ADHD and dangerous driving in emerging adults: The moderating role of family climate for road safety

Dangerous driving accounts for 95% of driving fatalities among emerging adults. Emerging adult drivers exhibiting symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at greater risk for motor vehicle crashes and engaging in unsafe driving practices; however, not all individuals with ADHD symptoms exhibit such risk. Several studies have found that drivers' perceptions of their family's values and priorities related to driving practices predict driving outcomes among emerging adults; these factors have not been examined in the context of ADHD symptomology. We examined family climate for road safety as a moderator of ADHD symptoms and dangerous driving behaviors in a sample of college students. A total of 4,392 participants completed surveys measuring self-reported ADHD symptoms, dangerous driving behavior, and family climate for road safety. Results indicated that higher levels of parental feedback weakened the relation between ADHD symptoms and aggressive driving; higher levels of parental monitoring strengthened this relationship. Higher levels of parental monitoring strengthened the association between ADHD symptoms and negative emotion while driving. When participants perceived their parents as having high levels of noncommitment to road safety, the association between ADHD symptoms and self-reported risky driving increased. Higher levels of open communication about unsafe driving attenuated the relation between ADHD and risky driving. Overall, some but not all components of family climate for road safety appear to affect the relation between ADHD symptoms and dangerous driving in the expected direction.

mm-DSF: A Method for Identifying Dangerous Driving Behaviors Based on the Lateral Fusion of Micro-Doppler Features Combined

To address the dangerous driving behaviors prevalent among current car drivers, it is necessary to provide real-time, accurate warning and correction of driver's driving behaviors in a small, movable, and enclosed space. In this paper, we propose a method for detecting dangerous behaviors based on frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar (mm-DSF). The highly packaged millimeter-wave radar chip has good in-vehicle emotion recognition capability. The acquired millimeter-wave differential frequency signal is Fourier-transformed to obtain the intermediate frequency signal. The physiological decomposition of the local micro-Doppler feature spectrum of the target action is then used as the eigenvalue. Matrix signal intensity and clutter filtering are performed by analyzing the signal echo model of the input channel. The signal classification is based on the estimation and variety of the feature vectors of the target key actions using a modified and optimized level fusion method of the SlowFast dual-channel network. Nine typical risky driving behaviors were set up by the Dula Hazard Questionnaire and TEIQue-SF, and the accuracy of the classification results of the self-built dataset was analyzed to verify the high robustness of the method. The recognition accuracy of this method increased by 1.97% compared with the traditional method.

Perceptions of Stalking: Examining Perceivers' Country of Origin, Perpetrator-Target Prior Relationship, and the Mediating Effect of Victim Responsibility

Research in stalking perceptions has shown certain relational biases, in which people tend to view ex-partner stalkers to be less dangerous than stranger or acquaintance stalkers. These findings are in direct contrast to those of real-life cases whereby ex-partner stalkers pose a greater threat. In addition, although stalking is recognized as a global social problem, most studies have been based on samples drawn from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic countries. The current study examined whether the prior relationship between the stalking perpetrator and target influences people's perceptions of stalking and whether cross-national differences exist between participants based in Malaysia (where there is currently no law that criminalizes stalking) and England (where stalking has been outlawed since 1997). In a 3 × 2 between-subjects design, 294 Malaysian participants and 170 English participants were presented with a vignette describing a stalking scenario in which the perpetrator was depicted as a stranger, acquaintance, or ex-partner. Participants judged the extent to which the perpetrator's behavior constitutes stalking; necessitates police intervention; would cause the victim alarm or personal distress; would cause the victim to fear the use of violence; and can be attributed to encouragement on the part of the victim. Results showed that typical relational biases existed in both samples, but Malaysian participants were less likely than their English counterparts to label any harassing scenario as serious. Perceptions of victim responsibility were found to mediate the effect of prior relationship and nationality on participants' perceptions. The findings point to the urgency of better cross-cultural understanding of harassment behavior as well as legislations against stalking.

An assessment of the effect of green signal countdown timers on drivers' behavior and on road safety at intersections, based on driving simulator experiments and naturalistic observation studies

INTRODUCTION

Motor-vehicle crashes at signalized intersections are a significant traffic safety problem. To address this problem, many Asian cities have installed signal countdown displays at signalized intersections, aiming to assist drivers to make correct decisions in response to traffic signals.

METHOD

In this study, we assessed the short-term and long-term effects of green signal countdown timers (GSCTs) on road safety, using a combination of driving simulator experiments and naturalistic observations.

