Safety in Occupational Driving: Development of a Driver Behavior Scale for the Workplace Context

Development and evaluation of a scale to measure nurses' unsafe driving behaviour while commuting

Driving is the most prevalent form of commuting for most workers but is also perhaps the most hazardous mode of travel with unsafe driving contributing significantly to road traffic accidents. Despite nurses having been reported as being at higher risk of commuter-related accidents over the last three decades, little is known about unsafe driving behaviours among nurses while commuting, which is unique from other driving routines. Additionally, the lack of appropriate tools to measure such behaviours is apparent. This study aims i) to identify unsafe driving behaviours among nurses while commuting and ii) to develop a scale to assess nurses' unsafe commuting driving behaviours. The study employed a multiphase and multimethod approach to develop the scale, which was subject to stringent validation and evaluation. Themes were specified via the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). Six themes were identified namely: i) violations and reckless driving, ii) negative emotions, iii) drowsy driving iv) mind wandering, v) error and vi) carelessness. Content and face validity were sought through expert review. A total of 442 nurses' data were collected across multisite hospitals for evaluation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) resulted in recovered structure and was confirmed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with structural equation analyses being conducted to test predictive validity. All constructs met adequate validity and reliability. Nurses' unsafe driving behaviours while commuting were identified with a novel scale to assess them being both developed and validated. The resulting MyUDWC scale is a suitable tool for measuring nurses' unsafe driving behaviours while commuting.

Applying systems thinking to improve the safety of work-related drivers: A systematic review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Light vehicles (<4.5 tons) driven for work purposes represent a significant proportion of the registered motor vehicles on our roads. Drivers of these vehicles have significant exposure to the dangers of the road transport environment. To optimize safety for these workers, it is critical to understand the factors contributing to risk of being involved in an incident. This information can then be used to inform the review and revision of existing risk controls and the development of targeted prevention activities.

METHOD

The aim of the study was to undertake a systematic review of the literature to identify the factors associated with work-related driving incidents. The factors identified in the review were represented within an adapted version of Rasmussen's risk management framework (Rasmussen, 1997). Fifty studies were analyzed following data screening and review of full text. The highest proportion of risk factors were categorized at the lower levels of the system, including the 'Drivers and Other Road Users' level (n = 20, 44.4%) and the 'Equipment, Environment, and Meteorological Surroundings' level (n = 19, 42.2%). There were no risk factors identified at the 'Regulatory and Government Bodies' levels of the framework, confirming the narrow investigative scope of past research and the need to acknowledge a broader range of factors within and across higher levels of the system.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study inform the direction of future research and design of targeted prevention activities capable of creating system change for the safety of work-related drivers.

Assessing the Australian occupational driver behavior questionnaire in U.S. taxi drivers: Different country, different occupation and different worker population

BACKGROUND

Promoting safe driver behaviors is an important aspect of road safety. To better understand road safety behaviors, there is a role for practical instruments that can validly measure typical road safety behaviors among occupational drivers. The Occupational Driver Behavior Questionnaire (ODBQ) was developed to assess road safety behaviors among home health nurses in Australia.

METHODS

We administered a cross-sectional survey to a sample of taxi drivers in two U.S. metropolitan areas. The survey included Newnam's ODBQ-12 and a study-specific 15-item version (ODBQ-15) assessing 4 different road safety behaviors with 3 more items added and motor-vehicle crashes in the past year. Logistic regression analyses examined the association of the road safety behaviors with motor vehicle crashes. A series of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models assessed the construct validity of the ODBQ-12 and ODBQ-15.

RESULTS

We pooled survey data from 497 Houston drivers and 500 Los Angeles drivers to assess study aims. CFA models examining the 12-item and the 15-item ODBQ versions had good model fit (Comparative Fit Index > 0.95, Tucker Lewis Index ≥ 0.95, root mean square error of approximation < 0.06, standardized root mean square residual ≤ 0.05). The ODBQ's road safety behaviors were significantly associated (p < 0.001) with crashes while working (ORs 0.51-0.75) and not working (ORs 0.57-0.84).

CONCLUSIONS

The ODBQ-12 and ODBQ-15 were both significantly associated with motor vehicle crashes among taxicab drivers in two large U.S. metropolitan areas. Researchers studying occupational drivers who transport passengers may want to consider using the ODBQ-15. The 3 additional items are meaningful to this workforce and are priority areas for international road safety efforts.

