The role of the individual, the situation and previous driving conditions in experienced and expressed driving anger and angry mood

Anger is generally considered to result from a combination of physiological arousal, individual evaluation and situational characteristics. However, within the driving context, anger has often, but not always, been considered from either a person-centred approach, examining the influence of trait factors and individual differences in driving anger, or from a situation-focussed perspective, considering anger as a response to the current driving situation. The research reported in this thesis aimed to investigate the role of the individual and the situation in how drivers experience and express anger while driving.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Mobile phone applications use while driving in Ukraine: Self-reported frequencies and psychosocial factors underpinning this risky behaviour

© 2021 Hill et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Despite the fact that mobile phones have been transformed over the last decade into information and communication hubs that are fundamental to modern life, there is little information on how this has impacted on mobile phone use while driving. The present study was conducted in Ukraine, where this risky behaviour remains a common driving practice, despite legislative bans. A total of 220 (male = 82%; mean age = 35.53; SD = 10.54) drivers completed an online survey assessing frequency of engaging in a range of mobile phone applications while driving. Four variables of the theory of planned behaviour (general attitude and intention towards phone use while driving, social norms towards mobile phone use, perceived behavioural control, the specific beliefs about being able to engage in distracting activities and drive safely), and type A behaviour pattern were also collected. The results showed that, during the last year, 65% of drivers had read a text message and 49% had written a text using mobile phone applications. Likewise, a substantial proportion of the sample reported using social media while driving, by checking (34%), sending or typing a post (25%) on social network applications. Hierarchical stepwise regressions showed that a positive attitude towards mobile phone use while driving and beliefs about being able to drive safely and write or read a text message were significantly associated with the mobile phone applications use while driving. No associations were found between the type A behaviour pattern and mobile phone applications use.Peer reviewe

Mobile phone use while driving in Finland

Mobile phones represent one of the most common distractions for drivers and phone use while driving is particularly problematic in Finland. The aim of this research was to explore the Finnish sample of responses from ESRA2 (E-Survey of Road users' Attitudes) with a specific focus on the distracting behaviours related to mobile phone usage while driving. ESRA2 data is derived from online surveys amongst a representative sample of the adult populations in each participating country. In total a sample of 994 responses were collected in Finland for ESRA2, which included 703 responses from participants who held a driver's licence and reported driving a car in the 30 days prior to the survey. The results provide evidence of the problematic usage of mobile phones while driving in Finland. Mobile phone use was considered across three specific types of usage: (1) handheld phone calls while driving; (2) handsfree phone calls while driving; (3) texting, emailing or social media use while driving. Almost half (49.4 %) of the sample reported using a handheld mobile phone to make a call while driving at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey. A similar percentage (41.4 %) of the sample had used a phone hands-free and 35.6 % had texted, emailed, or used social media. The study highlights how mobile phone usage is a complex and multifaceted issue and that there are a broad range of underlying factors that influence mobile phone usage depending on the way in which people engage with their mobile phone while driving. The findings suggest that a systematic approach to reducing mobile phone distraction is needed that addresses the issue through a combination of legislation, enforcement, and education.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Kaahaajat : Finnish Attitudes towards Speeding

People driving in excess of the posted speed limit (referred to as speeding in English or Kaahaajat in Finnish) is a common road user behaviour. In Finland, between 2000 and 2020, speeding was identified as the key contributing factor in 41% of fatal motor vehicle collisions. This may be because disregarding speed limits on motorways and on residential roads are the most common violations performed by Finnish drivers. This study identifies factors influencing speeding while driving in Finland. In particular, 703 responses from Finnish drivers of the ESRA2 (E-Survey of Road users’ Attitudes) were analysed to understand the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) factors underpinning speeding behaviours in three road environments: inside built-up areas; outside of built-up areas; and on motorways and freeways. Three binary logistic regression analyses were used to understand which elements of TPB were associated with self-reported speeding in each of these environments. Approximately two thirds of participants reported speeding in each of the three road environments. Attitudes and subjective norms were associated with speeding in built-up areas and on motorways or freeways. In addition, perceived behavioural control and age were significantly associated with speeding outside of built-up areas. The findings highlight how a systematic approach is needed to address speeding considering enforcement, engineering, legislation, and education.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Unsafety on two wheels, or social prejudice? Proxying behavioral reports on bicycle and e-scooter riding safety - A mixed-methods study

