Actively Caring for Traffic Safety

Chris S. Dula; Benjamin A. Martin; Kyle A. Suhr

doi:10.1017/CBO9781107785304.015

11 - Actively Caring for Traffic Safety

from INTRODUCTION TO PART II - APPLICATIONS OF AC4P PRINCIPLES

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2016

E. Scott Geller

Chris S. Dula ,

Benjamin A. Martin and

Kyle A. Suhr

Show author details

E. Scott Geller: Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Chris S. Dula: Affiliation:
East Tennessee State University Johnston City, TN
Benjamin A. Martin: Affiliation:
New River Valley Community Services Narrows, VA
Kyle A. Suhr: Affiliation:
East Tennessee State University Johnston City, TN

Book contents

Get access

Summary

We hear about lives lost on our Nation's roadways every day in the news, but none of us should ever forget that these are not nameless, faceless people. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, and friends.

– David L. Strickland

Traffic safety is a serious public-health issue worldwide. In the United States alone, motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death for people ages 5–34. In 2012, more than 2.3 million MVCs were reported in this country, representing more than 30,000 deaths and 2 million injuries. Based on 2010 data, annual crash-related costs were estimated at $277 billion, while the total societal harm was estimated at $871 billion. Worldwide, the annual costs of MVCs are truly inestimable.

Efforts to improve traffic safety are long-standing. Many grassroots programs combat this terrible toll on the highways. When available, local and state police are on the alert for dangerous drivers. Corporations sponsor ads aimed at promoting responsible drinking and reducing texting people do while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is devoted to improving transportation safety.

Prevention of injury to vehicle occupants is our AC4P mission. To reduce the tragic losses from vehicle crashes, traffic safety must become a core value of our country, not just a priority to be shifted up and down a list of many other societal issues. Discussions about traffic safety should be a regular topic of communication among families, friends and co-workers, students in classrooms, employees in training workshops, and other groups. Why aren't conversations about keeping people safe from an MVC common?

Many psychological principles contribute to this lack of dialogue, including (a) a lack of cognitive dissonance (e.g., not perceiving an inconsistency between one's driving behavior and an attitude of safety); (b) the fundamental attribution error (e.g., assuming there is something fundamentally wrong with someone who caused an MVC); (c) the self-serving bias (e.g., failing to appreciate our own mistakes and seeing ourselves as more skilled and less risky than other drivers); (d) inherent difficulties in changing long-held beliefs or attitudes (e.g., the confirmation bias, Chapter 9); (e) conformity (e.g., texting while driving because “everyone does it”), and other factors. Ironically, these same principles could be used to benefit traffic safety if people understood and applied them for systematic positive change.

Type: Chapter
Information: Applied Psychology
Actively Caring for People
, pp. 369 - 395

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107785304.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). 10 Leading Causes of Death, United States. Retrieved March 10, 2014: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/; Injury prevention and control: Motor vehicle safety. Retrieved May 15, 2012: www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/index.html; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2013). Traffic safety facts: 2012 data. Retrieved July 27, 2014: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811856.pdf.

2. Blincoe, L. J., Miller, T. R., Zaloshnja, E., & Lawrence, B. A. (2014). The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes, 2010. Washington, DC: National Traffic Safety Administration.

3. Dula, C. S., & Ballard, M. E. (2003). Development and evaluation of a measure of dangerous, aggressive, negative emotional, and risky driving. Journal of Applied Psychology, 33(2), 263–282; Dula, C. S., & Geller, E. S. (2004). Risky, aggressive, or emotional driving: Addressing the need for consistent communication in research. Journal of Safety Research, 34(5), 559–566; Dula, C. S., Geller, C. S., & Chumney, F. L. (2011). A social-cognitive model of driver aggression: Taking situations and individual differences into account. Current Psychology, 30(4), 324–334.

4. Martin, B. A., Taylor, D. A., Dula, C. S., & Geller, E. S. (2012). Who cares about dangerous driving: Applying the actively caring model to automobile crash prevention. Technical Report. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech, Center for Applied Behavior Systems.

5. Dula, C. S., & Geller, E. S. (2007). Creating a total safety traffic culture. In Traffic safety culture in the United States: The journey forward. Washington DC: American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety. Retrieved May 28, 2012: www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/DulaGeller.pdf.

