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Lack of visibility is one of the challenges that impact drivers' ability to perform driving tasks at night. Although prior studies indicated that lighting increases nighttime safety, lighting at stop-controlled intersections is not mandatory according to many U.S. states' guidelines. This paper aims to investigate the impact of different lighting conditions on safety-related driving behavior during nighttime at stop-controlled intersections. The data were collected using a driving simulator experiment where participants drove through several intersections during daytime, nighttime without lighting, nighttime with partial lighting, and nighttime with full lighting. Collected measures included speed, time-to-collision (TTC), and post-encroachment time (PET). TTC/PET were used as safety surrogate measures to evaluate the impact of lighting on drivers' safety. The results indicated that TTC/PET were higher during daytime and nighttime with partial/full lighting. Furthermore, the findings revealed that lower speeds were recorded at nighttime with partial/full lighting. Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that TTC/PET medians for nighttime without lighting were statistically significantly different from TTC/PET medians of the remaining lighting conditions. Moreover, negative binomial modeling indicated that lack of lighting and speed had inverse correlation with TTC. In summary, the results revealed that street lighting at stop-controlled intersections provided 37% increase in TTC, 15% increase in PET, and 15% reduction in speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many crashes occur every year that involve drivers who are unlicensed and underage. One of the main challenges for traffic safety authorities is the lack of detailed information about this alarming phenomenon. This study aims to investigate the rate of underage driving among high school teenagers and thoroughly examine their awareness, perception, and use of the seat belt as one of the main in-vehicle safety features. Data was obtained from a self-report questionnaire. The results indicated that 59% of the participants drive without having a driver's license, and 47% reported that they use seat belts as a driver or a passenger. The results of the logistic regression model indicated that four significant factors affected high school teenagers' use of seat belts: (1) driving a car to school or “being a driver,” (2) personal perception of the role of seat belts in saving lives, (3) keen to require back-seat passengers to buckle up, and (4) previous attendance in a safety campaign that emphasized the importance of using seat belts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the human factor is the main contributing factor leading to traffic accidents, followed by vehicle and road factors. In addition, many earlier studies have indicated that young drivers are at a high risk of being killed in traffic accidents around the world. Compared to other age groups, young drivers tend to be over-represented in severe and fatal crashes considering their percentage of the population. One way to improve traffic safety on highways is to improve the driving behavior of drivers, especially teenager drivers. There is a lack of studies that strived to thoroughly examine the driving behavior of young drivers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Thus, this study aims at identifying and quantifying the significant factors associated with the involvement of young Saudi drivers in at-fault crashes. Another objective of this study is to provide in-depth insights concerning the types of traffic violations that young Saudi drivers commit while driving and the main reason(s) that they are involved in risky driving behaviors. The data used for the analyses were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire survey carried out among 242 young drivers in Riyadh, the capital of the KSA. To achieve these goals, the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was adopted using SAS software package. The results indicated that exceeding the speed limit was the main reason for obtaining traffic citations by young Saudi drivers (stated by approximately 73% of participants). Additionally, running late was the main reason for being involved in risky driving behaviors while driving (62%), followed by testing the performance of the car or showing off (18%). Moreover, the results of the SEM model indicated that aggressive violations (pressing the brakes and gas pedal at the same time while driving) was the most significant factor affecting young Saudi drivers' involvement in at-fault crashes between ages 18 and 24, followed by ordinary violations (i.e., driving so close to the car in front that it would be difficult to stop in an emergency) and attitudes toward speeding. Practical suggestions on how to improve the driving behavior of young Saudi drivers and how to reduce their crash risk, along with recommendations for future studies, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the factors affecting drivers' stated behavior in adverse visibility conditions and examines whether drivers rely on and follow advisory or warning messages displayed on portable changeable message signs (CMS) and/or variable speed limit (VSL) signs in different visibility and traffic conditions, and on two types of roadways: freeways and two-lane roads. A multiple-approach survey was designed to collect opinions and stated data from Central Florida drivers. Categorical data analysis techniques such as conditional distribution, odds ratio, and chi-squared tests were applied. In addition, two modeling approaches, bivariate and multivariate probit models, were estimated. The results revealed that gender, age, road type, visibility condition, and familiarity with VSL sign were the significant factors affecting the stated likelihood of reducing speed following CMS/VSL instructions in reduced visibility conditions. Other objectives of this study were to determine the content of messages that would achieve the best-perceived safety and drivers' compliance and to examine the best way to improve safety during these adverse visibility conditions. The results indicated that respondents thought that "Caution--fog ahead--reduce speed" was the best message and that using that CMS and VSL signs together was the best way to improve safety during such inclement weather situations. Based on the findings of the present study, several recommendations are suggested as guidelines to improve safety in reduced visibility conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]