Increasing seat belt use in service vehicle drivers with a gearshift delay.

This study evaluated a device that prevents drivers from shifting vehicles into gear for up to 8 s unless seat belts are buckled. Participants were 101 commercial drivers who operated vans, pickups, or other light trucks from the U.S. and Canada. The driver could escape or avoid the delay by fastening his or her seat belt before shifting out of park. Unbelted participants experienced either a constant delay (8 s) or a variable delay (M  =  8 s). A 16-s delay was introduced for those U.S. drivers who did not show significant improvement. Seat belt use increased from 48% to 67% (a 40% increase) for U.S. drivers and from 54% to 74% (a 37% increase) for Canadian drivers. The fixed delay was more effective for U.S. drivers than the variable delay, but there was no difference between these two delay schedules for Canadian drivers. After the driver fastened his or her seat belt, it tended to remain fastened for the duration of the trip.

Observations of how drivers fasten their seatbelts in relation to various startup tasks.

Observational data were collected to determine the percentage of drivers that followed various seatbelt buckling sequences. Observers scored the buckling sequence and recorded the time between various startup events and fastening the seatbelt of 1600 drivers in two urban areas, Pinellas County, Florida, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The results indicated that most drivers waited to buckle their seatbelt until after they started their vehicle or placed it into gear, with a substantial proportion buckling after placing the vehicle in motion. These results suggest that a salient second seatbelt reminder that was initiated 30s after placing the vehicle in gear would only be experienced by persons who do not buckle their seatbelt and less than 1% of drivers who buckle their seatbelt more than 29 s after placing the vehicle in gear.

Impact of a comprehensive safety program on bicycle helmet use among middle-school children.

A bicycle helmet program was evaluated in three middle schools using a multiple baseline across schools design. Two of the three schools had histories of enforcement of helmet use. During baseline many students riding their bikes to and from school did not wear their helmets or wore them incorrectly. A program that consisted of peer data collection of correct helmet use, education on how to wear a bicycle helmet correctly, peer goal setting, public posting of the percentage of correct helmet use, and shared reinforcers, all of which were implemented by the school resource officer, increased afternoon helmet use and afternoon correct helmet use in all three schools. Probe data collected a distance from all three schools indicated that students did not remove their helmets once they were no longer in close proximity to the school, and probe data collected in the morning at two of the schools showed that the behavior change transferred to the morning.

Evaluation of two methods of prompting drivers to use specific exits on conflicts between vehicles at the critical exit.

The Florida Department of Transportation used a series of changeable-message signs that functioned as freeway guide signs to divert traffic to Universal Theme Park via one of two eastbound exits based on traffic congestion at the first of the two exits. An examination of crashes along the entire route indicated a statistically significant increase in crashes at the first eastbound exit following the actuation of the system. Furthermore, all of the crashes occurred in close proximity to the exit gore (the crosshatched area at exits that drivers are not supposed to enter or traverse) at the first exit. In Experiment 1, behavioral data were collected using an alternating treatments design. These data revealed that reassigning the exit signs was effective in producing a change in the percentage of drivers using each of the two exits. These data also showed that the reassignment of the theme park exit was associated with an increase in the percentage of motor vehicle conflicts that consisted of vehicles cutting across the exit gore. An analysis revealed that the method used for switching the designated or active theme park exit on the series of changeable-message signs led to the presentation of conflicting messages to some motorists, thus resulting in erratic driving behavior (cutting across the exit gore). In Experiment 2, the treatment evaluated the use of a phased method of switching the designated theme park exit to eliminate the delivery of conflicting messages. The new method for switching the designated theme park exit was not associated with an increase in motorists cutting across the exit gore.

The effects of a seatbelt-gearshift delay prompt on the seatbelt use of motorists who do not regularly wear seatbelts.

A seatbelt-gearshift delay was evaluated in two U.S. and three Canadian vehicles using a reversal design. The seatbelt-gearshift delay required unbelted drivers either to buckle their seatbelts or to wait a specified time before they could put the vehicle in gear. After collecting behavioral prebaseline data, a data logger was installed in all five vehicles to collect automated data on seatbelt use. Next the seatbelt-gearshift delay was introduced. The results showed that the delay increased all 5 drivers' seatbelt use, and that the duration of the delay that produced relatively consistent seatbelt use varied across drivers from 5 to 20 s. When the device was deactivated in four of the five vehicles, behavior returned to baseline levels.

Effects of a driver enforcement program on yielding to pedestrians.

A driver-yielding enforcement program that included decoy pedestrians, feedback flyers, written and verbal warnings, and saturation enforcement for a 2-week period was evaluated in the city of Miami Beach using a multiple baseline design. During baseline, data were collected at crosswalks along two major corridors. Treatment was introduced first at selected crosswalks without traffic signals along one corridor. A week later, enforcement was shifted to crosswalks along the second corridor. Results indicated that the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians increased following the introduction of the enforcement program in each corridor and that these increases were sustained for a period of a year with minimal additional enforcement. The effects also generalized somewhat to untreated crosswalks in both corridors, as well as to crosswalks with traffic signals.

Reducing conflicts between motor vehicles and pedestrians: the separate and combined effects of pavement markings and a sign prompt.

The effects of a symbolic "yield here to pedestrians" sign and advance yield pavement markings on pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts, motorists' yielding behavior, and the distance motorists' yield in advance of crosswalks were evaluated at multilane crosswalks at uncontrolled T intersections. In Experiment 1, the sign, when used alone, reduced pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and increased motorist yielding distance. The use of fluorescent yellow-green sheeting as the background of the sign did not increase the effectiveness of the sign. Further reductions in pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and further increases in yielding distance were associated with the addition of advance yield pavement markings. In Experiment 2, advance yield pavement markings, when used alone, were as effective in reducing pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and increasing yielding distance as the sign combined with pavement markings. These data suggest that the pavement markings were the essential component for reducing conflicts and increasing yielding distance.

A study to measure the incidence of driving under suspension in the Greater Moncton area.

Roadside checkpoints were used to determine the percentage of motorists driving while suspended (DWS) during various times of the day. These data showed that the percentage of motorists DWS was 57% of the expected value relative to their representation among all drivers. Data also showed that suspended drivers make up a higher percentage of drivers on the road after midnight. Results also indicated that 90% of suspended drivers stopped in this study produced a driving permit even though they are required to surrender it when suspended. In order to compare data collected at roadside checkpoints with self-report data. a questionnaire was administered to 456 persons taking a re-education course for first offenders and 68 participants taking a re-education course for second offenders. The results indicated that participants under-represented their own incidence of DWS. However, when asked about the driving behavior of other suspended drivers, their estimates were much closer to the data obtained with the roadside survey.