RESULTS

In our driving simulator experiments, 80 participants drove at 50 km/h in scenarios in which a car either approached a signalized intersection alone or following another car. In naturalistic observations, short-term (1-week) and long-term (1-year) intersection safety in the presence and absence of GSCTs were compared. These observations revealed that GSCTs reduced the number of red-light-running violations over the short term, but not over the long term. In fact, GSCTs appeared to lead to an overall increase in rear-end crash risk at intersections, as their presence resulted in drivers exhibiting more sudden acceleration and braking, and altered intersection-crossing speeds and patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that GSCTs worsen safety at signalized intersections, and thus their removal should be considered.

Temporal-spatial evolution analysis of severe traffic violations using three functional forms of models considering the diurnal variation of meteorology

Traffic violations and crashes are inherently associated. Analysis of traffic violation frequency is a prerequisite for improvements in crash prevention and corresponding countermeasures. One of the essential works in the field of traffic violations relates to the exploration of the correlations between a certain violation type (e.g., speeding or safety belt use) and its causal factors (e.g., demographics and road types). Till now, the effects of spatiotemporal and meteorological factors on severe traffic violations, a general term for dangerous driving behaviors, have not been fully considered. Using the dataset consisting of daily severe traffic violations and meteorological conditions during 12 months in Jiangsu Province, China, violation performance functions were developed for three violation types (total violations, driving under the influence, and speeding) based on three models (Poisson regression, zero-inflated Poisson regression, and negative binomial model). The findings indicate that the negative binomial model has a better performance for traffic violation frequency estimation. Additionally, elastic analysis for three violation types relying on the negative binomial model was conducted to present the relationships between the explanatory variables and the expected violation frequency. The effects of spatiotemporal factors have revealed that the violation situations are significantly different in varying cities and the frequency of drunk driving shows a significant time instability. It is also found that rainy days will generate a decrease in the possibility of violation occurrence. With regard to temperature, a significant negative effect is found and the decrease in temperature will bring about an increase in violation frequency. Besides, traffic violation frequency is significantly increased during holidays with comfortable weather conditions. The conclusion of this study can provide insightful suggestions for the department of traffic enforcement to adjust the patrol plans according to the specified periods (weeks, months, or holidays) and weather conditions. Special rectification actions and targeted educational activities are also advised to be put forward simultaneously.

Preliminary evidence of the efficacy of the Reducing Aggressive Driving (RAD) program

INTRODUCTION

Aggressive driving contributes to crashes, which often result in serious or fatal injuries. Efforts to reduce road trauma need to include strategies to reduce emotional and aggressive driving. Thus far, solutions have not comprehensively addressed the reasons why drivers become aggressive. This study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the Reduce Aggressive driving (RAD) program in improving driver behavior. The RAD is based on group discussion, feedback, and goal setting to encourage more positive responses to triggers for aggressive driving. The aim of this study was to evaluate the delivery of the RAD and its impact on driver anger and aggression.

METHOD

A total of 94 drivers, ranging in age from 18 to 74 years (Mean = 38; SD = 15; 56% males) attended one two-hour online RAD session during which they identified triggers for their aggression and developed individual strategies to avoid aggressive driving. Most (87%) participants agreed that the RAD helped them generate realistic strategies to avoid aggressive driving. A subset of 67 participants provided self-reported anger and aggressive driving tendencies one month, and four months after the RAD.

RESULTS

When these were compared to baseline measures taken before participation in the RAD, decreases across all measures were observed. Thus, anger and aggressive driving significantly decreased one month after the RAD, and these decreases were maintained at the four month follow up; providing evidence of the effectiveness of the RAD in reducing these dangerous behaviors. Further research is needed to objectively measure changes in behavior to and support broader roll-out of the RAD program.

Studying the effects of an advanced driver-assistance system to improve safety of cyclists overtaking

Among all crashes involving cyclists, a motorist approaching from behind a cyclist on a shared lane is particularly dangerous and likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities. Previous research has highlighted that inadequate lateral distance and high vehicle speed are among the main contributing factors of crashes involving cars overtaking cyclists. A new advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) which supports drivers as they overtake cyclists was designed to avoid or, at least, mitigate crashes. In human-machine interface (HMI) design, the information was presented via multiple modalities with a multistage warning system. A combination of lateral clearance (LC) and time-to-danger (TTD) parameters was used as ADAS activation criterion. Experimentation was carried out using the medium-fidelity driving simulator at the Transportation Research Institute (IMOB) of Hasselt University in Belgium. Forty-eight drivers drove the two-lane rural experimental route two times, in baseline condition and with the ADAS activated, testing three overtaking events. Statistical tests showed that the proposed in-vehicle driving assistance system had a significant effect in increasing 1) the length of the passing phase, 2) the LC in the overtaking passing phase, and 3) the TTD along the overtaking maneuver. No effect of the ADAS system on vehicle speed was observed. Overall, the designed system is effective in improving car-cyclist overtaking behaviour in terms of both safety and cyclists' mobility.