6. Geller, E. S. (2001). The psychology of safety handbook. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis; Geller, E. S., Bolduc, J. E., Foy, M. J., & Dean, J. (2013). In pursuit of an actively-caring safety culture: Practical methods, empirical results, and provocative implications. Professional Safety, 57 (1), 44–50.

7. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2012). Safety-Belt. U.S. Patent Number: 312085. Retrieved July 26, 2012: http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm.

8. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2013). Traffic safety facts: Seat belt use in 2013– Overall results. Retrieved May 20, 2014: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811875.pdf.

9. Geller, E. S., Casali, J., & Johnson, R. (1980). Seat-belt usage: A potential target for applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 13, 669–675; Robertson, L. (1975). Safety-belt use in automobiles with starter-interlock and buzzer-light reminder systems. American Journal of Public Health, 65, 1319–1325; Westefeld, A., & Phillips, B. (1976). Safety-belt usage survey. Technical Report DOT H5-801. Princeton, NJ: Opinion Research.

10. Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. New York: Academic Press; Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

11. Williams, A., Reinfurt, D., & Wells, J. (1996). Increasing seat-belt use in North Carolina. Journal of Safety Research, 27, 33–41; Williams, A., & Wells, J. (2004). The role of enforcement programs increasing seat-belt use. Journal of Safety Research, 35(2), 175–180.

12. Geller, E. S., Bruff, C., & Nimmer, J. (1985). The “flash-for-life”: Community-based prompting for safety-belt promotion. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18, 309–314; Farrell, L., Cox, M., & Geller, E. S. (2007). Prompting safety-belt use in the context of a belt-use law: The flash-for-life revisited. Journal of Safety Research, 38, 407–411; Thyer, B., Geller, E. S., Williams, M., & Purcell, E. (1987). Community-based “flashing” to increase safety-belt use. Journal of Experimental Education, 55, 155–159.

13. Cox, M., & Geller, E. S. (2010). Prompting safety-belt use: Comparative impact on the target behavior and relevant body language. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 321–325.Google Scholar

14. Begg, D. J., & Langley, J. D. (2000). Seat-belt use and related behaviors among young adults. Journal of Safety Research, 31(4), 211–220; Kim, K., & Yamashita, E. Y. (2007). Attitudes of commercial motor vehicle drivers towards safety belts. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 39(6), 1097–1106.

15. Drebinger, J. W. (2011). Would you watch out for my safety? Helping others avoid personal injury. Galt, CA: Wulamoc.

16. Geller, E. S. (1983). Rewarding safety-belt usage at an industrial setting: Tests of treatment generality and response maintenance. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 16(2), 189–202; Geller, E. S., Johnson, R. P., & Pelton, S. L. (1982). Community-based interventions encouraging safety-belt use. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 183–195; Geller, E. S., Paterson, L., & Talbot, E. (1982). A behavioral analysis of incentive prompts for motivating seat-belt usage. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15, 403–413.

17. Boyce, T. E., & Geller, E. S. (1999). Attempts to increase vehicle safety-belt use among industry workers: What can we learn from our failures? Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 19, 27–44; Campbell, R. J., Hunter, W. W., & Stutts, J. C. (1984). The use of economic incentives and education to modify safety-belt use behavior of high school students. Health Education, 15, 30–33; Geller, E. S., Davis, L., & Spicer, K. (1983). Industry-based incentives for promoting seat-belt use: Differential impact on white-collar versus blue-collar employees. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 5, 17–29; Geller, E. S., Kalsher, M. J., Rudd, J. R., & Lehman, G. (1989). Promoting safety-belt use on a university campus: An integration of commitment and incentive strategies. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 19, 3–19; Geller, E. S., Rudd, J. R., Kalsher, M. J., Streff, F. M., & Lehman, G. R. (1987). Employer-based programs to motivate safety-belt use: A review of short and long-term effects. Journal of Safety Research, 18, 1–17; Grant, B. A. (1990). Effectiveness of feedback and education in an employment-based seat-belt program. Health Education Research, 5, 2–10; Kello, J. E., Geller, E. S., Rice, J. C., & Bryant, S. L. (1988). Motivating auto safety-belt wearing in industrial settings: From awareness to behavior change. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 9, 7–21; Pastò, L., & Baker, A. G. (2001). Evaluation of a brief intervention for increasing seat-belt use on a college campus. Behavior Modification, 25, 471–486; Roberts, D. S., & Geller, E. S. (1994). A statewide intervention to increase safety-belt use: Adding to the impact of a belt-use law. American Journal of Health Promotion, 8, 172–174.

