Attention helps reduce crashes... who'd of thought

[MAD]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/96978/ch...boredom-study/

Researchers at Newcastle University in the UK believe making roads more complicated and building in more obstacles could actually make them safer.

The study, ‘The categorisation of drivers in relation to boredom’, found that drivers who did not feel challenged or engaged by their cars and the roads were more prone to speeding and overtaking to seek excitement.

Lead researcher, Dr Joan Harvey, said changes to vehicles and roads may be a better way to reduce boredom behind the wheel than additional driver education.

“It would be nice to think that we could train people to be better drivers but we think that those people who would most benefit from training are the least likely to take part,” Dr Harvey said.

“So we’ve considered the other options and contrary to what you might expect when driving, hazards can actually increase our attention to the road so this may well be the way forward for planners.

“We may need to start considering some radical schemes such as putting bends back into roads or introducing the concept of shared space as it would force motorists to think about their driving and pedestrians to think about cars.”

Dr Harvey’s team worked in collaboration with the Newcastle University School of Psychology and the Transport Operations Research Group and, based on a study of 1563 drivers, placed all motorists into four groups.

The first was those who are “easily bored, nervous and dangerous”. This group made up 31 percent of the test’s sample and was comprised largely of younger drivers and women. The study said this group was the one most looking for driving thrills on the road, and was the most likely to become involved in accidents.

The largest group was the “enthusiastic” drivers, those who find driving more of a challenge and intrinsically interesting. This group accounted for 35 percent of those tested. These motorists enjoy driving and are calmer behind the wheel and are less likely to have a crash.

A further 21 percent of participants were placed in the “drive slowly and dislike driving” category. They drive the least and are less likely to get fined for speeding.

The final group was those who drive “safe and slow”. This 13 percent of the test sample admitted to driving slow in the city, but also had the most positive outlook on life.

Interesting that enthusiasts get a bit of a pat on the back in this article

[Jim Goose]

“We may need to start considering some radical schemes such as putting bends back into roads or introducing the concept of shared space as it would force motorists to think about their driving and pedestrians to think about cars.”

This statement about "putting bends" back into roads reads pretty true...
One thing which also came to mind (and no laughing!!!!) was a bit from my favourite kids movie CARS.... When the loverly porsche is talking about how the former route66 "flowed with the land" but now it just runs through it (ie a straight line).

I know how dramatically the Bruce Highway in northern QLD has changed and improved over the years, (though in no way perfect) all the tight curves and narrow bridges are gone. All the hilliy bits are gone, with tons of rocks and dirt removed to make the road "level"....

We now have the last part of the cardwell range being upgraded.
The northern part of which was very fun with a steep decent and narrow twisting roads. Its now being replaced with a STRAIGHT shallow road.

Boredom on long drives surely detracts from driving. While i can appreciate that roads need upgrading to make them "safer", but maybe making them straight bland highways for hours on end also detracts from safety?

People become complacent?
Loose their skills?
Leave the cruise control on for longer and simply become a passenger in a car?

I noticed that on my trip to Rockhampton last year that billboards had been placed up which asked you questions. The answers were further up the road.
There were also ones which ran along the lines " ARE WE THERE YET?"
These provided a good "distraction" and were designed to lessen the bordom of the trip (well done to QLD TRANSPORT too!). Also there were some corney jokes as well...

[Halfmo Rocks]

bends in the road, see that a bit...used to drive across the hay plain heading to adelaide quite often - there is a couple of spots where there is a definative series of bends for no apparent reason - gotta be to wake people up

[wrongwaynorris]

South Africa actually went and put bends back into all their long distance straight roads back in the 90's to curb their road toll due to people actually falling asleep because they were not engaged in the driving process .

[Trevor 57]

The reports supports my theory about 'risk taking' behaviour, so I am not surprised by this report.

There is a roundabout in Shepp that is tight and you struggle to see over it or around it and subsequently it is the safest roundabout in town - go figure.

[Ben73]

Well Sydney seams to of taken this on. Some times on certian roads all lane markings disappear for 50 metres then suddenly reappear in a different spot. Makes you think.

Richard Hammond was talking about a similar thing in his Top Gear magazine article. He was saying about when he was learning to fly his brain would be working a mile a minute because he was thinking how everything needs to be done.... but once you do something enough times you become complacent and do it without thinking.

Long, straight, flat freeways would be good and safe if we had a better speed limit to travel on them.

How many people fall asleep or attempt to send a text message, or eat lunch, or do anything else but look ahead when they are doing 150 on an unrestricted Autobahn????? I bet none of them try to do other things as well as drive.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Ben73

How many people fall asleep or attempt to send a text message, or eat lunch, or do anything else but look ahead when they are doing 150 on an unrestricted Autobahn????? I bet none of them try to do other things as well as drive.

People hold up Autobahns are the ducks guts for safety, they are not safe, there are horrific crashes on them, do a bit of a search, then do a search and have a look at the infrastructure in place to respond to the high speed crashes, it is enormous.

