Traffic Psychology, Road Safety, and

Health:
The Decade of Action
The United Nations: Decade of Action for
Road Safety (2011-2020)
• “The Decade of Action for
Road Safety can help all
countries drive along the
path to a more secure
future…Today, partners
around the world are
releasing national or
citywide plans for the
Decade…Together, we
can save millions of
lives.”
• UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
 Road Safety Statistics
World Health • 1.2 million die in road traffic
Organization (2005) crashes each year

• Approximately 50 million are

injured or disabled by
collisions each year

• Every day 3,500 die in a road

crash

• Speed contributes to at least

30% of crashes and deaths

The United Nations has declared 2011- • For every 1 km/hr reduction in
2020 as the Decade of Action for Road average speed, there’s a 2%
Safety reduction in crashes
Road Safety Statistics
• 90% of road casulties are
from developing countries
• 1.9 million road deaths
forecast for 2020
• Traffic injuries are the #1
cause of death for young
people worldwide
• Economic cost to developing
countries approx. $100
billion/yr.
• By 2015, traffic injuries will
be the leading health burden
for children over 5 yrs.
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/tp-tp15145-
1201.htm
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp15145-1201.htm
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp15145-1201.htm
Public Health Agency of Canada
(2012). Injury in review: Spotlight on
road and transport safety, 2012
Edition. Ottawa: Public Health Agency
of Canada.
Public Health Agency of Canada (2012). Injury in review: Spotlight on road and
transport safety, 2012 Edition. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada.
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp15145-1201.htm
Public Health Agency of Canada (2012). Injury in review: Spotlight on road and transport safety,
2012 Edition. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada.
Public Health Agency of Canada (2012). Injury in review: Spotlight on road and
transport safety, 2012 Edition. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada.
 What is traffic psychology?
• Definition: the study of the behaviour of road users and
the psychological processes underlying that behaviour
(Rothengatter, 1997).

• There is no single theoretical framework for the field, but

rather several competing models, many of which are
drawn from social psychology (e.g., Ajzen’s theory of
planned behaviour, driver stress, the General
Aggression Model, risk compensation, personality theory
etc.

• Glendon (2011) identified 174 theories, conceptual

frameworks, or models with a psychological component
in his review.
Source: Rothengatter, T. (1997). Psychological aspects of road user behavior. Applied Psychology:
An International Review, 46, 223-234.
 Traffic Psychology’s Roots

• Ergonomics/human factors
• Cognitive psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Social psychology
• Personality psychology
• Environmental psychology
• Perceptual processes
• Behavior modification
• Epidemiology
 A Large Proportion of Vehicle Crashes
are Attributable to Behavioral Issues
• Distraction
• Aggression
• Vision & Perceptual errors
• Perception of risk
• Fatigue/sleep deprivation
• Drug & alcohol consumption
• Inadequate training
• And the list goes on…and on…
 Issues for Psychology’s Involvement

• Alcohol • Post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD)
• Drugs/OTC medications
• Aggressive driving/attributional • Attention deficit hyperactivity
processes disorder (ADHD)
• Driver education • Rehabilitation programs
• Driver assessment/licencing • Stress reduction
• Sleep/fatigue • Medical conditions & fitness to
• Aging drive
• Young drivers • Distraction
• Media influences • Risk perception & risk evaluation
• Way-finding • Development of assessment
• Program evaluation tools
• Anger management • Informatics in vehicles
• Risky drivers (street racing/stunt • Bicycles,motorcycles,pedestrians
driving) (VRUs)
 Journals
• Accident Analysis and Prevention
• Transportation Research, Part F
• Journal of Safety Research
• Human Factors
• Ergonomics
• Safety Science
• Applied Ergonomics
• Personality and Individual Differences
• Work and Stress
• Basic and Applied Social Psychology
• Aggressive Behavior
• Violence and Victims
 Professional Organizations

• Canadian Association of
Road Safety
Professionals (CARSP)

• International Association
of Applied Psychology
(Division 13: Traffic and
Transportation
Psychology)
Behaviours that could be studied on
roadways:

