Young driver distraction : state of the evidence and directions for behavior change programs

Adolescent drivers are over-represented in distraction-related motor vehicle crashes. There are a number of potential reasons for such elevated risk with driving inexperience, high adoption of communication technology, increased peer involvement and tendency to take risks, rendering young drivers particularly vulnerable. Major legislative efforts in Graduated Licensing Systems that include passenger restrictions have shown positive effects. Restrictions on cell phone use are also being introduced however enforcement of such regulations is challenging. This paper argues that such contextual, legislative interventions are an essential prevention strategy however there is an unfilled need to introduce behavior change programs that may target adolescents, parents and friends. A theoretical framework is applied in which risk and protective factors are identified from research within community and jurisdiction contexts. In the literature on distraction social context and normative influences are the key elements used to inform program design for adolescent drivers with parental monitoring informing interventions targeting parents. Following from this assessment of the message content assessment, the design of strategies to deliver the messages are reviewed. In the current literature, school-based programs, simulations and web-delivered programs have been evaluated with supplementary strategies delivered by physicians and parents. Such developments are still at an early stage of development and ultimately will need controlled implementation and evaluation studies. There is of course, no likely single approach to prevent adolescent driver distraction and complementary approaches such as the further development of technological interventions to manage phone use are needed. Implications and Contributions The paper describes the intervention design process alongside key research in young driver distraction including selecting target behavior, audience, theoretically-derived strategies and delivery strategies. Currently graduated driver licensing and technology use and acceptance and parent-adolescent and adolescent-peer interactions are opportunities for further research and exploration.

Effects of driver familiarity and prolonged or intermittent right-side failure on level crossing safety

This paper investigates the adverse effects of familiarity and human factors issues associated with the reliability of low-cost warning devices at level crossings. The driving simulator study featured a repetitive, low workload, monotonous driving task in which there were no failures of the level crossing (control) or prolonged or intermittent right-side failures (where the device reverts to a safe failure mode). The results of the experiment provided mixed support for the familiarity hypothesis. Four of the 23 participants collided with the train when it first appeared on trial 10 but safety margins increased from the first train to the next presentation of a train (trial 12). Contrary to expectations, the safety margins decreased with repeated right-side failure only for the intermittent condition. The limited head movement data showed that participants in the prolonged failure condition were more likely to turn their head to check for trains in the right-side failure trials than in earlier trials where there was no signal and no train. Few control participants turned their head to check for trains when no signal was presented. This research highlights the need to consider repetitive tasks and workload in experimental design and accident investigation at railway level crossings.

AR and gamification concepts to reduce driver boredom and risk taking behaviours

Young males are over-represented in road crashes. Part of the problem is their proneness to boredom, a hardwired personality factor that can lead to risky driving. This paper presents a theoretical understanding of boredom in the driving context and demonstrates convincing arguments to investigate the role of boredom further. Specifically, this paper calls for the design of innovative technologies and applications that make safe driving more pleasurable and stimulating for young males, e.g., by applying gamification techniques. We propose two design concepts through the following questions: A. Can the simulation of risky driving reduce actual risky driving? B. Can the replacement of risky driving stimuli with alternative stimuli reduce risky driving? We argue that considering these questions in the future design of automotive user-interfaces and personal ubiquitous computing devices could effectively reduce risky driving behaviours among young males.

The development and evaluation of a medical imaging training immersive environment

Introduction A novel realistic 3D virtual reality (VR) application has been developed to allow medical imaging students at Queensland University of Technology to practice radiographic techniques independently outside the usual radiography laboratory. Methods A flexible agile development methodology was used to create the software rapidly and effectively. A 3D gaming environment and realistic models were used to engender presence in the software while tutor-determined gold standards enabled students to compare their performance and learn in a problem-based learning pedagogy. Results Students reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived value and the software enabled up to 40 concurrent users to prepare for clinical practice. Student feedback also indicated that they found 3D to be of limited value in the desktop version compared to the usual 2D approach. A randomised comparison between groups receiving software-based and traditional practice measured performance in a formative role play with real equipment. The results of this work indicated superior performance with the equipment for the VR trained students (P = 0.0366) and confirmed the value of VR for enhancing 3D equipment-based problem-solving skills. Conclusions Students practising projection techniques virtually performed better at role play assessments than students practising in a traditional radiography laboratory only. The application particularly helped with 3D equipment configuration, suggesting that teaching 3D problem solving is an ideal use of such medical equipment simulators. Ongoing development work aims to establish the role of VR software in preparing students for clinical practice with a range of medical imaging equipment.

