Towards a conceptual model of motorcyclists' Risk Awareness: a comparative study of riding experience effect on hazard detection and situational criticality assessment

Does music affect performance on a hazard perception test for cyclists?

Whereas it has been shown that listening to music impairs the detection of auditory and visual signals, it is unclear to what extent music affects a cyclist's ability to detect and interpret hazardous traffic situations. In the current experiment, thirty-seven participants carried out a hazard perception test for cyclists. Participants were divided into three groups: control, passive, or active. The control group did the test without hearing music. The passive and active group did hear music, yet the passive group was asked to ignore the music, while the active group was asked to pay attention to the lyrics. Results showed no differences in reaction rate, reaction time, or gaze behaviour between any of the groups. These findings temper the existing safety concerns about the negative effect of music on traffic safety. Nevertheless, music might still have consequences under certain conditions or in certain risk-groups such as children. Practitioner summary: It is unclear how music affects traffic safety. The current experiment tested to what extent hazard perception was affected by listening actively or passively to music. Under the current experimental conditions, listening to music was found to have no effect on hazard perception. Abbreviation: NHTSA: national highway traffic safety administration; AOI: area of interest; TTFS: time to first saccade; FFD: first fixation duration.

Crash risk factors for novice motorcycle riders

BACKGROUND

Motorcycle riders have the highest injury and fatality rates among all road users. This research sought in-depth understanding of crash risk factors to help in developing targeted measures to reduce motorcycle crash injuries and fatalities.

METHODS

We used interview data from a study of 2,399 novice motorcycle riders in Victoria, Australia from 2010 to 2012 linked with their police-recorded crash and offence data. The outcome measure was self and/or police reported crash. The association between potential risk factors and crashes was explored in multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS

In the multivariable analysis, riders who reported being involved in three or more near crashes had 1.74 times (95% CI 1.11-2.74) higher odds of crashing compared to riders who reported no near-crash events, and riders who participated in a pre-learner course had 1.41 times higher odds of crashing (95% CI 1.07-1.87) compared with riders who did not attend a pre-learner course. Riders who had been involved in a crash before the study had 1.58 times (95% CI 1.14-2.19) higher odds of crashing during the study period compared with riders who were not involved in a crash. Each additional month of having held a license and learner permit decreased the odds of crashing by 2%, and each additional 1,000 km of riding before the study increased the odds of crashing by 2%.

CONCLUSION

Measures of pre-learner training and riding experience were the strongest predictors of crashing in this cohort of novice motorcycle riders. At the time of the study there was no compulsory rider training to obtain a learner permit in Victoria and no on-road courses were available. It may be plausible that riders who voluntarily participated in an unregulated pre-learner course became or remained at high risk of crash after obtaining a rider license. We suggest systematically reviewing the safety benefits of voluntary versus mandatory pre-learner and learner courses and the potential need to include on-road components.

VR-Based investigation of forklift operator situation awareness for preventing collision accidents

Forklifts are among the machines involved with the highest levels of occupational fatalities. As many accidents involved with a forklift can be attributed to the low situation awareness (SA) of the operator, it is essential to understand the factors influencing a forklift operator's SA for reducing forklift accidents, especially of collision type. Against this background, this research aims to investigate how a forklift operator's SA about other people around can be influenced by the type of subtasks they are carrying out. In this research, a virtual reality (VR) environment is used as the experiment environment, in which subjects perform a series of subtasks, such as driving, turning, reversing, loading and unloading, with a VR forklift simulation model. A SAGAT-an established SA measurement technique based on a series of queries targeting Level 1, 2, and 3 SA-is used as the main method to collect data about subjects' SA in the experiment. The analysis of the data reveals that a forklift operator is likely to have a reduced SA about the workers around when he/she is performing a loading or unloading task due to attention narrowing, which occurs when a person concentrates on a cognitively demanding task. The findings provide insights into how forklift operator SA could be improved through an SA-oriented safety training program and also how sensing technologies might assist forklift operators with maintaining a good SA.

Assessment of the chemical hazard awareness of petrol tanker driver: A case study

Understanding the tanker driver hazard awareness on chemical exposure is important to ensure that they are fortified with the appropriate information regarding the risk of their occupation. This present study was conducted to determine the awareness of the petrol tanker driver on the chemical exposure during transportation petroleum product. The assessment on hazardous awareness of the petrol tank driver was conducted through questionnaire survey. Wherein, the questionnaire was designed with considering the variables of age of the driver, working experience, working hours in a day and knowledge on chemical hazard presence in the petroleum oil. A reliability test of Cronbach's Alpha was performed to validate the questionnaire and the Chi-Square test was conducted to determine the correlation among the studied variables. The findings of the present study revealed that the drivers who are frequently come into direct contact with petrol cannot identify the spillage had occurred during working. The study identified that there is an urgency to conduct training on safe handling of petroleum oil in order to eliminate the risk of chemical hazards exposure to the tanker driver.

Road user hazard perception tests: A systematic review of current methodologies

BACKGROUND

Poor hazard perception, or the ability to anticipate potentially dangerous road and traffic situations, has been linked to an increased crash risk. Novice and younger road users are typically poorer at hazard perception than experienced and older road users. Road traffic authorities have recognised the importance of hazard perception skills, with the inclusion of a hazard perception test in most Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems.

