Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)

Influence of childhood and adulthood attitudinal perceptions on bicycle usage in the Bangalore city

Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:19:09 GMT

Bicycle commuting holds the potential to be an effective solution in combating anthropogenic pollution, urban congestion and increasing health concerns. In a developing country context, few studies have attempted to analyse the influence of various factors that contribute to a low ridership of bicycle. Using data collected through a questionnaire survey in the Indian city of Bangalore, the present study investigates the extent to which variables capturing the attitudinal and social norms, in childhood, affect an individual's decision to continue or discontinue bicycle on transition to adulthood. Further, the study elicits the influence of various adulthood perceptions that limit the usage of bicycles and that can motivate the future usage of bicycles. The study also examines the substitutive effect between bicycles, and the sustainable modes of walking and public transit. The results suggest that a negative social image attached with cycling in childhood contribute to an individual's decision to continue or discontinue cycling after childhood. Further, the results show that part-time cyclists are more sensitive to structural barriers (infrastructure, build environment) while non-cyclists weigh more heavily on personal barriers (attitudes and social norms). Portrayal of cycling in positive light through promotional programs also has a strong positive impact on the choice to bicycle. The study findings shed light on policies and strategies that can help improve the attractiveness of bicycling and augment bicycle use in Indian cities.

Mimicry and Stop Sign Compliance

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 09:32:18 GMT

Many road-users fail to comply with the stop sign rule, potentially increasing the chance of accidents at junctions. Within a social-cognitive framework, the authors investigated whether the behavior of traffic in front influences road-user’s stop sign compliance, focusing in particular on whether the notion of mimicry is useful in explaining rates of stop sign dissent. In the absence of conflicting traffic, road-users were significantly (p = .012, F = 0.083) less likely to stop if traffic in front did not stop (of n = 535, 11% stopped), compared to when there was no traffic in front (of n = 369, 16.8% stopped). However, there was no evidence of mimicry when traffic in front did stop (19.3% stopped), compared to when no vehicle was in front (16.8% stopped) (p = .720, F = 0.033). If road-users mimic negative behaviors rather than positive ones, over time it is likely that the rate of non-compliance will increase. The findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Perceptions, intentions and behavioral norms that affect pre-license driving among Arab youth in Israel

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 10:22:13 GMT

The present study examines reported pre-license driving among youth from the population of Arab citizens of Israel. The purpose of the present study is to examine which sociodemographic variables, attitudes and perceptions about safe driving and individual and societal behavioral norms are associated with pre-license driving. The research distinguished between the factors that actually contribute to pre-license driving (reported behavior, peer norms, gender and parents' messages) and the factors that explain the intention (parental authority, social norms, parents' messages and fear of road crashes). Even though there was a significant partial overlap (84%) between those who intend to drive without a license and those who reported driving without a license, the main factors that distinguish pre-license driving groups are different from the factors that distinguish the intention to drive before receiving a license. What is unique about the findings is the identification of the context in which social norms are influential and that in which parental authority is influential. The study indicated that in the case of pre-license driving, the main motivating factor is subjective norms, whereas in the case of expecting to drive without a license, the main motivating factor is the interaction between parental authority and the messages that parents convey. While actual behavior pertains to the behavioral level, the authors argue that intended behavior pertains to the cognitive level. At this level, rational considerations arise, such as fear of parental punishment and fear of accidents. These considerations compete with the influence of friends and their norms, and may outweigh them. The findings suggest that it is important to safeguard youth against the influence of peer pressure as early as the stage of behavioral intentions. Follow-up studies can simulate situations of pre-license driving due to social pressure and identify the factors that might affect young people’s decision-making. Moreover, providing parents with training before the accompaniment period is highly recommended.