Dealing with stalking cases in Lithuania: The role of public perceptions and legal response

Stalking is considered a dangerous form of victimization that requires an effective criminal justice response. In this current research, we aimed (1) to examine lifetime prevalence of stalking victimization and public perceptions of stalking as well as (2) to investigate the characteristics of stalking cases in recent court practice in Lithuania. In Study 1, a web-based survey on a representative sample of 1517 respondents aged 18-87 years was conducted. In Study 2, an analysis of 100 court decisions was performed in stalking-related criminal cases from 2016 to 2020. The research findings (i.e., stalking victimization and public perceptions of stalking phenomenon, coercive measures that were ordered in pre-trial investigation, and sentences imposed closing the cases) are discussed in terms of the latest legal developments and existing response options, as well as considerations for future research.

Talking on the Phone While Driving: A Literature Review on Driving Simulator Studies

Distracted driving is a growing concern around the world and has been the focus of many naturalistic and simulator-based studies. Driving simulators provide excellent practical and theoretical help in studying the driving process, and considerable efforts have been made to prove their validity. This research aimed to review relevant simulator-based studies focused on investigating the effects of the talking-on-the-phone-while-driving distraction on drivers' behavior. This work is a scoping review which followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The search was performed on five databases, covering twenty years of research results. It was focused on finding answers to three research questions that could offer an overview of the main sources of distraction, the research infrastructure, and the measures that were used to analyze and predict the effects of distractions. A number of 4332 studies were identified in the database search, from which 83 were included in the review. The main findings revealed that TPWD distraction negatively affects driving performance, exposing drivers to dangerous traffic situations. Moreover, there is a general understanding that the driver's cognitive, manual, visual, and auditory resources are all involved, to a certain degree, when executing a secondary task while driving.

Does past offending behaviors catch up with you? A study examining the relationship between traffic offending history and fatal crash involvement

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current study was to compare the traffic histories of drivers fatally injured in a road traffic crash, to alive drivers of the same age and gender in order to determine if key markers of increased fatality-risk could be identified.

METHODS

The case sample comprised 1,139 (82% male) deceased drivers, while the control sample consisted of 1,139 registered Queensland drivers (who were individually matched to the case sample on age and gender).

RESULTS

Using a logistic regression model, and adjusting for age and gender, it was found that a greater number of offenses predicted greater odds of fatal crash involvement, with each increase in offense frequency category increasing ones' odds by 1.98 (95% CI: 1.8, 2.18). When each offense type was considered individually, dangerous driving offenses were most influential, predicting a 3.44 (95% CI: 2, 5.93) increased odds of being in the case group, followed by the following offense types: learner/provisional (2.88, 95% CI: 1.75, 4.74), drink and drug driving (2.82, 95% CI: 1.97, 4.04), not wearing a seatbelt/helmet (2.63, 95% CI: 1.53, 4.51), licensing offenses (1.87, 95% CI: 1.41, 2.49), and speeding (1.48, 95% CI: 1.33, 1.66). In contrast, mobile phone and road rules offenses were not identified as significant predictors.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that engagement in a range of aberrant driving behaviors may result in an increased odds of future fatal crash involvement, which has multiple implications for the sanctioning and management of apprehended offenders.

[Management of patients with addictions in units for difficult patients]

The links between mental pathologies and violent acts, which can go as far as homicide, are a major concern for many mental health professionals. Addictive co-morbidities, which are increasingly frequent, are an additional risk factor for some of these patients to commit dangerous acts. Psychiatric and psychological care for pathological perpetrators of such violence can be provided under certain conditions in units for difficult patients, with addiction treatment if necessary.