18. England, K. J., Olson, T. M., & Geller, E. S. (2000). Behavioral observations find unsafe use of child safety seats. Behavior Analysis Digest, 12, 11–12; Greenberg-Seth, J., Hemenway, D., Gallagher, S. S., Ross, J. B., & Lissy, K. S. (2004). Evaluation of a community-based intervention to promote rear seating for children. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 1009–1013; Roberts, M. C., Fanurik, D., & Wilson, D. (1988). A community program to reward children's use of seat belts. American Journal of Community Psychology, 16, 395–407; Roberts, M. C., & Layfield, D. A. (1987). Promoting child passenger safety: A comparison of two positive methods. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 12, 257–271; Task Force on Community Preventive Services (2001). Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: Increasing child safety-seat use, increasing safety-belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21, 16–22; Will, K. E., & Geller, E. S. (2004). Increasing the safety of children's vehicle travel: From effective risk communication to behavior change. Journal of Safety Research, 35, 263–274; Zaza, S., Sleet, D. A., Thompson, R. S., Sosin, D. M., Bolen, J. C., & Task Force on Community Preventive Services (2001). Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to increase use of child safety seats. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21, 31–47.

19. Geller, E. S., & Lehman, G. R. (1991). The buckle-up promise card: A versatile intervention for large-scale behavior change. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 91–94; Geller, E. S., Bruff, C. D., & Nimmer, J. G. (1985). The “Flash for Life”: A community prompting strategy for safety-belt promotion. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18, 145–159; Geller, E. S. (1989). The Airline Lifesaver: In pursuit of small wins. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 22, 333–335; Geller, E. S., Hickman, J. S., & Pettinger, C. B. (2004). The Airline Lifesaver: A 17-year analysis of a technique to prompt the delivery of a safety message. Journal of Safety Research, 35, 357–366.

20. Positive Driving Systems (2003). Final report for the National Institutes of Health Project: Innovative approaches to anger management. Grant 1 R43 MH62263-01A2. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health.

21. Galovoski, T., Malta, L., & Blanchard, E. (2006). Road rage: Assessment and treatment of the angry, aggressive driver. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

22. Suhr, K., & Nesbit, S. (2013). Dwelling on ‘road rage’: The effects of a trait rumination on aggressive driving. Transportation Research Part F, 21, 207–218.Google Scholar

23. Rosenblatt, P. C. (2004). Grieving while driving. Death Studies, 28(7), 684.Google Scholar

24. Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. In L. Berkowitz, (Ed.). Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 173–220). New York: Academic Press.

25. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2014). Traffic safety facts research note. Distracted driving 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2014: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812012.pdf.

26. Briem, V., & Hedman, L. R. (1995). Behavioural effects of mobile telephone use during simulated driving. Ergonomics, 38, 2536–2562; Bener, A., Crundall, D., Özkan, T., & Lajunen, T. (2010). Mobile phone use while driving: A major public health problem in an Arabian society, State of Qatar – Mobile phone use and the risk of motor vehicle crashes. Journal of Public Health, 18(2), 123–129. doi:10.1007/s10389-009-0286-1; Cook, J., & Jones, R. (2011). Texting and accessing the web while driving: Traffic citations and crashes among young adult drivers. Traffic Injury Prevention, 12(6), 545–549; Haque, M., & Washington, S. (2014). A parametric duration model of the reaction times of drivers distracted by mobile phone conversations. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 62, 42–53; Ishigami, Y. & Klein, R. (2009). Is a hands-free phone safer than a handheld phone? Journal of Safety Research, 40(2), 157–164; McEvoy, S. P., Stevenson, M. R., & Woodward, M. (2006). Phone use and crashes while driving: A representative survey of drivers in two Australian states. Medical Journal of Australia, 185, 630–634; Nemme, H. E., & White, K. M. (2010). Texting while driving: Psychosocial influences on young people's texting intentions and behaviour. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42(4), 1257–1265; Stavrinos, D., Jones, J., Garner, A., Griffin, R., Franklin, C., Ball, D., et al. (2013). Impact of distracted driving on safety and traffic flow. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 61, 63–70.