This is a modern day fallacy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-259-cars.html

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

People hold up Autobahns are the ducks guts for safety, they are not safe, there are horrific crashes on them, do a bit of a search, then do a search and have a look at the infrastructure in place to respond to the high speed crashes, it is enormous.

This is a modern day fallacy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-259-cars.html

Yeah a 249 car pile up is an everyday occurrence isn't it!

Apparently there is no more crashes on the autobahns compared to a normal freeway.Apparently most of the crashes tend to be due to people going slower and being distracted. High speed crashes are not a regular occurrence.
Well that is what was said by an autobahn "mechanic" that spends all day, every day on the autobahn attending crashes and broken down cars.
And no I am not relying totally on this guy, I have heard elsewhere similar claims.

If you cannot see ahead of you due to weather, you shouldn't be going anywhere near 100, let alone autobahn speeds. So you cant say it was speed related crash, more like stupidity related.


I normally agree with higher speed limits because I am sick to death of driving on a deserted straight freeway at 2am and 100-110km/h.
It's pathetic in a massive country with not many people to be going so slow in good conditions.
I don't want to be doing 250 on the freeway, but I certainly would like to do more then 110.

[wrongwaynorris]

Most accidents on the Autobahns are caused by Australian tourists I reckon . I've sadly been on an autobahn with a former work colleague who drove exactly the same as he did here . First stop he was ejected from the drivers seat and physically prevented from driving again on the entire trip . After nearly getting us killed several times he had the temerity to call me a dangerous driver for then driving at 210 KPH .

[StockieXR6T]

A freind just came back from Europe and said the Autobahns worked better than any freeway in Australia as the drivers knew what lane they should be in for the speed they were travelling. Over here the speed limits on straight roads should be raised and fool who sit in the right hand lane rather than use it for passing should be fined till they bleed.

[Ben73]

A 2005 study by the German Federal Interior Ministry (Bundesministerium des Innern) indicated that Autobahn sections with unrestricted speed have the same crash record as sections with speed limits. The only identifiable source of traffic risks in connection with speeding have been high-powered light trucks that came up within the last 15 years and as they are used by courier services (e.g. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and trucks alike). Over the years they were only capable of speeds comparable to heavy duty trucks, but since manufacturers began to build in significantly more powerful engines they attain speeds of up to 180 km/h. This led to a significant portion of fatal crashes being caused by such vehicles [12] due to the driver overestimating their or the car's abilities to cope with sudden and heavy braking, side-winds, etc.

That's all I have to highlight.

[GK]

Driving home today from Geelong. A three lane modern road with a speed limit of 100kmph, and loaded with cameras.

According to this research, would this be a set up to gain more revenue? LOL!

In all seriousness, driving to Geelong yesterday, I was gobsmacked by the lack of people driving. It seems that we have all been beaten into financial submission by the plethora of cameras.

Still makes me wonder why the limit on that stretch of road is 100 though. It's 110 on the Western Fwy. Two lanes, go figure!

GK

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by GK

Driving home today from Geelong. A three lane modern road with a speed limit of 100kmph, and loaded with cameras.

According to this research, would this be a set up to gain more revenue? LOL!

In all seriousness, driving to Geelong yesterday, I was gobsmacked by the lack of people driving. It seems that we have all been beaten into financial submission by the plethora of cameras.

Still makes me wonder why the limit on that stretch of road is 100 though. It's 110 on the Western Fwy. Two lanes, go figure!

GK

Not as bad as the one near me.
Modern, good quality, fenced off road ranging from 2-4 lanes...... limit of 90.

Lucky this road only has cameras occasionally.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Yeah a 249 car pile up is an everyday occurrence isn't it!

it was just an example, there are plenty of others if you care to search, plus their roads are made significantly differently from ours, and just remember the size of Europe and its population compared to that of Australia - they MAY build one between Melbourne and Sydney one day, but that would be it, they will not build high cost roads that very few people are going to use

Originally Posted by Ben73

Apparently there is no more crashes on the autobahns compared to a normal freeway.Apparently most of the crashes tend to be due to people going slower and being distracted. High speed crashes are not a regular occurrence.
Well that is what was said by an autobahn "mechanic" that spends all day, every day on the autobahn attending crashes and broken down cars.
And no I am not relying totally on this guy, I have heard elsewhere similar claims.

If you cannot see ahead of you due to weather, you shouldn't be going anywhere near 100, let alone autobahn speeds. So you cant say it was speed related crash, more like stupidity related.


I normally agree with higher speed limits because I am sick to death of driving on a deserted straight freeway at 2am and 100-110km/h.
It's pathetic in a massive country with not many people to be going so slow in good conditions.
I don't want to be doing 250 on the freeway, but I certainly would like to do more then 110.

Move the the Northern Territory, you can do 130km/h up there.

And remember that when doing higher speeds in these more remote, areas of Australia it will take the accident repsonse people, ambo's police, etc about 2 or more hours to get to you, do a search and find out accident response times on Autobahns.

