Modernization of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: The current study builds on previous versions of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) by incorporating a larger sample of driving behaviors targeting inattention, distraction, aggressive driving, and health related to aging. The goals of this study were to determine if the resulting factor structure was consistent with a more contemporary view of unsafe driving behaviors, and to determine whether scores on the factors could predict self-reported collisions and police citations. METHODS: The instrument was given to a sample of 3295 drivers ranging in age from 19 to 80+ years old. It was divided in two sections, the first to provide demographic information and driving history data and the second containing 105 driver behavior questions. RESULTS: An exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 65-item scale organized in four factors. The factors were labeled tentatively as Inattention Errors, Age-Related Problems, Distraction and Hurry, and Aggressive Violations. Regression analyses showed that the factors were predictors of self-reported, at-fault collisions and police citations. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The factor scores found in this research are consistent with a useful theoretical framework for understanding unsafe driver actions, and demonstrate some potential to identify several individual difference variables that predict self-reported collisions and citations.

Predicting On-Road Driving Performance and Safety in Cognitively Impaired Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability to predict on-road driving in cognitively impaired older drivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Laboratory tests and on-road assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Drivers with cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination score < 26, N = 43, mean age 74). MEASUREMENTS: The Roadwise Review, a hazard perception test (HPT), several vision tests, and a standardized 18-km driving assessment. RESULTS: The best prediction of passing or failing the on-road test was a combination of the HPT, leg strength, visual acuity, visual search and working memory, and number of medications taken (Nagelkerke coefficient of determination = 0.40). The sensitivity of the model was 71%, and the specificity was 75%. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to determine how these tests may be used or combined with other data (e.g., medical history) to assess fitness to drive of cognitively impaired older drivers.

Predicting on-road driving performance and safety in healthy older adults.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the ability to predict the on-road driving of older drivers using a battery of laboratory-based instruments. METHODS: The Roadwise Review, a brief Hazard Perception Test and several tests of vision were given to 65 cognitively healthy, licensed older drivers (M = 74 years, SD = 9 years). They also participated in a standardized driving assessment of approximately 18 km, along a mixed residential and commercial route. RESULTS: Raw scores on the Roadwise Review did not predict accumulated points, or automatic disqualifications, but could predict who would pass or fail the on-road evaluation. The number of serious problems (excluding head and neck flexibility) that were identified by the Roadwise Review was a significant predictor of automatic disqualifications, and a significant predictor of passing or failing the on-road assessment. The Hazard Perception Test approached significance when predicting accumulated points and was a significant predictor of automatic disqualifications, as well as pass/fail outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The best model for predicting passing or failing the on-road assessment included the Hazard Perception Test, color vision, and, a measure of walking speed from the Roadwise Review, which yielded a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 69% (AROC = .80). Future work will need to determine how these tests can be used with other information (e.g., medical history) to yield better diagnoses of fitness to drive, particularly among those who are medically at risk.

The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire: a North American analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ), originally developed in Britain by Reason et al. [Reason, J., Manstead, A., Stradling, S., Baxter, J., & Campbell, K. (1990). Errors and violations on the road: A real distinction? Ergonomics, 33, 1315-1332] is one of the most widely used instruments for measuring driver behaviors linked to collision risk. METHOD: The goals of the study were to adapt the DBQ for a North American driving population, assess the component structure of the items, and to determine whether scores on the DBQ could predict self-reported traffic collisions. RESULTS: Of the original Reason et al. items, our data indicate a two-component solution involving errors and violations. Evidence for a Lapses component was not found. The 20 items most closely resembling those of Parker et al. [Parker, D., Reason, J. T., Manstead, A. S. R., & Stradling, S. G. (1995). Driving errors, driving violations and accident involvement. Ergonomics, 38, 1036-1048] yielded a solution with 3 orthogonal components that reflect errors, lapses, and violations. Although violations and Lapses were positively and significantly correlated with self-reported collision involvement, the classification accuracy of the resulting models was quite poor. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A North American DBQ has the same component structure as reported previously, but has limited ability to predict self-reported collisions.