Using the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire to predict crashes and demerit point loss : does it get better with larger sample sizes?

The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) continues to be the most widely utilised self-report scale globally to assess crash risk and aberrant driving behaviours among motorists. However, the scale also attracts criticism regarding its perceived limited ability to accurately identify those most at risk of crash involvement. This study reports on the utilisation of the DBQ to examine the self-reported driving behaviours (and crash outcomes) of drivers in three separate Australian fleet samples (N = 443, N = 3414, & N = 4792), and whether combining the samples increases the tool’s predictive ability. Either on-line or paper versions of the questionnaire were completed by fleet employees in three organisations. Factor analytic techniques identified either three or four factor solutions (in each of the separate studies) and the combined sample produced expected factors of: (a) errors, (b) highway-code violations and (c) aggressive driving violations. Highway code violations (and mean scores) were comparable across the studies. However, across the three samples, multivariate analyses revealed that exposure to the road was the best predictor of crash involvement at work, rather than DBQ constructs. Furthermore, combining the scores to produce a sample of 8649 drivers did not improve the predictive ability of the tool for identifying crashes (e.g., 0.4% correctly identified) or for demerit point loss (0.3%). The paper outlines the major findings of this comparative sample study in regards to utilising self-report measurement tools to identify “at risk” drivers as well as the application of such data to future research endeavours.

The influence of fleet safety climate on occupational driver behaviours

The concepts of traffic safety culture and climate hold considerable impact on road safety outcomes. Data sourced from four Australian organisations revealed a five factor structure that was consistent with previous research, which were: management commitment; work demands; relationships; appropriateness of rules; and communication. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to identify which aspects of fleet safety climate were related to driver behaviours. The findings suggest that organisations may be able to reduce the likelihood of employees engaging in unsafe driving behaviours as a result of fatigue or distractions through increasing aspects of fleet safety climate, including: management commitment; level of trust; safety communication; appropriateness of work demands; and appropriateness of safety policies and procedures. To assist practitioners in enhancing fleet safety climate and managing occupational road risks, recommendations are made based on these findings, such as fostering a supportive environment of mutual responsibility.

Creating a common approach to safety management through structured training development

The successful management of workplace safety has many benefits for employees, employers and the community. Similar to other areas of job performance, safety performance can be enhanced through appropriate and well-designed training. The foundation of the development of effective training is a thorough training needs analysis (TNA). Currently, the application of psychometrically valid TNA practices for the management of workplace safety is an under-researched topic and limited guidance is available for implementing appropriate strategies. To address this gap in the literature, this chapter will provide an overview of TNA practices, including the purpose and benefits associated with implementing the systematic procedure. A case study will then be presented to illustrate how the TNA process was successfully applied to investigate the training needs of Australasian rail incident investigators to achieve an industry-approved national training package. Recommendations will be made to assist practitioners with implementing TNA practices with the goal of enhancing workplace safety management through targeted workforce development.

The establishment of an ISO compliant cancer biobank for Jordan and its neighboring countries through knowledge transfer and training

Research studies aimed at advancing cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment depend on a number of key resources, including a ready supply of high-quality annotated biospecimens from diverse ethnic populations that can be used to test new drugs, assess the validity of prognostic biomarkers, and develop tailor-made therapies. In November 2011, KHCCBIO was established at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) with the support of Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) funding from the European Union (khccbio.khcc.jo). KHCCBIO was developed for the purpose of achieving an ISO accredited cancer biobank through the collection, processing, and preservation of high-quality, clinically annotated biospecimens from consenting cancer patients, making it the first cancer biobank of its kind in Jordan. The establishment of a state-of-the-art, standardized biospecimen repository of matched normal and lung tumor tissue, in addition to blood components such as serum, plasma, and white blood cells, was achieved through the support and experience of its European partners, Trinity College Dublin, Biostor Ireland, and accelopment AG. To date, KHCCBIO along with its partners, have worked closely in establishing an ISO Quality Management System (QMS) under which the biobank will operate. A Quality Policy Manual, Validation, and Training plan have been developed in addition to the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for consenting policies on ethical issues, data privacy, confidentiality, and biobanking bylaws. SOPs have also been drafted according to best international practices and implemented for the donation, procurement, processing, testing, preservation, storage, and distribution of tissues and blood samples from lung cancer patients, which will form the basis for the procurement of other cancer types. KHCCBIO will be the first ISO accredited cancer biobank from a diverse ethnic Middle Eastern and North African population. It will provide a unique and valuable resource of high-quality human biospecimens and anonymized clinicopathological data to the cancer research communities world-wide.