27. Borkenstein, R. F., Crowther, R. F., Shumate, R. P., Ziel, W. B., & Zylman, R. (1974). The role of the drinking driver in traffic accidents: The Grand Rapids Study. Blutalkohol, 11(1), 1–131.Google Scholar

28. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (2005). 25 years of saving lives: 1980–2005. Driven. Retrieved July 31, 2012: www.madd.org/about-us/history/madd25thhistory.pdf, p. 10.

29. Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., & Crouch, D. J. (2006). A comparison of the cell-phone driver and the drunk driver. Human Factors, 48(2), 381–391.Google Scholar

30. Hallett, C., Lambert, A., & Regan, M. A. (2011). Cell-phone conversing while driving in New Zealand: Prevalence, risk perception and legislation. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43(3), 862–869; Harrison, M. A. (2011). College students’ prevalence and perceptions of text messaging while driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43(4), 1516–1520.

31. Li, W., Gkritza, K., & Albrecht, C. (2014). The culture of distracted driving: Evidence from a public opinion survey in Iowa. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour26, Part B, 337-347 doi:10.1016/j.trf.2014.01.002.

32. Dula, C. S., Dwyer, W. O., & LeVerne, G. (2007). Policing the drunk driver: Measuring law-enforcement involvement in reducing alcohol-impaired driving. Journal of Safety Research, 38(3), 267–272; Peck, R., Gebers, M., Voas, R., & Romano, E. (2008). The relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age, and crash risk. Journal of Safety Research, 39(3), 311–319.

33. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2012). Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 26, 2012: www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx.

34. Foss, R. D., Goodwin, A. H., McCartt, A. T., & Hellinga, L. A. (2009). Short-term effects of a teenage driver cell phone restriction. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 41(3), 419–424; Goodwin, A. H., O'Brien, N. P., & Foss, R. D. (2012). Effect of North Carolina's restriction on teenage driver cell phone use two years after implementation. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 48, 363–367. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2012.02.006.Google Scholar

35. Aboulk, R., & Adams, S. (2013). Texting bans and fatal accidents on roadways: Do they work? Or do drivers just react to announcements of bans?American Economic Journal, 5(2), 179–199.Google Scholar

36. Friedman, M. (2012). N.J. Senate passes bill doubling penalty for texting while driving. Retrieved August 28, 2012: www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/nj_senate_passes_bill_doubling.html.

37. Logana, D. (2012). How do police enforce laws against texting while driving? On Live 5 WCSC. Retrieved August 21, 2012: www.live5news.com/story/12937810/how-do-police-enforce-laws-against-texting-while-driving; Associated Press (2012). Oregon cops to face problems enforcing cell phone ban. Retrieved August 21, 2012: www.policeone.com/communications/articles/1985732-Ore-cops-to-face-problems-enforcing-cell-phone-ban/.

38. Watson, J. M., & Strayer, D. L. (2010). Supertaskers: Profiles in extraordinary multitasking ability. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17(4), 479–485.Google Scholar

39. Geller, E. S. (2005). People-based safety: The source. Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training and Consulting; Geller, E. S. (2005). Seven basics of people-based safety: Embracing empowerment, ownership, & trust. Industrial Safety and Hygiene News, 39 (6), 14, 16.

40. Geller, E. S. (2015). Seven life lessons from humanistic behaviorism: How to bring the best out of yourself and others. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 35, 151–170.

41. Scott, L., Hwang, W. T., Rogers, A., Nysse, T., Dean, G., & Dinges, D. (2007). The relationship between nurse work schedules, sleep duration, and drowsy driving. Sleep, 30(12), 1801–1807; Stutts, J., Wilkins, J., & Vaughn, B. (1999). Why do people have drowsy driving crashes? Input from drivers who just did. Washington, DC: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; Vanlaar, W., Simpson, H., Mayhem, D., & Robertson, R. (2008). Fatigued and drowsy driving: A survey of attitudes, opinions and behaviors. Journal of Safety Research, 39, 303–309.

Book contents

11 - Actively Caring for Traffic Safety

Summary

Access options

References

Save book to Kindle

Save book to Dropbox

Save book to Google Drive