Determinants of Recent Mover Non-work Travel Mode Choice

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:46:30 GMT

Active transportation modes of walking and bicycling have the potential to help mitigate environmental and health concerns ranging from growing greenhouse gas emissions to increasing rates of obesity. This dissertation investigates how new movers make decisions about active transportation, particularly non-work utilitarian walking, in the context of a new home and neighborhood. New movers are an important, yet often overlooked, population in travel behavior research because they provide an opportunity to observe behavior adoption in new contexts, but also because the roughly one-in-ten Americans who move each year are more likely to consider changes to daily routines, including travel behavior, making them prime targets for voluntary travel behavior change programs. Using data from a two-wave survey of recent movers in six U.S. cities, psychological and social mechanisms essential to the built environment travel behavior relationship are explored. The research is divided into three stand-alone papers (chapters 4, 5 and 6). First, to isolate the built environment effect on active travel mode adoption, the relative influence of the built environment and a robust set of self-selection variables is quantified. Second, the psychological constructs that facilitate the built environment travel behavior relationship are identified. And in light of increasing market demand for housing in walkable urban neighborhoods and the observed importance of self-selection, the final paper quantifies the extent to which low-income households are able to realize preferences for walkable housing locations. The key findings of this dissertation are that 1) the built environment plays a key role in determining recent mover adoption of utilitarian walking even after controlling for self-selection; 2) the influence of the built environment on post-move adoption of utilitarian walking is largely mediated by perceived behavior control, as expected, and, unexpectedly, by descriptive social norms; and 3) low-income movers who prioritized moving to a walkable place were about half as likely as higher-income movers to be able to realize this preference. These findings have practical and theoretical implications, which are discussed in each paper and in the final chapter.

Designing feedback to mitigate teen distracted driving: A social norms approach

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 16:15:35 GMT

Objective: The purpose of this research is to investigate teens’ perceived social norms and whether providing normative information can reduce distracted driving behaviors among them. Background Parents are among the most important social referents for teens; they have significant influences on teens’ driving behaviors, including distracted driving which significantly contributes to teens’ crash risks. Social norms interventions have been successfully applied in various domains including driving; however, this approach is yet to be explored for mitigating driver distraction among teens. Method: Forty teens completed a driving simulator experiment while performing a self-paced visual-manual secondary task in four between-subject conditions: a) social norms feedback that provided a report at the end of each drive on teens’ distracted driving behavior, comparing their distraction engagement to their parent’s, b) post-drive feedback that provided just the report on teens’ distracted driving behavior without information on their parents, c) real-time feedback in the form of auditory warnings based on eyes of road-time, and d) no feedback as control. Questionnaires were administered to collect data on these teens’ and their parents’ self-reported engagement in driver distractions and the associated social norms. Results: Social norms and real-time feedback conditions resulted in significantly smaller average off-road glance duration, rate of long (>2 s) off-road glances, and standard deviation of lane position compared to no feedback. Further, social norms feedback decreased brake response time and percentage of time not looking at the road compared to no feedback. No major effect was observed for post-drive feedback. Questionnaire results suggest that teens appeared to overestimate parental norms, but no effect of feedback was found on their perceptions. Conclusion: Feedback systems that leverage social norms can help mitigate driver distraction among teens. Overall, both social norms and real-time feedback induced positive driving behaviors, with social norms feedback outperforming real-time feedback.

The Effect of Students’ Car Access and Car use Habits on Student Behavior to Reduce using Cars for Traveling to Campus

Wed, 03 May 2017 12:00:06 GMT

This study reports an investigation of psychological factors influencing student behavior to reduce using cars for traveling to campus from the perspective of the Norm Activation Model, with the addition of students’ car access, and car use habits for traveling to campus. Students from three different university campuses completed a survey on their car commuting behavior. Results indicated that a car use habit, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility explain 63% variance of personal norm. Personal norms explain 47% variance of the behavioral intention. In turn, behavioral intention, car use habit, and car access explains 54% of the variance of actual car use. A car use habit and ascription of responsibility were the strongest factors that influence personal norms, and car use habit was the strongest factor that influences actual car use behavior, while car access significantly influences car use habit and actual car use behavior. Implications of these findings are that in order to alter the use of car, universities should implement both structural and psychological intervention. To be effective interventions should be designed to remove opportunities for enactment of car use habit, and also to enhance the sense of responsibility towards the negative impact of car use.

