-drivers-to-change/story-fnii5thm-1227520156323">calls for something to be done</a> to prevent any further deaths or serious injuries caused by young drivers on our roads.</p>
<p>We know that <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-approach-to-cut-death-toll-of-young-people-in-road-accidents-25372">young drivers are at greater risk</a> of being hurt or killed in a road crash, particularly when they have their P plate.</p>
<p>An important part of trying to keep them safe is to gain as much benefit as possible from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-learner-drivers-four-key-lessons-30034">learner licence phase</a>. Another very important factor – and one often overlooked by eager young drivers and parents relieved at no longer accompanying their learner on every drive – is the car they drive.</p>
<p>Research consistently reveals that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22133331">most P-platers</a> have access either to their own vehicle or the exclusive use of a family vehicle. P-platers in these situations report more risky driving behaviours such as speeding, not wearing seatbelts and showing off to friends.</p>
<p>When it comes to owning their own car, young drivers are more likely to drive <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437515000559">smaller, older cars</a> with fewer crash-avoidance mechanisms, such as electronic stability control, and fewer crash-protection mechanisms, such as airbags.</p>
<p>Safer cars <a href="http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/research/reports/muarc292.html">improve</a> crash outcomes such as reducing death or injuries to drivers and others. But safer cars with crash-avoidance and crash-protection features are usually more expensive – not just to buy, but also to insure – meaning that they may be out of the reach of young drivers and/or their families. </p>
<p>Getting your own car is a very exciting part of being able to drive independently. Young drivers commonly form an opinion about what car they want long before they actually have a P-plate and the funds to buy and/or borrow the car from family members.</p>
<h2>Designing the ‘dream car’</h2>
<p>So what motivates their choice of a future car? I’ve analysed the features of 152 “dream cars” created by small groups of teenagers in Queensland and New South Wales. </p>
<p>We asked teens attending Year 11 in high school – many of whom are likely to have a learner licence already and be dreaming of their own car – to work together to design their dream car. Using this approach means that not only can we learn about what is most important but also we can gain some insight into peer pressure. Some designs were clearly drawn by groups made up of only boys, others by groups containing only girls, and the remaining groups containing a mix of boys and girls. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94757/original/image-20150915-16968-lvore3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No guns but wings this time. There was a difference in the ‘dream car’ designs of boys and girls.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bridie Scott-Parker</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Here are the most common features.</p>
<p><strong>1. Standard vehicle features</strong></p>
<p>At least one standard vehicle feature, such as headlights, steering wheels, seat and seatbelts, was included on three-quarters of the designs. This is a good sign – we want young drivers in cars with seatbelts.</p>
<p><strong>2. Safety vehicle features</strong></p>
<p>One or more safety vehicle features, such as airbags and traction control, were noted on only one-third of designs. This is not a good sign – we want every young driver in a car with multiple safety features. Only two designs featured an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a vital safety feature which can prevent the young driver from crashing in the first place.</p>
<p><strong>3. Luxury vehicle features</strong></p>
<p>Four out of five designs mentioned luxury features such as fancy rims and paint, car body attachments and extra lights (in addition to headlights, brake lights, hazard lights/indicators). This tells us that young drivers are highly focused on how their car looks, and not necessarily on whether the car will keep them out of a crash or protect them if they do crash.</p>
<p><strong>4. Bizarre vehicle features</strong></p>
<p>There is no other way than “bizarre” to categorise features such as guns and armoury, spikes, wings and a selfie booth. Guns and/or armoury featured on nearly one in seven designs, and spikes on tyres and/or the vehicle body featured on ten designs. Such things certainly won’t help keep them out of that crash, or protect them if they do crash.</p>
<p><strong>5. Other vehicle features</strong></p>
<p>One in eight designs had features such as a roof rack, a pocket for their phone, or a bike rack. </p>
<p>So what do these five observations imply? It means that we need to better educate young people about safety before they get their P-plates and are buying or driving their “dream car”. We need to educate them about the importance of driving as safe a car as possible, rather than dreaming about mag wheels and psychedelic paint. Instead, we need them to dream about traction control and curtain airbags, reversing and blind-spot cameras.</p>
<h2>The parents can help</h2>
<p>Parents also play a pivotal role in the car that young people ultimately drive. Perplexingly, however, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18054603">research</a> has revealed that while parents are concerned about their child’s safety, they often intend to buy them a smaller, older car or a car with reduced crashworthiness.</p>