OBJECTIVES

This review synthesises studies of hazard perception tests in order to determine best practice methodologies that discriminate between novice/younger and experienced/older road users.

DATA SOURCES

Published studies available on PsychInfo, Scopus and Medline as at April 2018 were included in the review. Studies included a hazard perception test methodology and compared non-clinical populations of road users (car drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians), based on age and experience, or compared methodologies.

RESULTS

49 studies met the inclusion criteria. There was a high degree of heterogeneity in the studies. However all methodologies - video, static image, simulator and real-world test-drive were able to discriminate road user groups categorised by age and/or experience, on at least one measure of hazard perception.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst there was a high level of heterogeneity of studies, video methodology utilising temporal responses (e.g. press a button when detecting the potential hazard) are a consistent measure of hazard perception across road user groups, whereas spatial measures (e.g. locate potential hazard in the scenario) were inconsistent. Staged footage was found to discriminate as well as unstaged footage, with static images also adding valuable information on hazard perception. There were considerable inconsistencies in the categorising of participants based on age and experience, limited application of theoretical frameworks, and a considerable lack of detail regarding post hoc amendments of hazardous scenarios. This research can guide further developments in hazard perception testing that may improve driver licensing and outcomes for road users.

The relationship between the demographic, personal, and social factors of Malaysian motorcyclists and risk taking behavior at signalized intersections

In the context of road safety, risk-taking is undoubtedly one of the main contributory factors in road accidents. The actual forces which influence individuals to take such risks, nevertheless, are still not fully understood. To address this, this study was therefore conducted to investigate the relationship of the demographic, personal, and social factors of motorcyclists, with a specific focus on their risk-taking behavior at signalized intersections in Malaysia. This study adopted the quantitative method using cross-sectional questionnaire surveys and involved 251 respondents. The demographic factors were analyzed using the t-test and an ANOVA Scheffe Post-Hoc test, while the motorcyclists' personal and social characteristics were analyzed with multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that the individuals who were greater risk takers at signalized intersections were teenage motorcyclists (16-25 years old) who had finished their education before taking their high school diploma, and who also received a lower than average monthly income from private sector firms. The actual experience of accidents was also shown to be positively related to this risk-taking behavior. In addition, in term of personal and social factors, results showed that, for these individuals, there was a significant difference between the strength of peer influence and that of parental and spouse guidance. However, there was no significant difference in the risk-taking behavior of Malaysian motorcyclists riding at signalized intersections for the following factors: between genders, in terms of accident involvement, in terms of enforcement of traffic regulations, and prevention steps and confidence level after being involved in an accident.

Examining motorcyclists' postcrash impressions: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

Motorcycle-related crashes and injuries continue to be of great concern in Iran. This study seeks to explore how motorcyclists' perspectives and impressions of a crash are shaped and influence their future riding behaviors.

METHODS

This was a qualitative study conducted in 3 major cities in Iran between March 2011 and February 2012. Participants included 31 male motorcyclists, of whom 22 participated in 4 focus groups and 9 in in-depth interviews. Findings were derived through the thematic method of analysis.

RESULTS

Six delineated themes suggest different factors that influence riders' postcrash impressions. These include (1) opposing reactions from family and peers postcrash; (2) the motorcyclist's perception of his or her ability to handle risky road situations; (3) risk-taking attributes; (4) perceived responsibility in meeting family needs; (5) the severity of the crash-related injury; and (6) elapsed time from the crash experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Riders' postcrash impressions were formed by the opposing reactions of their family and peers to the crash experience (i.e., the index crash); the personality of riders, including being overconfident and a risk taker; familial obligations; feeling traumatized by the crash; and passage of time. These formed their perceptions, feelings, attitudes, and thoughts about the index crash. These findings are an important step in understanding how perception and attitudes of motorcyclists are shaped and how these influence their future riding behavior. The needs for interventional studies to assess the effectiveness of road safety risk reduction programs aligned with the riders' degree of postcrash impressions are discussed.

How similar are two-unit bicycle and motorcycle crashes?

This paper explores the similarities and differences between bicycle and motorcycle crashes with other motor vehicles. If similar treatments can be effective for both bicycle and motorcycle crashes, then greater benefits in terms of crash costs saved may be possible for the same investment in treatments. To reduce the biases associated with under-reporting of these crashes to police, property damage and minor injury crashes were excluded. The most common crash type for both bicycles (31.1%) and motorcycles (24.5%) was intersection from adjacent approaches. Drivers of other vehicles were coded most at fault in the majority of two-unit bicycle (57.0%) and motorcycle crashes (62.7%). The crash types, patterns of fault and factors affecting fault were generally similar for bicycle and motorcycle crashes. This confirms the need to combat the factors contributing to failure of other drivers to yield right of way to two-wheelers, and suggest that some of these actions should prove beneficial to the safety of both motorized and non-motorized two-wheelers. In contrast, child bicyclists were more often at fault, particularly in crashes involving a vehicle leaving the driveway or footpath. The greater reporting of violations by riders and drivers in motorcycle crashes also deserves further investigation.