Editorial Special Issue

Dr. Don M. DeVol

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):1-2  

The development of traffic competences - do children need special infrastructure to be safe in traffic?

B. Schützhofer, J. Rauch, J. Stark

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):3-17 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.011  

A lot of (visual, auditory, social, emotional, psycho-motoric, intellectual and cognitive) competences are needed for safe traffic participation. Traffic competences develop during childhood and youth and there is a close relationship to brain maturity. Based on extensive literature analysis a comprehensive tabulation of empirically based developmental milestones was developed by gathering knowledge from different disciplines (Schützhofer, Rauch, Knessl & Uhr, 2015, Schützhofer, 2017). These milestones of traffic competences, forming the core of this paper, are now extended and updated to answer the question of how children can be aware of the...

How did you become a driver: differences in history of traffic offenses and accident involvement?

Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, Rasa Markšaitytė, Auksė Endriulaitienė, Laura Šeibokaitė, Justina Slavinskienė

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):18-26 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.008  

Novice drivers are considered as the riskiest group of drivers due to caused accidents and injuries related to inexperience and propensity to take risks on the road. Thus, prospective analysis of importance of driving learning history for the novice drivers' future involvement in traffic violations or road accidents is extremely encouraged. This study is aimed to evaluate the importance of learning to drive experience and driving test (theory and on-road) performance for the prediction of objective traffic rules violations and later accident involvement in Lithuanian novice drivers. 598 learner drivers who obtained their driving licence for the first...

Young people, drug use and drugged-driving

Fátima Pereira da Silva, Rui Mendes, Patrícia Girão, Mariana Francisco

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):27-34 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.009  

According to World Health Organization (WHO) road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death globally, leading to the death of 1.2 million people each year. Data from National Authority for Road Safety (ANSR-Portugal) points to age group between 18 and 24 years old as the most vulnerable facing road dangers. In the last 10 years 15% of fatalities, 18% of serious injuries and minor injuries happened in this age group. It is also in this younger group that most accidents occur during weekend nights compared to the other days of the week. This article aims to present the results of a preliminary study about drug use and drugged-driving, through the...

Drunk driving prevention and cultural influences: the SAFE ROADS 4 YOUTH (SR4Y) project

Dr. Jean-Pascal Assailly, Dr. Julien Cestac

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):35-41 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.010  

Driving under the influence of alcohol is an important factor in road fatalities all over the world. However, an important significant heterogeneity among countries was found regarding this issue. Why is such a discrepancy found among countries? Several specificities might explain the differences, such as enforcement practices, cultural values, or drinking patterns. The aim of this study was to test whether the social influence (descriptive and injunctive norms) on drunk driving is country-dependent and to explore whether the differences can be attributed to the contextual and/or cultural specificities of the countries. We used data from the SAFE ROADS...

Process of learning to drive by young persons with autism: experiences of the young persons themselves, parents, and driving instructors

Veerle Ross, Ellen Jongen, Karin Van Vlierden, Kris Brijs, Tom Brijs, Ruben Hens, Geert Wets, Marleen Vanvuchelen

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):42-56 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.012  

Certain groups have been overlooked in the field of transportation research, for instance, drivers with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this article, we describe exploratory research into barriers and facilitators in the process of learning to drive for young people with ASD. Questionnaires were distributed in three groups involved in this process: young persons with ASD, parents or caregivers, and driving instructors. Respondents were asked about their experience of the process of learning to drive and to give suggestions for improving current driving training. Furthermore, they indicated their perceived impact of specific characteristics often...

Factors influencing the outcome of the Medical-Psychological Assessment of speed-affine drivers in Germany

T. Wagner, L. M. Uhlmann, D. DeVol, I. Rethfeldt

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):57-66 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.013  

In Germany, offenders with severe or repeated violations of traffic rules are required to pass a Medical-Psychological Assessment (MPA) to regain their driving licence. The most common offence is speeding. The present research analysed 104 MPA files from speeding offenders in order to determine whether delinquency-related variables or characteristics of the driver's behaviour change process predicts the MPA outcome (positive or negative relapse risk). The results show that characteristics of the offences themselves (e.g. the number of speed violations) do not serve as valid predictors. However, whether the offenders had voluntarily...

Assessing the Influence of Greenery on the Behaviour of Road Users¹

Karin Ausserer, Ralf Risser

Transactions on Transport Sciences 2018, 9(2):67-75 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2018.002  

The share of active mobility in traffic - walking and cycling - can be increased by enhancing of the urban vegetation; this is the core assumption of the Austrian project "GoGreen". The main objective of this research project was to elaborate criteria of the roadside greenery that need to be incorporated into the planning of urban and street spaces, and finally implemented in order to create a highly aesthetic and stimulating atmosphere in public spaces. In addition to literature studies, qualitative methods (expert interviews, focus groups) and quantitative methods (street surveys) were used in this project to identify the needs and wishes of the...