<p>Many parents don’t know the safety features they should seek in a car for themselves, let alone their young driver, and they don’t know how safety features such as ABS actually work. </p>
<p>This tells us we need to get parents and their teenagers on the same page before they even begin to drive. Parents and young drivers could investigate the safety of the family car, with a multitude of websites summarising the crashworthiness of <a href="http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/">new</a> and <a href="http://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-driving/cars/buying-a-car">used</a> cars.</p>
<p>Parents and their teenagers could work together to investigate exactly how these safety features prevent a crash and/or protect in the event of a crash.</p>
<p>We know P-platers are more likely to crash now than in any other stage of their driving lifetime. So doesn’t it make sense that one simple step to help keep them safe is to make sure they drive the safest car possible?</p>
<p>We need to start a conversation around how we make this happen. Education alone is insufficient, but it is a vital part in a much larger plan.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Bridie Scott-Parker will be on hand for an Author Q&A between 11am and noon AEST on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Post your questions in the comments section below.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47425/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bridie Scott-Parker receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council via a Research Fellowship. </span></em></p>
Teenagers are more interested in gadgets and flashy desig in their first car than they are about safety features. So how do we make them think safety is important?
Bridie Scott-Parker, Research Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/37150
2015-02-16T19:35:02Z
2015-02-16T19:35:02Z
What happens when a self-driving car meets a road rage driver?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/72069/original/image-20150216-13188-dtmlqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We've all met the angry driver -- but how should a driver-less car react to such behaviour?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shalunts</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Driverless cars could soon be cruising Australian roads if South Australia gives the go-ahead to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-10/sa-government-plans-legislation-for-when-driverless-cars-happen/6083842">reforms to its road legislation</a>.</p>
<p>The technology promises to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2014/09/11/baby-steps-toward-driverless-cars-deliver-huge-leaps-in-safety/">increase safety</a> on our roads, but what happens when such automated cars meet the less attractive side of human driving: the road rage driver?</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ao0v-vPHvs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Such incidents may be rare on our roads but they do happen, with <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/they-choose-a-victim-they-can-dominate-how-and-why-road-rage-thugs-select-their-targets/story-fncynjr2-1227026093094">one Australian expert saying</a> such drivers tend to target “victims they can dominate”.</p>
<p>In the UK, <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/road-rage-nearly-half-uk-2055985">almost half</a> of the 3,000 people surveyed by one insurance company admitted they sometimes acted aggressively behind the wheel. In Canada, up to 80% of drivers <a href="http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/news/nearly-80-of-canadians-admit-to-road-rage-behaviour-survey/1001833674/">admit</a> to road rage behaviour.</p>
<p>Some commentators have flagged road rage and how it relates to the <a href="http://www.citylab.com/tech/2014/05/will-self-driving-cars-have-road-rage/371709/">use of self-driving cars</a> as an issue that needs our consideration.</p>
<h2>The technology so far</h2>
<p>While <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/the-stop-and-go-story-of-legalizing-driverless-cars-1251056">some states in the USA</a> have already allowed driverless cars on their roads, and the UK has this month begun <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/driverless-cars-officially-trialled-on-uk-roads-for-first-time-in-four-towns-and-cities-10037737.html">limited trials of the technology</a>, it may be a while before we see such cars regularly driving themselves along our suburban or city streets.</p>
<p>There is still a lot of work to do to mature the technology to a level where most people would <a href="http://www.vox.com/2014/7/31/5955141/one-big-obstacle-for-self-driving-cars-people-are-still-scared-of-them">consider it safe enough</a> to mix with the normal traffic.</p>
<p><a href="http://gizmodo.com/6-simple-things-googles-self-driving-car-still-cant-han-1628040470">The big issues</a> include developing systems to deal with inclement weather, improved sensing of pedestrians and bicycles and an ability to deal with other less predictable elements encountered on the road.</p>
<p>But it is the people issues that are likely to be the hardest to overcome, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-your-robot-driver-kill-you-to-save-a-childs-life-29926">challenges with ethics</a>, and in particular, the issue of other people deliberately misbehaving around self-driving cars.</p>