An analysis of the adolescents' hazard perception when crossing road from the perspective of personality characteristics based on an eye-tracking study

Using the Road Situation Video Test Paradigm and Eye-Tracking Analysis Method, according to the two-stage processing model of hazard perception (HP), this study divides HP into two stages: perception and behaviour response, and compares the different roles of sensation seeking level in two different processing stages of perception and behaviour response when adolescents are crossing the road. The results show that: (1) In the perception stage, adolescents with high sensation seeking, especially boys with high sensation seeking perceive danger faster than boys with low sensation seeking and girls, they are more aware of danger. Particularly, boys with high sensation seeking show a stronger advantage of attention processing to hazard in the early stage of perception processing from 8th and 9th grades. (2) In the behaviour response stage, adolescents with high sensation seeking, especially the boys are less sensitive, have stricter judgment criteria, and are more likely to make dangerous decisions when crossing the road. Girls with different sensation seeking levels are more sensitive and more cautious when crossing the road, make the probability of judging dangerous situation is higher, so they choose a more conservative way, and may be less likely to across the road.

[Social care for patients hospitalised in units for difficult patients]

The units for difficult patients are secure psychiatric wards that receive mentally ill people who could have committed or have committed dangerous acts. As part of the overall care of these patients, the treatment of their social problems by social workers plays an essential role. These interventions provide the psychosocial benefits necessary for the stabilisation and evolution of these subjects.

Conditional release and cannabis use: Concerns and challenges for community reintegration

This article, which serves as a perspective review, delves into the complexities of cannabis use among individuals preparing for or already on conditional release (CR). These complexities include an association between cannabis use and mental illness and dealing with the fact that the use of illicit substances, such as cannabis, is against CR rules, leading to potential revocation. A focus of this article is the deleterious effects cannabis and synthetic derivatives of cannabis can have for individuals on CR. The article concludes with six-specific recommendations for managing cannabis use in this population with a focus on careful and detailed risk assessments that considers the relationship between substance use and dangerousness, the role of protective factors, the need for a detailed conditional release plan, inpatient and community-based interventions aimed at increasing individual autonomy, and education on the dangers of cannabis use for both the treatment team and the insanity acquittee.

Perceptions of neighborhood dangerousness and changes in sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic: Assessing the mediating role of changes in health behaviors

Numerous studies have demonstrated that neighborhood context contributes to variations in morbidity and mortality. This body of work includes a burgeoning literature that links adverse neighborhood characteristics (e.g., neighborhood poverty and perceptions of disorder and dangerousness) with poorer sleep outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many neighborhoods exhibited socioeconomic downturns and escalations in crime and violence. The question is the extent to which these changes in neighborhood conditions have impacted the sleep quality of residents. In this paper, we use original survey data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS), a national probability sample of adults living in the U.S., to formally test whether changes in perceptions of neighborhood dangerousness during the pandemic are associated with sleep quality during the same period. Regression analyses show that while reports of a neighborhood becoming safer during the pandemic are associated with better sleep quality, reports of a neighborhood becoming more dangerous are associated with worse sleep quality. Mediation analyses also indicate that the association between increased neighborhood dangerousness and poorer sleep quality is partially explained by a concurrent deterioration in diet quality, but not increases in alcohol or cigarette consumption. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for research and policy on neighborhood context and sleep.

French drivers' behavior: Do psychological resources and vulnerabilities matter?

INTRODUCTION

Driving is a risky activity, and road users' behavior is one of the many factors that participate in increasing the risk of road-traffic crashes. Drivers must constantly adapt their behavior to the environment and control their vehicles, and must also anticipate the behavior of others, which may pose a threat to their own safety. Interactions between road users can therefore be stressful and elicit strong negative emotions. Psychological resources and vulnerabilities may be important in understanding how drivers perceive and respond to these driving interactions. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of empathy, self-compassion, personal distress, and alexithymia in both dangerous and prosocial driving behaviors.

METHOD

Our sample (N = 550) of French drivers was recruited via snowball sampling. The drivers filled in paper-and-pencil questionnaires including the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), the French adaptation of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Short-FTEQ), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

RESULTS

After controlling for gender and age, regression analyses revealed that road traffic violations were positively predicted by alexithymia and negatively predicted by cognitive empathy; errors were positively predicted by alexithymia and personal distress, and prosocial driving was positively predicted by emotional and cognitive empathy. A two-step cluster analysis identified three groups of drivers: unsafe and psychologically vulnerable (n = 176), self-focused and less prosocial (n = 151), and safe and resourceful (n = 223).