The use of non-motorized transportation and micro-mobility is increasing in many cities. Bicycle riding and e-scooter use are now more common and affordable than ever. However, users of these devices face certain key issues. These include their own risky behaviors as well as involvement in conflicts with other road users. Self-report data may not adequately capture these behaviors and interactions. Despite this, more objective data (i.e., how third parties perceive these users' road behaviors) is scarce. Aims: This study aimed to understand whether e-scooter riders have com- parable or different riding behaviors than cyclists. This was investigated using a mixed-method study. Methods: This paper is divided into two sub-studies. In Study 1, 950 Spanish non- cyclists and non-e-scooter riders (mean age 31.98 ± 13.27 years; 55.3% female) provided external ratings (proxies) regarding the perceived behaviors of bicycle and e-scooter riders. In Study 2, collective Rapid Assessment Processes (RAPs; n = 23) were used to develop qualitative configurations of some of the key risky behaviors highlighted in Study 1. Results: There were significant differences in the perceived errors and violations rated by proxies for both types of riders (with e-scooter riders perceived as having higher rates of risky behaviors). However, there were also structural differences in the effects of external raters' risk perceptions, traffic rule knowledge, and traffic incidents with two-wheeled riders on how they rated the behaviors. Conclusion: The results of both studies suggest that external raters' perceptions provide further understanding of the causes, dynamics, and conflicts related to road behaviors performed by certain groups of road users. This is particularly apparent when there is no clear legislation and information on safe riding in urban areas. In this sense, improving infrastructure could promote safer interactions. Finally, road safety education could focus on promoting safer practices and interactions in order to improve how others perceive riders' behavior

Enthalpy of Solvation Correlations for Organic Solutes and Gases Dissolved in 1-Propanol and Tetrahydrofuran

This article discusses the enthalpy of solvation correlations for organic solutes and gases dissolved in 1-propanol and tetrahydrofuran

Cognitive biases in aggressive drivers: does illusion of control drive us off the road?

AbstractAnger has been shown to be a motivating factor in aggression and it is widely accepted that driving anger may lead to aggressive driving. However, the link between anger and aggressive driving is likely to be mediated by drivers’ pre-existing cognitive biases and the subsequent situational evaluations made. This study investigated the extent to which optimism bias, illusion of control beliefs and driver anger predict self-reported hostile driving behaviours. A total of 220 licensed drivers (106 men; 114 women) completed a self-report questionnaire measuring trait driving anger, optimism bias, illusion of control and driving behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling showed that trait driving anger and illusion of control beliefs account for 37% of the variance in hostile driving behaviour scores. Optimism biases were unrelated to hostile driving behaviours. Thus, driving anger propensities and feelings of control over the situation, but not a general tendency to underestimate the likelihood of adverse outcomes, predict aggressive driving

Correlation of solute transfer into alkane solvents from water and from the gas phase with updated Abraham model equations

This article discusses the correlation of solute transfer into alkane solvents from water and from the gas phase with updated Abraham model equations

Correlation of Solute Transfer Into Toluene and Ethylbenzene from Water and from the Gas Phase Based on the Abraham Model

This article discusses correlation of solute transfer into toluene and ethylbenzene from water and from the gas phase based on the Abraham model

Haplotype Analysis Reveals a Possible Founder Effect of RET Mutation R114H for Hirschsprung's Disease in the Chinese Population

Background Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) is a congenital disorder associated with the lack of intramural ganglion cells in the myenteric and sub-mucosal plexuses along varying segments of the gastrointestinal tract. The RET gene is the major gene implicated in this gastrointestinal disease. A highly recurrent mutation in RET (RETR114H) has recently been identified in ~6-7% of the Chinese HSCR patients which, to date, has not been found in Caucasian patients or controls nor in Chinese controls. Due to the high frequency of RETR114H in this population, we sought to investigate whether this mutation may be a founder HSCR mutation in the Chinese population. Methodology and Principal Findings To test whether all RETR114H were originated from a single mutational event, we predicted the approximate age of RETR114H by applying a Bayesian method to RET SNPs genotyped in 430 Chinese HSCR patients (of whom 25 individuals had the mutation) to be between 4-23 generations old depending on growth rate. We reasoned that if RETR114H was a founder mutation then those with the mutation would share a haplotype on which the mutation resides. Including SNPs spanning 509.31 kb across RET from a recently obtained 500 K genome-wide dataset for a subset of 181 patients (14 RETR114H patients), we applied haplotype estimation methods to determine whether there were any segments shared between patients with RETR114H that are not present in those without the mutation or controls. Analysis yielded a 250.2 kb (51 SNP) shared segment over the RET gene (and downstream) in only those patients with the mutation with no similar segments found among other patients. Conclusions This suggests that RETR114H is a founder mutation for HSCR in the Chinese population. © 2010 Cornes et al.published_or_final_versio