Social Norms as Incentives to Non-automotive Travel Behavior

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 15:31:09 GMT

Research exploring the behavioral dimensions that drive travel ((1–3) has shown that social and psychological forces often play a role equal to price and economic levers (4–11). Yet, more work is needed to evaluate how financial vs. social nudges work together to influence active transportation decisions. For this study, roughly 500 participants were offered differing incentives in four identical trials. These randomly assigned incentives included various monetary amounts, a free gift, or a social nudge tapping into altruistic values (in this case, benefits to the environment). After tests for homogeneity, the results showed the social nudge had a high degree of effectiveness, when compared to both the financial incentives and gifts. Furthermore, the results indicated that mixing financial and social norms caused both to be less effective. These findings suggest that fiscal incentive programs used to influence travel decisions may be lacking. In fact, this research suggests a focus on social norms and value provides alternative tools to facilitate greater changes in travel behaviors that nudge individuals to more healthy and climate- sensitive modes of travel.

The replication and reduction of automobility: Findings from Aotearoa New Zealand

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 09:09:56 GMT

In this paper,the authors examine the factors that contribute to the replication or reduction of automobility amongst young adults. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, with 51 drivers and non-drivers, aged 18–35 years old, form the empirical material. The findings build upon previous research and extend understandings of how seven explanatory factors; perceptual, value and preference, social, built environment, economic, legal/policy and technological, work both to continue the current automobility paradigm, and to challenge it by adopting alternative mobilities. The authors use the Energy Cultures Framework as an analytical tool to explore the ways through which materialites, norms, practices, and external context can replicate or reduce participation in the hegemonic mobility paradigm. This approach offers useful insights into the interactions between what the research participants think, have and do, and how this is resulting in a reduction in automobility norms amongst some younger people. It also identifies and highlights potential opportunities to leverage upon current change trends to assist a systemic transition away from automobility towards a culture of multi-mobilities.

Social norms and public transport usage: empirical study from Shanghai

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 10:52:01 GMT

Chinese cities need to consider various TDM measures to cure adverse influences from exceeding private car ownership and use. We therefore explore the potential role of norms and awareness of problems caused by excessive car traffic for car purchase and mode choice decisions. With a sample of 465 responses collected via an online survey in Shanghai, our study suggests that the perception of “everyone around me is using public transport” (descriptive norms) is negatively correlated with car ownership. More importantly, we find that expectation of important others (subjective social norms) and internalized responsibility to use greener transport (personal norms activated by social problem awareness) stimulate the intention to use public transport and increase actual public transport usage. We further find that income does not influence public transport usage intentions or the actual modal choice directly but only via car ownership as mediating factor. We discuss that our findings support regulations to limit private car ownership and use but also to utilize “soft policy measures” in order to achieve a voluntary shift towards more sustainable travel behavior in Shanghai.

New Transportation Technology: Norm Activation Processes and the Intention to Switch to an Electric/Hybrid Vehicle

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:32:28 GMT

Since humans’ activities contribute to climate change it is important to change behavior. Switching to a hybrid/plugin/electric vehicle (HEV/PHEV/EV) for personal transport can be one way. In this study the intention to switch to a HEV/PHEV/EV is studied from the theoretical framework of the moral norm-activation theory of altruism (Schwartz, 1977) and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory of environmentalism (Stern et al., 1999). Data were collected using a survey of three groups, alternative fuel vehicle owners (AFV, mainly E85/ethanol), fossil fuel vehicle owners (conventional vehicles, CV), and hybrid/plugin/electric vehicle owners (HEV/PHEV/EV). A SEM model was proposed, and tested on the subsamples of CV and AFV owners, of a hierarchical process of influence from the more general (e.g. values) to the more specific (e.g. beliefs, norms) and finally the intention. The results supported the proposed norm-activation model and showed that problem awareness was more influential in the AFV than in the CV group. In addition, a comparison between the three subgroups (CV, AFV and HEV/PHEV/EV) showed that HEV/PHEV/EV owners differed significantly from CV and AFV owners, in that they were more open to change, less conservative, showed a higher problem awareness, self-efficacy, and a stronger personal norm. The results from this study may have implications for future work of increasing the number of electric vehicles on the roads and thereby contribute to less direct emissions from car traffic.

