Protective behaviour of citizens to transport accidents involving hazardous materials: A discrete choice experiment applied to populated areas nearby waterways

Background To improve the information for and preparation of citizens at risk to hazardous material transport accidents, a first important step is to determine how different characteristics of hazardous material transport accidents will influence citizens' protective behaviour. However, quantitative studies investigating citizens' protective behaviour in case of hazardous material transport accidents are scarce. Methods A discrete choice experiment was conducted among subjects (19-64 years) living in the direct vicinity of a large waterway. Scenarios were described by three transport accident characteristics: odour perception, smoke/vapour perception, and the proportion of people in the environment that were leaving at their own discretion. Subjects were asked to consider each scenario as realistic and to choose the alternative that was most appealing to them: staying, seekin

Characteristics of respondents who completed the discrete choice experiment survey (N = 881).

<p>Characteristics of respondents who completed the discrete choice experiment survey (N = 881).</p

Example of a choice set.

<p>Example of a choice set.</p

Effects of changing one of the attribute levels on the average probability of citizens’ protective behaviour to transport accidents involving hazardous materials on a populated waterway, as predicted by a panel error component.

<p>Effects of changing one of the attribute levels on the average probability of citizens’ protective behaviour to transport accidents involving hazardous materials on a populated waterway, as predicted by a panel error component.</p

The influence of characteristics of hazardous material transport accidents on citizens’ protective behaviour based on a panel error component model (n = 881).

<p>Notes: (1) effect coded variables used for odour perception and smoke/vapour perception; (2) normal distribution for random coefficient used on constants (i.e. ‘type of reaction’); (3) the value of the reference levels of the categorical attributes equals the negative sum of the coefficients of the included attributes; (4) s.e. = standard error; (5) S.D. = standard deviation; and (6) 10,451 observations (881 subjects x 12 choice sets would result in 10,572 observations. However, 121 oberservations were missed because some respondents did not fill in one or more choice sets); AIC = Akaike information criterion</p><p>The influence of characteristics of hazardous material transport accidents on citizens’ protective behaviour based on a panel error component model (n = 881).</p

Considered attributes and attribute levels.

<p>Considered attributes and attribute levels.</p