Describes the basic research procedures used in the area of driving behavior and highway safety.

This comprehensive 2nd edition covers the key issues that relate human behavior to traffic safety. In particular it covers the increasing roles that pedestrians and cyclists have in the traffic system; the role of infotainment in driver distraction; and the increasing role of driver assistance systems in changing the driver-vehicle interaction.

This volume contains the papers and discussions from a Symposium on :'Hu man Behavior and Traffic Safety" held at the General Motors Research Labora tories on September 23-25, 1984. This Symposium was the twenty-ninth in an annual series sponsored by the Research Laboratories. Initiated in 1957, these symposia have as their objective the promotion of the interchange of knowledge among specialists from many allied disciplines in rapidly developing or chang ing areas of science or technology. Attendees characteristically represent the aca demic, government, and industrial institutions that are noted for their ongoing activities in the particular area of interest. of this Symposium was to focus on the role of human behavior The objective in traffic safety. In this regard, a clear distinction is drawn between, on the one hand, "human behavior," and on the other "human performance." Human per formance at the driving task, or what the driver can do, has been the subject of much research reported in the technical literature. Although clearly of some rel evance, questions of performance do not appear to be central to most traffic crashes. Of much more central importance is human behavior, or what the driver in fact does. This is much more difficult to determine, and is the subject of the Symposium.

The disparity between urban and rural motor vehicle fatalities in the U.S. is well documented in academic research and reports show discrepancy between urban and rural fatalities. However, despite the decline in overall motor vehicle fatalities, the difference between urban and rural fatality rates has stayed relatively consistent. Rural fatalities still account for over half the overall fatalities despite having fewer vehicle miles travelled (VMT) than in urban areas. Therefore, examining the reasons behind the continued discrepancy between urban and rural motor vehicle deaths remains an important issue in safety management and research. This book discusses practices, roles of human behavior and effective programs in road and traffic safety.

Introducing readers to the behavior of drivers, this title covers a wide variety of perspectives on human factors, ranging from the design of roads, vehicles, and traffic control devices to emotional and motivational determinants of driver behavior. This new edition has been extensively revised and contains new chapters on driver education and driver distraction.

This book provides traffic safety researchers and practitioners with an international and multi-disciplinary compendium of theoretical and methodological concepts relevant to the research and application of Traffic Safety Culture aiming towards a vision of zero traffic fatalities.

Despite being an accepted construct in traffic and transport psychology, the precise nature of behavioural adaptation, including its causes and consequences, has not yet been established within the road safety community. A comprehensive collection of recent literature, Behavioural Adaptation and Road Safety: Theory, Evidence, and Action explores behavioural adaptation in road users. It examines behavioural adaptation within the context of historical and theoretical perspectives, and puts forth tangible—and practical—solutions that can effectively address adverse behavioural adaptation to road safety interventions before it occurs. Edited by Christina Rudin-Brown and Samantha Jamson, with chapters authored by leading road safety experts in driver psychology and behaviour, the book introduces the concept of behavioural adaptation and details its more relevant issues. It reviews the definition of behavioural adaptation that was put forward by the OECD in 1990 and then puts this definition through its paces, identifying where it may be lacking and how it might be improved. This sets the context for the remaining chapters which take the OECD definition as their starting points. The book discusses the various theories and models of behavioural adaptation and more general theories of driver behaviour developed during the last half century. It provides examples of the "evidence" for behavioural adaptation—instances in which behavioural adaptation arose as a consequence of the introduction of safety countermeasures. The book then focuses on the internal, "human" element and considers countermeasures that might be used to limit the development of behavioural adaptation in various road user groups. The book concludes with practical tools and methodologies to address behavioural adaptation in research and design, and to limit the potential negative effects before they happen. Supplying easy-to-understand, accessible solutions that can be implemented early on in a road safety intervention’s design or conception phase, the chapters represent the most extensive compilation of literature relating to behavioural adaptation and its consequences since the 1990 OECD report. The book brings together earlier theories of behavioural adaptation with more recent theories in the area and combines them with practical advice, methods, and tangible solutions that can minimise the potential negative impact of behavioural adaptation on road user safety and address it before it occurs. It is an essential component of any road safety library, and should be of particular relevance to researchers, practitioners, designers, and policymakers who are interested in maximizing safety while at the same time encouraging innovation and excellence in road transport-related design.