<h2>Who’s in control of the wheel?</h2>
<p>There are three general self-driving car scenarios.</p>
<p>Firstly, the one that most people have witnessed on the TV news, where a competent driver sits behind the wheel and <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-21465042">acts as a backup driver</a> to the computer systems that actually performs the task of driving.</p>
<p>Self-driving cars of this type have now been demonstrated by numerous <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2015/01/06/bmws-self-driving-car-parks-itself-and-picks-you-up-when-youre-ready-to-go/">car manufacturers</a>, <a href="http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2013/september/sept4_selfdrivingcar.html">research labs</a> and of course <a href="http://www.google.com.au/about/careers/lifeatgoogle/self-driving-car-test-steve-mahan.html">Google</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cdgQpa1pUUE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>There are human issues associated with this type of self-driving car because there is an assumption that the backup driver is paying enough attention to suddenly take over driving and save the day if needed.</p>
<p>If the point of a self-driving car is to let the human “driver” kick back and relax then <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-fitzgerald/the-cognitive-consequence_b_5796522.html">this assumption is problematic</a>.</p>
<p>But the human inattention problem is nothing compared to the issues found in the other two modes of operation of a self-driving car. One is where the people are only passengers and do not have an ability to take over control, the other is where the self-driving car is actually empty of people.</p>
<p>There are reports that <a href="https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/uber-backs-research-driverless-cars-225408306.html">Google and Uber</a> will compete to create <a href="http://www.cnet.com/au/news/google-reportedly-plans-to-take-on-uber-with-ride-hailing-service/">self-driving taxis</a>. A robot taxi will necessarily operate in these two modes.</p>
<p>When you call it from your phone or app, it will drive the streets to you empty, but when it collects you and any other passengers, you can not be expected to take over as a backup driver. Many people catch taxis precisely to avoid the responsibility of driving.</p>
<p>How will other human drivers in their own cars treat these self-driving taxis? I am certain that most people will treat them just like they do current human driven cars, including incidents of road rage.</p>
<h2>The road rage driver</h2>
<p>Until now, road rage has only occurred between people. But what will it mean when a driverless car is driving around empty or with passengers only? Will the rage from a frustrated human driver be eliminated when they see that it was just a machine and not another person that annoyed them (no victim to dominate)?</p>
<p>Or will it increase the rage given that there will be no other driver to confront? Will a human driver rage against the passengers in the driverless taxi scenario? Will a human driver see the driverless car itself as something to dominate, to prove he or she is better than a machine?</p>
<p>I have recently glimpsed what it might be like to be a passenger in a self-driving car. And no doubt many of you will have witnessed this too. Most weekends, I spend some time being driven by a brand new driver. My teenage son is learning to drive and it’s <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/07/30/157476789/cheer-up-its-just-your-child-behind-the-wheel">my job to teach him</a>.</p>
<p>My car on those weekend afternoons may as well be a self-driving robot car. I am sitting in the passenger seat with no controls. An autonomous, yet not fully competent system – my son – is in full control.</p>
<p>My few hours driving instruction have opened my eyes to the horrible people on the road: those who deliberately abuse learner drivers. There are people who spin their wheels in front of us, who aggressively overtake and who generally show their intolerance towards an imperfect driver.</p>
<p>What will these people do when they come across a self-driving robot car? Will they play reckless games? Will they try and “break” the robots, putting them in difficult and dangerous positions?</p>
<p>Will people hunt empty self-driving cars, <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/193923-driverless-car-researchers-develop-plan-to-prevent-hacking-on-the-highway">spoofing them</a> into driving into the back of a waiting truck and stealing whatever cargo they may be carrying?</p>
<h2>Challenge for driverless cars</h2>
<p>As has occurred in the past, we tend to adopt new technologies if the negatives are <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/10/tech/mobile/our-mobile-society-intro-oms/">outweighed by the positives</a>.</p>
<p>Take the smartphone as an example; we have all lost some of our privacy, only to gain enormously from the functions of geolocation and social media. While many predict that driverless cars will ultimately improve road safety we also need to think about the darker side too.</p>
<p>While we consider legislation on how driverless cars work, we also need to think how we deal with those who will abuse the technology. Are new laws needed to deal with reckless or dangerous interference with an autonomous vehicle?</p>
<p>I am sure that robot cars will be part of the future. Will my son have to teach his future children to drive? Maybe. Will he be teaching his future grandchildren? I very much doubt it.</p>