Also Autobahns are 'one way roads', outback roads aren't, plus the big considertion in having cars going fast is the closing time, the time between the car going fast and the car doing 100km/h, the closing time is rapid to say the least.

[Trevor 57]

I did 13 years reponding to road accidents, cutting people out of cars, and you will NEVER convince me that speed is a good thing.

The difference between pulling a dead person from a car speeding and car not speeding is there is generally less bits of a person to pick up from a 100k crash, plus you don't have to spend hours trying to pry open a car passenger compartment as much with a lower speed accident.

[Ben73]

I can't be bothered replying, but I will anyway.

If you want no one to die on the roads, limit all cars to 20 in the city, and 40 on the highway. Maybe allow 50 on the good quality freeways.
No one will die again.... until they fall asleep and drive off a bridge into a river. But that wont be counted as road toll.

Crashing into a tree at 110 or 150 you will still be killed anyway. But at 150 there is less chance you will be distracted by something which may cause a crash.

I was not suggesting autobahn speeds on random country roads, that's just stupid to even think that.

Obviously the roads would have to be made appropriate. And speed limited in high risk areas and bad weather. But according to those German stats, the toll is similar whether it's speed limited or not.

[Jim Goose]

But at 150 there is less chance you will be distracted by something which may cause a crash.

Umm.. please explain?

[StockieXR6T]

Perhaps if they fit enough cameras you won't be distracted by driving as you spend all your time looking under bridges and up poles. I have no points lost on my liscense and recently got my renewal with a discount (about $25 off WOW) from vic roads, I drive a modified XR6T. My wife has lost 9 points driving a Jeep, she watches the road, I watch the speedo and for cameras, am selective about where I drive. All of her points lost have come from our area doing over 50 in a 50 zone but less than 60.
Speeding dosent kill, poor driving, lack of training and inexperience does. On the Autubahns when it rains people slow down and drive to the conditions, the drivers are better educated, more aware and more courteous than here.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Umm.. please explain?

From personal experience the faster I go, the less chance I will change the radio, adjust the AC, get a drink of water. etc

But obviously outside factors can affect that, like a busy school zone I wont be distracted, but in general the more boring a certain bit of road is, the more chance I will be distracted.

I don't know, maybe that is just me. But it makes sense.

[Jim Goose]

So your comparing your own personal experience and assuming that everyone else is the same?

Sorry but while out on the highway i see people who tail gate me at 110kmh, dont indicate, talking on their mobile phone, pull out at blind corners to over take....
The same poor driver behavour i see at 60kmh in the suburb is what i see at 110kmh or even faster....

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Ben73

From personal experience the faster I go, the less chance I will change the radio, adjust the AC, get a drink of water. etc

for the time being, then boredom sets in, you become accustomed to travelling at that speed, then Que Sera, Sera.

[StockieXR6T]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

So your comparing your own personal experience and assuming that everyone else is the same?

Sorry but while out on the highway i see people who tail gate me at 110kmh, dont indicate, talking on their mobile phone, pull out at blind corners to over take....
The same poor driver behavour i see at 60kmh in the suburb is what i see at 110kmh or even faster....

Which also to some respect shows the issue is not the speed but driver education and respect for the road. The speed limits were 60 mph 35 years ago and we were driving HQ's and XA's, hard to argue that relative to back then tyres, suspension, vehicle design and safety has not improved at least 50%. The speed limit does not reflect the ability of the modern car, it reflects the ability of the modern driver. Improve driver training, tip some TAC buget into susbsidised advanved driver training instead of bull crap adds on TV

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

So your comparing your own personal experience and assuming that everyone else is the same?

Sorry but while out on the highway i see people who tail gate me at 110kmh, dont indicate, talking on their mobile phone, pull out at blind corners to over take....
The same poor driver behavour i see at 60kmh in the suburb is what i see at 110kmh or even faster....

Well obviously everyone is not the same. But I have spoke to others who have a similar experience.

But was someone else says, you see this behavior at 60 kmh and 110.... so its driver attitude and training, not exactly speed related.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by StockieXR6T

Which also to some respect shows the issue is not the speed but driver education and respect for the road. The speed limits were 60 mph 35 years ago and we were driving HQ's and XA's, hard to argue that relative to back then tyres, suspension, vehicle design and safety has not improved at least 50%. The speed limit does not reflect the ability of the modern car, it reflects the ability of the modern driver. Improve driver training, tip some TAC buget into susbsidised advanved driver training instead of bull crap adds on TV

Good post, well done

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Well obviously everyone is not the same. But I have spoke to others who have a similar experience.

But was someone else says, you see this behavior at 60 kmh and 110.... so its driver attitude and training, not exactly speed related.

a drivers attention to the road should be the same no matter what speed...
you dont suddenly become superhuman because your doing 110kmh, you can just as easy be killed or kill someone else at 60kmh.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

a drivers attention to the road should be the same no matter what speed...
you dont suddenly become superhuman because your doing 110kmh, you can just as easy be killed or kill someone else at 60kmh.

Lots of things should happen that don't.

No one said anything about being superhuman.


Bye.

[Trevor 57]

see ya