Background and objectives

1. Predicting Safe Driving Behavior of Professional Bus Drivers Results from a European validation study of psychometric tests using real driving performance

2. Background and objectives Researchers: University of Salzburg, Neurotraffic KG (traffic psychology), and Schuhfried (psychometric testing) The Problem: 90% of traffic accidents involve human factors errors, in particular errors in situation awareness and attention. Practical driving tests only indirectly measure these abilities. Aims: To investigate how to accurately,reliably and efficiently evaluate professional driving capabilities using psychometric tests Project: A validation study using psychometric tests of abilities and personality traits to predict safe driving performance in professional bus drivers

3. Overview of project 125 professional bus drivers undertook ability and personality tests. Their driving ability was assessed in the three areas of traffic driving, a hazard course and maneuvering

4. The human factors dimensions Participating bus drivers undertook ability tests… Logical Reasoning AMT Attention COG Ability to react RT Situation Awareness ATAVT …and personality questionnaires Stress tolerance DT Traffic-related personality traits IVPE

5. The driving exercises Each of the participants completedthree different driving tasks • 1. Typical road traffic driving • 30-minute bus drive in real life traffic • Standardized route involving urban areas, highways and motorway • Roundabouts, intersections, priority situations • 2. Hazard course • A driving obstacle course involving critical situations, including other vehicles, pedestrians and unpredictable events • Breakdowns, pedestrian crossings, narrow roadways, serpentines, concealed turns, reversing maneuvers • 3. Maneuvering • Time-critical maneuvering • Narrow roadway, bends and slalom driving, height monitoring situation, parking sideways and backwards, driving onto verge

6. Driving performance criteria Driving behavior was assessed using a number of driving and safety related criteria • Evaluation by expert bus driving instructors, using standardised scoring for individual critical situations, each segment of the obstacle course and manouvering scenarios. • Actual errors in thecontrolling the bus such as triggering the overheight warning in the maneuvering exercise, and touching traffic cones in the hazard course. • Electronic data logging by GPS tracking to measure speed and braking behavior and to assess corner handling and steering behavior on the basis of lateral acceleration.

7. The results Each of the bus driving exercises depends on different human factors attributes • 1.Typical road traffic driving • Abilities: Reaction speed, motor speed and concentration • Personality: Self-control, emotional stability, risk taking, and sense of responsibility • Tests: COG, RT and IVPE (personality) • 2. Hazard course • Abilities: Situation awareness and stress tolerance • Tests: ATAVT – Adaptive Tachistoscopic Traffic Perception Test and DT – Determination Test • 3. Maneuvering • Ability: Logical reasoning • Test: AMT – Adaptive Matrices Test

8. The implications of driver personality Personality dimensions are found to be relevant to real-life traffic driving • Relevant to traffic driving actions ... • Observing minimum distances and overtaking bans • Securing loads conscientiously • Considering the comfort of passengers • Driving in ways that save fuel and are good for the vehicle

9. The implications of driver abilities Three ability dimensions turn out to be relevant to real-life traffic driving • Relevant to traffic driving actions... • Monitoring lane-keeping and speed • Avoiding under- and oversteering • Responding to traffic-light changes

10. The implications of driver abilities Twoability dimensions are found to be relevant to the hazard course • Relevant to hazard course... • Taking account of other drivers’ sudden or unexpected maneuvers • Noticing hazards and risks and reacting correctly in emergencies • Taking account of weather conditions and poor state of the roads

11. The implications of driver abilities In the maneuvering exercise logical reasoning was found to be relevant • Relevant to maneuvering... • Vehicle dimensions for driving through tunnels or maneuvering • Assessing load status and taking account of weather conditions • Taking acocunt of roadworks and traffic when planning routes and times

12. Summary of findings • Bus driving in traffic, navigating hazards and maneuvering each require different specific abilities. For example, real-life driving abilities cannot be compensated for by skill in the hazard course • Psychometric testing provides insights into specific deficit areas in driver performance, in different driving situations, and can identify specific targets for training • Overall validity of the test battery in predicting driving performance in hazards and maneuvering R = 0.52, and in traffic situations R = 0.62 • Fitness to drive assessment for professional drivers should not only involve medical critieria but also the relevant human factors aspects of personality and ability