<p>A future with no more L-plates: perhaps. Maybe the only plates to be seen will be H-plates, and they will be to help the robots watch out for us. Warning, human driver at the wheel!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37150/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Driverless cars could soon be cruising Australian roads if South Australia gives the go-ahead to reforms to its road legislation. The technology promises to increase safety on our roads, but what happens…
Jonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/35468
2015-01-04T19:09:14Z
2015-01-04T19:09:14Z
Why are young Australians turning their back on the car?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67204/original/image-20141215-6042-1djzgjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">All over the developed world young people are turning their back on the car. Why is it happening in Australia?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Julian Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians have long had a love affair with the car. Car ownership and use has <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2007/wp_071.aspx">increased every decade</a> since its introduction to Australia. The car has fundamentally shaped the urban form of Australian cities – not just through investments in roads, highways, bridges and tunnels but also by facilitating the spread of Australia’s suburbs and activity centres. The car has provided significant social and economic benefits and helped generations of young adults break free from their parents.</p>
<p>Recently, however, Australia’s love affair with the car has begun to cool. For the first time in Australia’s history, young adults are becoming less likely to get a car license than their parents. Where baby boomers couldn’t get enough of their cars, an increasing number of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials">millennials</a> (the generation born from the mid-1980s onwards) have had enough of them.</p>
<h2>Putting the brakes on driver licensing</h2>
<p>In Australia, the decline in driver licensing has been recorded in New South Wales and Victoria. Australia is one of the few countries that doesn’t compile national licensing rates. In Victoria, the decline has been slow but steady. Licensing rates for people under 25 have dropped from 77% to 66% since 2000-01.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67321/original/image-20141216-24291-1ga2ykt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=665&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Australia isn’t alone in this trend. A <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01441647.2013.801929">review</a> of youth licensing rates in 13 countries found declines in the US, Canada, UK, Japan and much of Europe. </p>
<p>All over the developed world millennials are turning their back on the car. But why is this happening and what does it mean for Australia’s future?</p>
<h2>What’s driving this trend?</h2>
<p>Research into this trend is still unfolding, but a range of explanations are being explored. Recent changes in driver licensing regulations cannot be overlooked. All Australian states and territories have gradually introduced more restrictions on learner permits and driving licenses. Most notably, depending on the jurisdiction, millennials are now required to log up to 120 hours of supervised driving before applying for a provisional license. </p>
<p>How many baby boomers would have put off getting a license if they were expected to spend that much time driving with their parents? However, this explanation cannot fully explain this shift. In Victoria, the decline in youth licensing was documented at least as far back as 2000, seven years before the 120 hours requirement came into force.</p>
<p>So if driver licensing regulations aren’t all to blame, what else could be turning millennials away from the car? One complex but significant shift in recent years is how the life course of millennials has changed compared to previous generations. </p>
<p>In the past, many young Australians quickly transitioned from secondary school to full-time work, marriage, mortgage and children. Today’s young Australians are more likely to attend tertiary studies, work part-time, live with parents and delay marriage, mortgage and children. All of these changes mean that young adults have less need for a car in their teens, but also have less money to pay for one. </p>
<p>This raises the question of whether the cost of motoring has discouraged young adults from getting a car. This is a more complex issue as even though fuel prices have certainly increased in recent years, overall the relative cost of motoring has actually decreased.</p>
<p>Finally, there’s some suggestion that the attitudes and lifestyle of millennials have caused a cultural shift where the car is no longer king. The car has long held a cherished place in Australian culture, especially for the baby boomer generation. But recent <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X13001716">research</a> suggests that for millennials, the car is less a symbol of status and pride and more a symbol of adult responsibility – a responsibility that not everyone is ready for. </p>