• Prosocial behaviours (helping,

courtesy, cooperation, etc.)
• Anti-social behaviours
(aggression, violence,
vengeance, etc.)
• Social influence processes
(conformity, modelling, norm
formation, etc.)
• Deindividuation
• Cognitive processes (attention,
distraction, workload)
• Perceptual processes
• Wayfinding & route learning
• Stress and coping
 Aggressive Driving: Interventions
Technological Solutions:
• Radar cameras recording licence plate data
• Sending e-mail/texting to other drivers who registered
to receive these communications from other
motorists
• Speed camera lotteries awarding cash prizes to
those drivers recorded driving below the speed limit.
• Contacting police via cell phones
• Signs in automobiles that communciate apologies for
driving errors
Source: Wiesenthal, D. L., Lustman, M., & Roseborough, J. (In press). Aggressive
driving: Current perspectives in theory and research. In A. Smiley (Ed.), Human
factors in traffic safety (3rd edition). Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co.
 Aggressive Driving: Interventions
Psychological Strategies
• Cognitive behavior therapy for drivers diagnosed with
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (DSM) through court
orders
• Feedback from passengers
• Music listening
• Deep breathing relaxation therapy

Source: Wiesenthal, D. L., Lustman, M., & Roseborough, J. (In press). Aggressive
driving: Current perspectives in theory and research. In A. Smiley (Ed.), Human
factors in traffic safety (3rd edition). Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co.
 Aggressive Driving: Interventions

•Legislation aimed at specific offences (e.g., stunt

driving, street racing, burnouts)
•Increased police apprehension of speeding,
distracted drivers, drinking drivers, etc.
•Media campaigns against drinking driving, Australian
pinky wiggling commercials, etc.
•Promotion of mass transportation.
•Prohibiting dangerous driving depictions in television
commercials
Source: Wiesenthal, D. L., Lustman, M., & Roseborough, J. (In press). Aggressive
driving: Current perspectives in theory and research. In A. Smiley (Ed.), Human
factors in traffic safety (3rd edition). Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co.
 What is an “accident”?
1. An unforeseen an unplanned event or
circumstance.
2. An unfortunate event resulting especially
from carelessness or ignorance.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

 Conceptualizing “Accidents”

• Accidents don’t just happen

• Determinism versus fatalism: determinism

is the scientific belief that events have a
cause. Fatalism is the belief that mishaps
are predestined by fate or supernatural
forces
 Victim Blaming
• Bad drivers cause accidents.

• Stems from the belief that good things

happen to good people and bad things
happen to bad people.
Driver

OUTCOME:
Vehicle Safe Trip
Or
Mishap

Environment
 We often focus on only one
aspect of this trinity, while
ignoring the others, along with
the complexity of their
interrelationships.
Road safety
management

Safer roads & mobility

Safer vehicles

Five Pillars of Road Safety

Safer road users

Post-crash response
The Blind Men and the Elephant
John G. Saxe
(1816–1887)

Reality Perception
 Conceptualizing Driving
• Human-machine system
• Social system
• Human-environment system
• Environment-vehicle system
• Competitive activity
• Recreational activity
• Expressive activity
• Instrumental activity
 A useful way to conceptualize road safety is the
journalist’s 5 Ws and and an H

• Who (driver)
• What (vehicle)
• Where (environment)
• When (time)
• Why (risk factors)
• How (description/analysis of the
mishap)
 Who
• Age
• Gender
• Previous driving offences
• History of criminal offences
• Frequency of driving
• Driving licence classification
• Stress level
• Mood state
• Learning history
 What
• Vehicle type
• Safety features of vehicle
• Mechanical fitness of vehicle
• Quality of lighting
 Where
• Location of mishap
• Type of roadway
• Quality/Clarity of signage
• Quality of road maintenance
• Presence of obstacles on roadway
 When
• Weather conditions
• Season
• Time of day
• Day of week
• Driver’s circadian rhythm
 Why
• Driver inexperience
• Driver inattention/distraction
• Aggressive/vengeful driving
• Alcohol/drug involvement
• Poor visibility
• Attempt to avoid road hazard
• Excessive speed
• Failure to signal intentions
• Density of traffic may trigger antisocial
behaviours
 How
• Description/analysis of mishap
• Reconstruction of mishap
• Role of simulation
A variety of perspectives is most likely to yield positive
results!