Professional Drivers’ Knowledge About the Influence of Medicines that May Impair Driving

More knowledge about the impact of medication on driving are indicative of a lower likelihood of having a motor vehicle crash. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge of professional drivers about the influence of driving impairing medicines in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 cities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, during first trimester of 2017, with 221 professional drivers, using questionnaire with 35 statements, where participants expressed their agreement according to Likert scale, from completely disagree to completely agree.

The average score related to the drivers’ knowledge was 131,58 (range from 49 to 175), 22,6% were unaware that some medicines may influence psychophysical abilities and ability to drive. A high percentage of participants in the study don’t know that a negative impact on the driving ability can be the result of the use of medicines from groups for which it is unexpected to have such effects, medicines that are dispensed without a medical prescription, herbal remedies, dietary supplements and medicines that affects eyesight or hearing. More than half didn’t know that medicines labeled with warning symbols Δ, ▲ and § are not allowed to be used immediately before or during driving.

Professional drivers’ knowledge about driving impairing medicines is not satisfactory. Labeling system of these medicines is inadequate. These findings could help to identify drivers, who are at increased risk for using potentially impairing medicines, to inform and educate them, and to prevent driving under the influence of medicines.

Modelling bus-pedestrian crash severity in the state of Victoria, Australia

Understanding the relationship between bus-pedestrian crash severity and factors contributing to such crashes is important. However, there exists a dearth of research on the factors affecting bus-pedestrian crash severity. This study aims to fulfil this gap by investigating the factors affecting the severity of pedestrian injuries. A data set of bus-pedestrian crashes in the State of Victoria, Australia was analysed over the period of 2006 - 2019. Through the results of association rule discovery method, the factors that increase the risk of pedestrian fatality are darkness, pedestrian walking on carriageway with traffic, intersections, high speed zone, old pedestrian, young bus driver and weekend holidays. Furthermore, co-occurrence of factors that increase the risk of a pedestrian fatality were extracted. To reduce the injuries of bus-pedestrian crashes, we recommend improving the light conditions, reducing the jaywalking behaviour of pedestrians, implementing speed bumps in high speed zones and installing pedestrian detection systems on buses.13 years of bus-pedestrian crashes in Victoria, Australia was analyzed.Association rules discovery was used for modeling pedestrian fatality.Darkness, pedestrian movement, zone speed and age effect the rate of fatality.Pattern of pedestrian fatality in collision with bus was extracted.

Individual, business-related, and work environment factors associated with driving tired among taxi drivers in two metropolitan U.S. cities

INTRODUCTION

Violence-related events and roadway incidents are the leading causes of injury among taxi drivers. Fatigue is under-recognized and prevalent in this workforce and is associated with both injury outcomes. We describe the association of individual, business-related, and work environment factors with driving tired among taxi drivers in two very different cities.

METHOD

We developed a comprehensive survey for licensed taxi drivers. We trained surveyors to administer the 30-min survey using systematic sampling among taxi drivers waiting for fares in two large U.S. cities: the Southwest (City 1) and the West (City 2). A driving tired scale of the Occupational Driver Behavior Questionnaire was the outcome. Multivariate logistic models described driving tired behavior in city-specific models using adjusted Odds Ratios (ORadj).

RESULTS

City 1 and City 2 had 496 and 500 participants, respectively. Each driving tired behavior was significantly more prevalent in City 2 than City 1 (p < .05). There were more variables and a greater diversity of variables in the models describing drowsy driving in City 1 than City 2. In City 1, variables describing negative safety climate (ORadj = 1.15), socio-demographic groups (identifying as Asian, educational attainment), passenger-related violence (ORadj = 1.79), and company tenure (ORadj =1.15) were associated with driving tired. In City 2, high perceived safety training usefulness (ORadj = 0.48) was associated with driving tired. A risk factor for driving tired that was common to both cities was job demands (ORadj = 1.21 in City 1; 1.43 in City 2).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings represent two diverse taxi populations driving in two geographically distinct regions that differ in safety regulation. It is important that safety measures that include fatigue awareness training are reaching all drivers. Fatigue management training should be integrated into driver safety programs regardless of location. Practical applications: Fatigue management strategies that recognize individual factors, business-related characteristics, and work environment are an important component of road safety and are particularly relevant for occupational drivers.