<p>In the words of one 22-year-old research participant:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A car to me symbolises commitment, financial responsibility and to some extent becoming an adult.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Instead, it has been suggested that gadgets and mobile phones have replaced the car as the new status symbol, hobby and means to keep in touch with friends. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that these technologies are a major part of the lifestyle of many millennials, but the jury is still out as to whether technology is reducing the need for face-to-face contact (and therefore reducing the need for a car). Preliminary research suggests that young people who maintain frequent contact with friends through technology are actually more likely, not less, to see their friends in person.</p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>There are many factors that influence how young adults travel, and further research is needed to better understand these decisions. </p>
<p>There are still important questions that need to be answered. Are these young adults forgoing cars entirely, or merely delaying a few years before they get behind the wheel? Are young adults actively choosing a more sustainable lifestyle, or are they being forced out of cars due to unwanted circumstances? The societal benefits of fewer cars are obvious, but are car-less millennials suffering significant negative consequences?</p>
<p>We can react to this change in car use in one of two ways. We can sit in the back seat and passively enjoy the benefits of fewer cars on the road, slowing the growth of emissions and congestion by a small amount. Or we can take the wheel and actively support this change, putting in place policies and structures to support and encourage young adults who are deciding between L-plates or a new bicycle, car keys or an annual public transport pass. </p>
<p>Once someone shapes their life, work and home around the car it is far, far harder to persuade them not to use it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35468/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexa Delbosc has received research funding from Public Transport Victoria and Metro Trains Melbourne. She is a member of The Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management.</span></em></p>
Australians have long had a love affair with the car. Car ownership and use has increased every decade since its introduction to Australia. The car has fundamentally shaped the urban form of Australian…
Alexa Delbosc, Lecturer in Transport, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/32747
2014-11-12T19:31:11Z
2014-11-12T19:31:11Z
Where drivers don’t mean to speed, it’s no good just fining them
<p>Blaming motorists for their speeding may at times be undeserved. We have recently shown that, rather than intentional wrong-doing by drivers, cognitive factors <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2014-22380-001/">can explain speeding behaviour</a>.</p>
<p>Policies and enforcement measures to tackle speeding rely on the idea that driving too fast is always intended by drivers as a result of their attitudes (lack of consideration of the possible consequences) and their willingness to act inappropriately. But speeding is not always a deliberate action. </p>
<h2>School zone risks require lower speed limits</h2>
<p>It is standard across Australia to find variable speed limits within school precincts. At times when children are travelling to and from school, a substantially lower limit applies, usually reducing a general urban speed limit to 25-40 km/h in the school zone. </p>
<p>It is important for drivers to comply with lower speed limits within <a href="http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/School-road-safety/Safe-school-travel-safest/Speed-limits-in-school-zones.aspx">school zones</a> given the increased activity by pedestrians (especially children) in these areas. This creates increased risks and greater consequences of a collision involving pedestrians.</p>
<p>Despite this, speeding in school zones <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/reckless-drivers-put-children-at-risk-speeding-through-school-crossings/story-fni0cx12-1226929329950">remains common</a>. In response to the <a href="http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/national_road_safety_strategy/">“significant risks associated with low-range speeding”</a>, police and policymakers have relied on enforcement, harsher penalties and education to reduce speeding behaviour. However, in school zones this <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/more-drivers-than-ever-before-caught-speeding-in-school-zones/story-fnihsrf2-1226821956049">often does not work</a>. </p>
<h2>Why might drivers speed in school zones?</h2>
<p>We argue that drivers may recognise that they are in a school zone and slow down at the entry point when they see the speed limit signage and signals, but they forget to drive slowly as they transit the entire school precinct.</p>
<p>So how do drivers forget they’re in a school zone? We tend to think of memory as the recollection of past events, but memory also plays a part in planning and deciding on future behaviour. This is prospective memory – the memory for future intentions – and it is very important for our everyday lives.</p>
<p>But prospective memory is not foolproof. Errors can occur where individuals forget to perform an intended task. Typically this happens when the “normal” flow or sequence of behaviour is interrupted. </p>
<p>A failure to remember to complete an intended behaviour can have serious, unsafe consequences. For example, in commercial aviation interruptions to pre-flight procedures and subsequent <a href="http://hsi.arc.nasa.gov/flightcognition/Publications/Dismukes_07.pdf">prospective memory errors</a> have been shown to contribute to planes crashing. <a href="http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/14143_Chapter9.pdf">Mid-procedure disruptions</a> have resulted in physicians leaving instruments or sponges in patients following surgery.</p>