Review of the ACT Road Ready and Road Ready Plus Novice Driver Road Safety Education Course Material

This report documents research that was commissioned in order to review the materials used in the Road Ready program for relevancy and acceptability to the target audiences as part of the implementation of the ACT Road Safety Strategy Action Plan. Relevant literature on young driver crash risk and best practice principles in driver education was reviewed as a first step (Section 2). The evidence for effectiveness of driver education programs in Australia was summarised (Section 3) and a separate review of the use of incentives in relation to driver education was performed. The brief called for an expert review of the materials and delivery design for both the Road Ready and Road Ready Plus programs. This is reported in Section 5, along with the overall recommendations for program improvement. More specific comments on individual modules in the Road Ready program are listed at the end of Section 5. Lastly, feedback from stakeholders, specifically the facilitators and teachers of the programs, as well as former students who have completed the Road Ready program, was sought. Interviews and surveys were conducted with these groups. Summaries of the methods and findings are contained in Section 6.

The effect of previous hamstring strain injuries on the change in eccentric hamstring strength during preseason training in elite Australian footballers

Background Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are the most common injury type in Australian football and the rate of recurrence has been consistently high for a number of years. Long lasting neuromuscular inhibition has been noted in previously injured athletes but it is not known if this influences athletes adaptive response to training. Purpose To determine if elite Australian footballers with a prior unilateral HSI (previously injured group) display lesser improvements in eccentric hamstring strength during pre-season training compared to athletes without a history of HSI (control group). Study design Prospective cohort study. Methods Ninety-nine elite Australian footballers participated (17 with a history of unilateral HSI in the previous 12 month period). Eccentric hamstring strength was assessed at the start and end of pre-season training using an instrumented Nordic hamstring device. Change in eccentric strength across preseason was determine in absolute terms and normalised to start of preseason strength. Start of preseason strength was used as a covariate to control for differences in starting strength. Results The left and right limbs in the control group showed no difference in absolute or relative change (left limb absolute change, 60.7±72.9N; relative change, 1.28±0.34; right limb absolute change, 48.6±83.8N; relative change, 1.24±0.43) . Similarly, the injured and uninjured limbs from the previously injured group showed no difference for either absolute or relative measures of change (injured limb absolute change, 13.1±57.7N; relative change, 1.07±0.18; uninjured limb absolute change, 14.7±54.0N; relative change, 1.07±0.22N). The previously injured group displayed a significantly lesser increase in eccentric hamstring strength across the preseason (absolute change, 13.9±55.0; relative change, 1.07±0.20) compared to the control group (absolute change, 54.6±78.5; relative change, 1.26±0.39) for both absolute and relative measures (p < 0.001), even after controlling for differences in start of pre-season eccentric hamstring strength, which had a significant effect on strength improvement. Conclusion Elite Australian footballers with a unilateral HSI history displayed lesser improvements in eccentric hamstring strength across preseason training. The smaller improvements were not restricted to the previously injured limb as the contralateral limb also displayed similarly small improvements in eccentric strength. Whether this is the cause of or the result of injury remains to be seen, but it has the potential to contribute to the risk of hamstring strain re-injury.

Driver licensing experience of Korean Australian novice drivers

Graduated driver licensing has been shown to improve the safety of young drivers but relatively little is known about how well it works for drivers born in countries where the licensing system is less sophisticated. This research used Bronfenbrenner's ecological model to examine the driver licensing experience of Korean Australian young drivers using driver and parent focus groups and an online survey of drivers. Accumulating the required supervised driving was more difficult for international students than those living with parents and differences in road rules (particularly relating to seat belt use) between the countries exerted an important influence on behaviour.