Traffic psychology is a rapidly expanding and broad field within applied psychology with a considerable volume of research activities and a growing network of academic strands of enquiry. The discipline primarily focuses on the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying these behaviours, looking at issues such as cognition, distraction, fatigue, personality and social aspects, often delivering practical applications and educational interventions. Traffic psychology has been the focus of research for almost as long as the motor car has been in existence and was first recognised as a discipline in 1990 when the International Association of Applied Psychology formed Division 13: Traffic and Transportation Psychology. The benefits of understanding traffic psychology are being increasingly recognised by a whole host of organisations keen to improve road safety or minimise health and safety risks when travelling in vehicles. The objective of this volume is to describe and discuss recent advances in the study of traffic psychology, with a major focus on how the field contributes to the understanding of at-risk road-user behaviour. The intended readerships include road-safety researchers from a variety of different academic backgrounds, senior practitioners in the field including regulatory authorities, the private and public sector personnel, and vehicle manufacturers concerned with improving road safety.

Traffic psychology is a rapidly expanding and broad field within applied psychology with a considerable volume of research activities and a growing network of academic strands of enquiry. The discipline primarily focuses on the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying these behaviours, looking at issues such as cognition, distraction, fatigue, personality and social aspects, often delivering practical applications and educational interventions. Traffic psychology has been the focus of research for almost as long as the motor car has been in existence and was first recognised as a discipline in 1990 when the International Association of Applied Psychology formed Division 13: Traffic and Transportation Psychology. The benefits of understanding traffic psychology are being increasingly recognised by a whole host of organisations keen to improve road safety or minimise health and safety risks when travelling in vehicles. The objective of this volume is to describe and discuss recent advances in the study of traffic psychology, with a major focus on how the field contributes to the understanding of at-risk road-user behaviour. The intended readerships include road-safety researchers from a variety of different academic backgrounds, senior practitioners in the field including regulatory authorities, the private and public sector personnel, and vehicle manufacturers concerned with improving road safety.

Research on driver behaviour over the past two decades has clearly demonstrated that the goals and motivations a driver brings to the driving task are important determinants for driver behaviour. The objective of the Driver Behaviour and Training volumes, and of the conference on which they are based, is to describe and discuss recent advances in the study of this important area. It bridges the gap between practitioners in road safety and theoreticians investigating driving behaviour, from a number of different perspectives and related disciplines. Educating drivers to be safe for life means a shift in focus from simply developing vehicle-handling skills towards ensuring that drivers are aware of how goals and motivations can influence decision-making throughout their driving career. A major focus within this fourth volume is to consider how driver training needs to be adapted in order to raise awareness of how human factors contribute to unsafe driving behaviour. From this it goes on to promote the development of driver education that considers all the skills that are essential for road safety. The readership will include road safety researchers from a variety of different academic backgrounds, senior practitioners in the field of driver training from regulatory authorities and professional driver training organisations such as the police service, and private and public sector personnel.

Research on driver behaviour over the past two decades has clearly demonstrated that the goals and motivations a driver brings to the driving task are important determinants for driver behaviour. The importance of this work is underlined by statistics: WHO figures show that road accidents are predicted to be the number three cause of death and injury by 2020 (currently more than 20 million deaths and injuries p.a.). The objective of this second edition, and of the conference on which it is based, is to describe and discuss recent advances in the study of driving behaviour and driver training. It bridges the gap between practitioners in road safety, and theoreticians investigating driving behaviour, from a number of different perspectives and related disciplines. A major focus is to consider how driver training needs to be adapted, to take into account driver characteristics, goals and motivations, in order to raise awareness of how these may contribute to unsafe driving behaviour, and to go on to promote the development of driver training courses that considers all the skills that are essential for road safety. As well as setting out new approaches to driver training methodology based on many years of empirical research on driver behaviour, the contributing road safety researchers and professionals consider the impact of human factors in the design of driver training as well as the traditional skills-based approach. Readership includes road safety researchers from a variety of different academic backgrounds, senior practitioners in the field of driver training from regulatory authorities and professional driver training organizations such as the police service, and private and public sector personnel who are concerned with improving road safety.

This title was first published in 2003. Research on driver behaviour over the past two decades has demonstrated that driver characteristics, goals and motivations are important determinants of driving behaviour. We are now in a position to apply this knowledge to driver training programs and evaluate their effectiveness in improving safety. The main objective for the First International Conference on Driver Behaviour and Training and this book, is to describe and discuss recent advances in this field. The book bridges the gap between practitioners in road safety, and theoreticians investigating driving behaviour from a number of different perspectives and related disciplines. It will encourage research in driver training to combat erroneous or deviant driving behaviour and/or reduce the effects of human error at source. This book will be of interest to road safety researchers and road safety practitioners in the private and public sector.

This volume is an outcome of the sixth International Conference in Driver Behaviour and Training. It focuses on how driver training must adapt to take into account individual differences in order to raise awareness of how these differences may contribute to unsafe driving behaviour.