CONCLUSIONS

Empathy seems to promote safe driving behaviors. Moreover, cognitive empathy appears to safeguard drivers against deliberate violations, whereas psychological vulnerabilities seem to increase the probability of engaging in dangerous behaviors. Practical Applications: These results could open new research avenues for the prevention of dangerous driving behaviors and the promotion of road safety.

30 years of solitary confinement: What has changed, and what still needs to happen

Solitary confinement cells are where those considered to be too dangerous to themselves or to others, too troublesome, too mentally unwell, or simply different, will be locked away, spending 22-24 hours a day alone, out of sight and out of mind.Solitary confinement is an extreme and harmful practice on the cusp of prohibited treatment of people deprived of their liberty, with potentially grave consequences for the in-dividuals concerned and the societies to which they eventually return. This article reflects on some of the achieve-ments, and remaining challenges, around the use and regulation of solitary confinement practices internationally in the last 30 years, drawing on recent developments and the au-thor's work in the area.

Species perceived to be dangerous are more likely to have distinctive local names

BACKGROUND

Species with direct uses, such as sources of food, shelter, building material and medicine tend to have more specific local names. But could the same apply for species that people fear?

METHODS

To address this question, here we explore the behavior and perception of species diversity and dangerousness through a survey of 1037 households in nine villages in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique. We compare people's knowledge of snakes with that of lizards and amphibians.

RESULTS

We find that northern Mozambicans know four to five times more local names for snakes than for lizards and frogs, despite the local species richness of snakes being comparable to the diversity of lizards and frogs. We further find that local knowledge was on par with the academic literature regarding snakebite symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that fear can increase the level of specificity in naming species among indigenous communities, which could lead to biases in the mapping and protection of species that include data from citizen reports.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence and perceived dangerousness of SARS-CoV-2 infections in two early German hotspots: findings from a seroepidemiological study

OBJECTIVE

Evidence on socioeconomic inequalities in infections with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is still limited as most of the available studies are ecological in nature and individual-level data is sparse. We therefore analysed individual-level data on socioeconomic differences in the prevalence and perceived dangerousness of SARS-CoV-2 infections in local populations. Data were obtained from a population-based seroepidemiological study of adult individuals in two early German SARS-CoV-2 hotspots (n = 3903). Infection was determined by IgG antibody ELISA, RT-PCR testing and self-reports on prior positive PCR tests. The perceived dangerousness of an infection and socioeconomic position (SEP) were assessed by self-reports. Logistic and linear regression were applied to examine associations of multiple SEP measures with infection status and perceptions of dangerousness.

RESULTS

We found no evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infections by education, occupation, income and subjective social status. Participants with lower education and lower subjective social status perceived an infection as more dangerous than their better-off counterparts. In successfully contained local outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany, infections may have been equally distributed across the socioeconomic spectrum. But residents in disadvantaged socioeconomic groups might have experienced a higher level of mental distress due to the higher perceived dangerousness of an infection.

To speed or not to speed: Thematic analysis of American driving narratives

INTRODUCTION

Speeding is a major cause of unintentional roadway death in the United States. Existing data show that U.S. drivers tend to speed less as they age, but reasons for this change remain largely unknown. Limited research has examined why U.S. drivers decide to speed or why U.S. drivers decide not to speed, and none to date has determined why speeding behaviors change over the life course. Research into these issues can provide insight that may be harnessed for more effective anti-speeding interventions that catalyze decisions not to speed.

METHODS

The current study asked a national sample of U.S. drivers (N = 309) about their driving behaviors and how they have changed over time using an open-ended prompt in an online survey. The authors qualitatively coded responses using a narrative analysis lens to identify common themes.

RESULTS

Results show U.S. drivers often make deliberate choices to speed and some do not consider speeding to be dangerous after achieving perceived mastery of driving skills. Participants tended to report speeding less over time, citing increased concern for family and other roadway users, which may help explain national speeding data trends. Several other themes emerged identifying individual cognitive factors, environmental contexts, and key persons impacting speeding decisions. Practical Applications: Findings show that the most effective means of encouraging U.S. drivers to decide not to speed may be multi-pronged intervention approaches highlighting how speeding reduces roadway driver control, connecting speeding with safety, and encompassing road design and law enforcement strategies.

Use of Involuntary Emergency Treatment by Physicians and Law Enforcement for Persons With High-Risk Drug Use or Alcohol Dependence

This cohort study evaluates the number of petitions for temporary involuntary commitment of individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others after implementation of a pilot program to streamline the process in Boston, Massachusetts.