PSY 409a February 12, 2007

PSY 409a April 30, 2007

Overview of Driving Lessons and Lecture Notes

By Samantha Sovde

Instructions for this activity found at:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy26/g26-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Rothe, Peter. Editor (2002). Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer. (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press). Pages 245-256.

James, Leon. (2007). Lecture Notes on Driving Psychology for G26. Lecture Notes Item 19. Online at: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy26/409a-g26-lecture-notes.htm

I. Geographic Information Systems, Case-Based Reasoning and System Design

A. Speed Management and Traffic Safety (Cognitive)

1. Literature on the issue of traffic-safety is divided over the influence of speeding on accidents.

2. The relationship between speed and the probability of accidents occurring is debatable.

3. No universally accepted measure for the speed variable exists.

4. Debate resides over whether the measure is the average speed of traffic, the 85^th percentile or some measure of speed variance, or a mixture of these.

5. In 1998 a discussion paper suggested that a reduction in speed of 2 to 5 km/ph can result in a 30% decrease in injury and fatal collisions.

6. But, the IBI Group has concluded that a reduction in speed cannot decisively conclude a change in crashes.

B. Case-Based Reasoning: A Way Out?

1. The Australians use a comprehensive and integrated approach to speed management which includes the following steps.

1. Data collection

2. Public consultation and education

3. Review of road features and environment, and compatibility with safe speeds

4. Realistic speed zoning and enforcement of speed limits

5. Development of appropriate, complementary legislation or regulation reflecting community values

6. Particular emphasis on reduction of speed-related crashes involving heavy vehicles

7. Development of useful technology for speed management

8. Monitoring and evaluation of speed management program

2. In the 1990s case-based reasoning (CBR) tools took the place of traditional knowledge-based approaches of finding results.

3. CBR tools are similar to expert systems in that they assume that new problems are solved based on previous experience.

4. CBR is different from other database systems in that it has the ability to adapt old cases to fit new situations in order to better retrieve data.

C. The Complexity of Traffic Accidents and Traffic Safety (Sensorimotor)

1. Vahl and Giskes provide approaches for traffic calming

1. Physical features like road humps

2. Constrictions and bends

3. Psychological features like paving materials

4. Rumble strips and pedestrian-environment notices

5. Visual features like pavement markings

6. Social control like education for residents and users

7. Consultation and “buy-ins” on adaptations

8. Legal controls like reduced speed limits

2. The IBI Group has noted that there are various other factors that may influence driver behavior with respect to speed.

3. These factors include driver’s age, gender, attitude to speed limits and knowledge of speeding risks, the number of vehicle occupants, the trip purpose and schedule, vehicle type, age and performance, prior accident and speeding history, and whether a driver had recently joined a road with a lower speed limit from one with a much higher limit.

D. Princess Diana’s Car Crash (Affective)

1. A number of factors might be alleged to have increased the probability of the accident such as the following:

1. The Car: it appeared to have been poorly repaired and may have had malfunctioning air-bags and anti-lock brakes.

2. The Driver: the driver was alleged to have been legally drunk, also to have consumed two prescription drugs and an abnormally high concentration of carbon monoxide in his blood.

3. Another Vehicle: a slowing moving car was alleged to have precipitated the crash – the interaction between the vehicles, speed variation between the two vehicles, the constrained physical environment in the tunnel, and the thirteenth pillar that the Mercedes eventually smashed into.

4. The Alleged Involvement of the Paparazzi: involved in such infractions as stunting or young drivers racing.

5. Speed: excessive.

6. Time of Day: night (most accidents tend to occur between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.).

7. Three out of the four occupants were not wearing seatbelts.

E. Network Deficiencies in Calgary

1. There are many examples where the road and driving environment in Calgary exacerbates the problem of speeding.

1. Along Crowchild Trail, there is a left turn that permitted at the traffic light against oncoming traffic traveling at 80 kph.

2. A bus stop on Scenic Acres Boulevard is so close to the intersection that it must cross traffic which has been advised by a traffic sign that it has the right of way.

3. Heading north on 14 Street NW a left turn is permitted into a parking lot at the base of Nose Hill Park, but there is no turn lane.

F. Integration of Case-Based Reasoning with Geographic Information Systems

1. GIS can integrate the case base of accidents.

2. First, we would expect the GIS to record as an attribute on each link, or each part of a link and at each node and characteristics that might be perceived as dangerous.

3. These things might be helpful in spotting possible locations where speed-related accidents might occur in the future and this step seems better than just lowering the speed limit after the accident has already occurred.

II. Lecture Notes Item 19: Government Agency Facts

A. In 1999 there were 187.2 million licensed drivers in the United States.

B. 6.8% or 12.7 million were between the ages of 15-20 years old.

C. 8,175 of the 15-20 year olds were involved in fatal crashes.

D. The leading cause of death for the age group of 15-20 year olds are motor vehicle crashes.

E. In 1999, 3,561 of the 15-20 year old drivers were killed and 362,000 more were injured because of motor vehicle crashes.

F. 21% of these young drivers in 1999 were intoxicated which consists of having a BAC of 0.10 g/dl or greater.

G. About 115 people die each day because of traffic accidents.

H. Surprisingly South Korea has an estimated 80.33 deaths per 100k vehicles than the U.S.s 19.97.

I. In 1999, there were a reported 6,289,000 crashes, 3.2 million injuries, and 41,345 deaths.