Psychology of Driving

Question 1

What items have been studied in relation to driver distractions?

Answer 1

Question 2

What is the psychology of driving?

Answer 2

Psychology of Driving, is a topic in applied cognition or human factors – it is the interplay between pure and applied psychology.

Since Rothengatter’s definition it now goes under the title of Traffic Psychology.
While Traffic psychology is primarily related to “the study of the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying that behaviour” (Rothengatter, 1997, 223) it is also about the relationship between behaviour and accidents.

Question 3

What is the Conceptual framework of safe driving behaviour illustrating the multi-faceted nature of traffic psychology?

Answer 3

Question 4

Driving statistics

Answer 4

Question 5

What were the fatal crashes of 2022?

Answer 5

Question 6

What happened to the trend of driving fatalities?

Answer 6

Downward since covid restrictions but now stabalised

Question 7

Who is most likely to die on the road?

Answer 7

17-25year olds
20%

Those over 65

Men

Question 8

Who is most likely to have an accident?

Answer 8

1. Red P platers
2. Green P Platers

Least likely = L platers

Question 9

Why are young drivers so vulnerable?

Answer 9

Question 10

Describe the pre-frontal cortex related to driving and youth?

Answer 10

Question 11

When are accidents most likely to occur?

Answer 11

Weekends and night times for young drivers

Question 12

Why are older drivers at risk?

Answer 12

Question 13

What are the Fatal Five risky behaviours?

Answer 13

Question 14

Who speeds?

Answer 14

Question 15

How does speed affect crashes?

Answer 15

Question 16

Where do most crashes happen?

Answer 16

Country Roads

Question 17

How does speeding affect driving ability?

Answer 17

Question 18

What does driving with a reduced field of vision do?

Answer 18

Question 19

How does alcohol affect driving?

Answer 19

Exponentially increase the risk of a crash and the severity of the outcome

Question 20

Who crashes the most when using illigel substances?

Answer 20

Question 21

What is the effect of seatbelts?

Answer 21

Reduced fatalities by 40-65%

This year only 27 drivers died without a seatbelt

Question 22

What is the effect of fatigue?

Answer 22

Very hard to measure
-Older drives fatigue cycle starts at 10pm
- Increase on the weekend
- Lunchtime (12-3pm) for 60+

Question 23

What are the 3 major notions or types of attention to consider under the multifaceted nature of attention:

Answer 23

1. arousal - the general state of excitability / stress / fatigue of a person
2. capacity or resources - for information processing
3. selective attention - i.e. allocation of attention
   ( to road / passenger/map/ mobile)

Question 24

Define distraction

Answer 24

Distraction – It is eyes and /or mind off
the road – that is the problem

Individual road users tend to under-estimate or ignore many of the risks.
It is other drivers who have crashes – 3rd person effect

Question 25

What are the factors involved in NSW fatalities?

Answer 25

Speed is the #1 factor Fatigur #2 Alcohol #2 Restraint non usage #3

Question 26

What are the government and psychologists doing about the road fatalities?

Answer 26

New approach – stop blaming and punishing the driver as it’s not reducing the fatalities Focus now on is changing the road system a Vision Zero (swedish idea)

Question 27

What is Vision Zero?

Answer 27

* Humans make mistakes – but shouldn’t have to pay for them with their life * This shifts the focus from blaming the driver for their error … * To designing the transport system that will mitigate the consequences of those errors * This now puts the focus to the roads, the vehicles and all those who use the road transport system, including: – government agencies, private sector transport operators, police & enforcement agencies; emergency services; freight operators

Question 28

How do you accomodate for Human Error?

Answer 28

This approach aims to ensure a safe transport system for all road users. Such an approach takes into account people’s vulnerability to serious injuries in road traffic crashes and recognises that the system should be designed to be forgiving of human error. The cornerstones of this approach are: * safe roads and roadsides * safe speeds * safe vehicles * safe road users All of which must be addressed in order to eliminate fatal crashes and reduce serious injuries

Question 29

What steps have been taken?

Answer 29

Question 30

Why is there a focus on fatalities?

Answer 30

Question 31

Why should we accept that error is human nature?

Answer 31

Question 32

What causes us to commit unsafe acts?

Answer 32

Question 33

What can lead to ‘unintentional’ errors: slips, lapses, and mistakes?

Answer 33

1. Cognitive factors - distraction 2. Perceptual errors

Question 34

What are perceptual errors/factors of rain?

Answer 34

Rain 1. Filters away some light and reduces illumination on the road ahead) 2. Headlight beams reflect off rain and to the drivers eyes = backscatter 3. Reduces contrast

Question 35

What are perceptual errors/factors of fog?

Answer 35

1. Judge motion to be slower 2. Difficulty discriminating between motion and motionless objects 3. Underestimate own speed 4. Can assume cars are moving and approach it much too quickly

Question 36

What are perceptual errors/factors of size/speed illusion?

Answer 36