dc.description.abstract |
Over half of the accidents on British roads occur
at junctions and it was the primary goal of this research
to develop an increased understanding of the underlying
factors behind these accidents. The vast majority of all
road accidents are attributable to human error and the
research investigated junction negotiation with respect to
drivers' perceptions of the social and environmental
components of driving.
The first part of the research, an observation
study, gathered basic information about actual driver
behaviour at junctions. The progress of over 3600
vehicles at four junctions of differing styles was
recorded and analysed with the aid of a timebase video
facility. It was found that approximately 7% of all
drivers were involved in some form of near-miss for which
evasive action was necessary. In addition to basic
descriptive information, inferential statistical
techniques were used to identify factors contributing to
near-miss incidents in addition to signalling, tracking
and approach speed behaviours. The information derived
from this first study was used, in conjunction with that
obtained from group discussions, to develop a
questionnaire.
Using a postal distribution technique, the
questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of
British full driving licence obtained from the records of
the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority. An additional
sample was obtained from the Thames Valley Police accident
records at Milton Keynes to ensure that a suitably-sized
accident-involved sample was available for analysis.
The various sections of the questionnaire were
designed to reflect different aspects of driving at
junctions. In addition, respondents were asked to provide
details of the most recent accident, if any, which they
had been involved in. Just over half of the 740
respondents to the questionnaire reported such accidents,
and the information provided was used to establish factors
implicated in accident-involvement, and particularly
accident culpability, at junctions.
In addition to sex and exposure factors, it was
found that self-descriptive metavariables were the most
effective at predicting aspects of involvement in
accidents at junctions. In particular, those deemed to be
accident-liable were more likely to describe themselves as
self-centred and ill-mannered. Other metavariables,
particularly those recording the subjective riskiness of
various manoeuvres, were also found to be useful
discriminators between various sub-groups of accident-
involved drivers. Finally, the differences in responses made by
drivers who had been trained by a variety of methods, or
combination of methods, were investigated. It was
discovered that those drivers initially trained by a
qualified instructor were more likely to respond in
similar ways to accident-involved drivers. In contrast,
those who had taken some form of advanced tuition were
more likely to report more considerate, attentive traits.
Several suggestions for further research were
made, particularly recommending the adoption of a
longitudinal research design to enable causal
relationships between accident-involvement and responses
to questionnaire items to be determined. |
en_UK |