Injury Severity of Bus–Pedestrian Crashes in South Korea Considering the Effects of Regional and Company Factors

Bus–pedestrian crashes typically result in more severe injuries and deaths than any other type of bus crash. Thus, it is important to screen and improve the risk factors that affect bus–pedestrian crashes. However, bus–pedestrian crashes that are affected by a company’s and regional characteristics have a cross-classified hierarchical structure, which is difficult to address properly using a single-level model or even a two-level multi-level model. In this study, we used a cross-classified, multi-level model to consider simultaneously the unobserved heterogeneities at these two distinct levels. Using bus–pedestrian crash data in South Korea from 2011 through to 2015, in this study, we investigated the factors related to the injury severity of the crashes, including crash level, regional and company level factors. The results indicate that the company and regional effects are 16.8% and 5.1%, respectively, which justified the use of a multi-level model. We confirm that type I errors may arise when the effects of upper-level groups are ignored. We also identified the factors that are statistically significant, including three regional-level factors, i.e., the elderly ratio, the ratio of the transportation infrastructure budget, and the number of doctors, and 13 crash-level factors. This study provides useful insights concerning bus–pedestrian crashes, and a safety policy is suggested to enhance bus–pedestrian safety.

Modifying behaviour to reduce over-speeding in work-related drivers: an objective approach

The goal of this study was to utilise an objective measurement tool, via an on-board Diagnostic tool (OBDII), to explore the effectiveness of a behaviour modification intervention designed to reduce over-speed violations in a group of work-related drivers. It was predicted that over-speed violations would be decreased following participation in a behaviour modification intervention where drivers received weekly feedback on their speeding performance and goal setting exercises. The final analysis included the on-road behaviour of 16 drivers, all of whom completed each stage of the intervention programme. As predicted, over-speed violations significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test, after controlling for kilometres driven. These findings offer practical guidance for industry in developing interventions designed to improve work-related driving behaviour.

Work-related road traffic injury: a multilevel systems protocol

Background

Although road traffic injury is reported as the leading cause of work-related death in Australia, it is not clear, due to limitations in previous methods used, just how large a burden it is. Many organisations are unaware of the extent of work-related road traffic injury and, importantly, what can be done to reduce the burden. The proposed research will (i) estimate the prevalence of work-related road traffic injury and (ii) identify the organisational determinants associated with work-related road traffic injury.

Methods and design

The current study is designed to enumerate the problem and identify the individual driver-level, the supervisor-level and organisational-level factors associated with work-related road traffic injury. The multilevel systems protocol will involve a series of cross-sectional surveys administered to drivers of fleet vehicles (n=1200), supervisors of the drivers (n=1200) and senior managers (n=300) within the same organisation.

Discussion

The novel use of the multilevel systems protocol is critical to be able to accurately assess the specific determinants of driving safety within each context of an organisation.

Results

The results are expected to highlight that reducing injury in the workplace requires more than just individual compliance with safety procedures. It will also establish, for the first time, an occupational translation taskforce to ensure that the research findings are adopted into work-place practice and thereby directly contribute to reductions in work-related road traffic injury.

Occupational driver safety: conceptualising a leadership-based intervention to improve safe driving performance

Occupational driving crashes are the most common cause of death and injury in the workplace. The physical and psychological outcomes following injury are also very costly to organizations. Thus, safe driving poses a managerial challenge. Some research has attempted to address this issue through modifying discrete and often simple target behaviours (e.g., driver training programs). However, current intervention approaches in the occupational driving field generally consider the role of organizational factors in workplace safety. This study adopts the A-B-C framework to identify the contingencies associated with an effective exchange of safety information within the occupational driving context. Utilizing a sample of occupational drivers and their supervisors, this multi-level study examines the contingencies associated with the exchange of safety information within the supervisor-driver relationship. Safety values are identified as an antecedent of the safety information exchange, and the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship and safe driving performance is identified as the behavioural consequences. We also examine the function of role overload as a factor influencing the relationship between safety values and the safety information exchange. Hierarchical linear modelling found that role overload moderated the relationship between supervisors' perceptions of the value given to safety and the safety information exchange. A significant relationship was also found between the safety information exchange and the subsequent quality of the leader-member exchange relationship. Finally, the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship was found to be significantly associated with safe driving performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.