<p>We propose that if drivers are speeding within a school zone, their behaviour may be the result of a failure of prospective memory caused by some interruption. A major interruption in some school zones occurs when drivers are required to stop at traffic light intersections. Traffic light “interruptions” may lead to prospective memory error in the following ways:</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/64213/original/k6kq6rmj-1415683142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘green means go’ signal may cause some drivers to resume travelling at their usual speed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGreen_traffic_signal%2C_Stamford_Road%2C_Singapore_-_20111210-02.jpg">Wikimedia Commons/Jacklee</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ol>
<li><p>Because of the relative abruptness of the traffic light change from green to amber to red, drivers may have little opportunity to encode the future intention to resume travelling at the reduced school zone speed limit. This memory error can be further promoted if additional distractions attract attention – for example, pedestrian movements or the presence of other vehicles, as well as in-car events such as a radio broadcast or conversation with a passenger. Prospective memory suffers when attention is divided.</p></li>
<li><p>Cues in the environment that are associated with the resumption of driving – for example, the change from red to a green traffic light, a clear path ahead to continue their journey – may lead an individual to accelerate to the speed at which they would typically drive when school zone hours do not apply. The driver has simply failed to recall the need to resume the interrupted and deferred task of driving at the lower speed limit. </p></li>
<li><p>On driving resumption, there are scant cues in the environment to prompt memory retrieval for the deferred task of travelling at a reduced speed. If the route is regularly travelled, the available cues probably suggest habitual driving at the usual (non-school zone) speed.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>What did our study find?</h2>
<p>We found that when a driver was able to choose the speed at which they travelled – that is, where the road was clear and there were no vehicles ahead to slow them down – then if they had been interrupted by stopping at a red traffic light, they resumed driving at higher speeds. These speeds related to the normal speed limit, rather than the temporary lower limit. </p>
<p>When there was no traffic light interruption, drivers progressed through the school zone at slower speeds, which were closer to the school zone limit.</p>
<p>When we placed a reminder cue after the traffic light – simply signage featuring twin amber flashing lights and a sign “Check Speed” – then drivers were able to correct (or fully avoid) a prospective memory error. The driving speeds on resumption were fully compliant with the school speed limit.</p>
<h2>What this research means</h2>
<p>We are not arguing that it is invalid to treat speeding behaviour as an intentional act. A number of <a href="http://casr.adelaide.edu.au/rsr/RSR2007/FleiterJ.pdf">researchers</a> have found that drivers do deliberately and consciously intend to speed.</p>
<p>What we are arguing is that, in some circumstances, the way the road infrastructure is designed may encourage and prompt motorists to engage in otherwise avoidable illegal speeding behaviour. We have shown that such a phenomenon can occur when traffic lights interrupt drivers in school zones. </p>
<p>Drivers appear not to notice their behaviour. But if reminded to think about their speed, they adopt a correct, safe speed. </p>
<p>The same cognitive process may also apply in circumstances where drivers fail to slow at speed cameras sites, at roadworks sites or in the transition from rural to urban speed zones.</p>
<p>A serious attempt to create a <a href="http://c-marc.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/CMARC%20Fact%20Sheet%201%20Towards%20Zero.pdf">“Safe System”</a> of road use must take this evidence into account. For example, we have shown that placing reminder cues downstream from a known point of interruption can be an effective low-cost solution that eliminates most speeding in high-risk locations.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Bree Gregory will present this research at the <a href="http://rsrpe2014.com.au/">Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference</a> in Melbourne, November 12-14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32747/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian J. Faulks MAPS is an NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Research Scholar, and receives funding from the Trust. He is an Honorary Associate with the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University. He is a member of the Australasian College of Road Safety.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bree Gregory and Julia Irwin do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Blaming motorists for their speeding may at times be undeserved. We have recently shown that, rather than intentional wrong-doing by drivers, cognitive factors can explain speeding behaviour. Policies…
Julia Irwin, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology, Macquarie University
Bree Gregory, PhD researcher, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University
Ian J. Faulks, NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Research Scholar, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.