Public Attitudes to Road Pricing: Exploring the Role of Older Age, Pro-sociality, Social Norms and Trust

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 17:13:28 GMT

Understanding the socio-psychological mechanisms that determine the public acceptability of road pricing could be a key for its implementation in urban environments where this is a viable scenario. Studying the attitudes of older people is of particular importance due to the aging of the populations in the industrialized democracies, the high political engagement of older people, and their vulnerability to transport-related social exclusion. Research by the present authors had previously identified that older people's beliefs about what is the normal, acceptable, or even expected choice in a particular social context (“social norms”) and their tendency to favor, more than any other age group, what is positively valued by society (“pro-social value orientation”) affect their attitudes to road pricing. The present paper aims to develop an in-depth understanding of these attitude-shaping determinants drawing on the findings of focus groups conducted in Bristol, UK. The findings suggest that there are three distinctive expressions of pro-sociality: pro-environmental values and generativity on the one hand, these two being drivers of support for road pricing, and pro-equity values on the other, which tend to drive opposition. Social norms have two particular expressions: subjective norms (i.e. norms reflecting people’s immediate social environment) and norms referring to others and society in general. Furthermore, a theory-driven thematic analysis indicates that trust in the integrity of the concept and older age as a life stage associated with aging, retirement, lower income, mobility barriers and deteriorating health are important in how attitudes reflecting and affecting public acceptability to road pricing form.

Car driver attitudes, perceptions of social norms and aggressive driving behaviour towards cyclists

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 16:31:00 GMT

The interaction of car drivers and cyclists is one of the main causes of cycle incidents. The role of attitudes and social norms in shaping car drivers’ aggressive behaviour towards cyclists, is not well understood and merits investigation. A sample of 276 drivers completed an online questionnaire concerning their attitudes towards cyclists, attitudes towards risky driving, perception of social norms concerning aggressive driving towards cyclists, and the frequency with which they engage in such aggressive driving behaviours. The results showed that attitudes towards cyclists, as well as social norm perceptions concerning aggressive driving towards cyclists, were associated with aggressive driving towards cyclists. Negative attitudes towards cyclists were more pronounced in non-cyclists than cyclists and their association with aggressive driving behaviour was stronger in cyclists than non-cyclists. The perception of social norms concerning aggressive driving towards cyclists had a stronger association with aggressive driving in non-cyclists than cyclists. Attitudes towards risk taking did not affect aggressive driving towards cyclists. These findings can inform campaigns that aim to improve cyclist and car driver interaction on the roads, making them safer to use for cyclists.

Impact of alcohol checks and social norm on driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI)

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 09:13:19 GMT

This study investigated the influence of alcohol checks and social norm on self-reported driving under the influence of alcohol above the legal limit (DUI). The analysis was based on the responses of 12,507 car drivers from 19 European countries to the SARTRE-4 survey (2010). The data were analysed by means of a multiple logistic regression-model on two levels: (1) individual and (2) national level. On the individual level the results revealed that driving under the influence (DUI) was positively associated with male gender, young age (17–34), personal experience with alcohol checks, the perceived likelihood of being checked for alcohol, perceived drunk driving behaviour of friends (social norm) and was negatively associated with higher age (55+). On a national level, the results showed a negative association with a lower legal alcohol limit (BAC 0.2 g/l compared with BAC 0.5 g/l) and the percentage of drivers checked for alcohol. DUI was positively associated with the percentage of respondents in the country that reported that their friends drink and drive (social norm). The comparison of the results obtained on national and individual levels shows a paradoxical effect of alcohol checks: Countries with more alcohol checks show lower DUI (negative association) but respondents who have been personally checked for alcohol show a higher chance of DUI (positive association). Possible explanations of this paradox are discussed. The effects of the social norm variable (perceived drunk driving behaviour of friends) are positively associated with DUI on both levels.

Prevalence of and Attitudes About Distracted Driving in College Students

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 10:28:42 GMT

To identify current distracted driving (DD) behaviors among college students, primarily those involving cell phone use, and elucidate the opinions of the students on the most effective deterrent or intervention for reducing cell phone use. Students enrolled at 12 colleges and universities were recruited to participate in an online, anonymous survey. Recruitment was done via school-based list-serves and posters. School sizes ranged from 476 to over 30,000. The validated survey included 38 questions; 17 were specifically related to distracted driving. Four thousand nine hundred sixty-four participants completed the surveys; the average age was 21.8, 66% were female, 82.7% were undergraduates, and 47% were white/non-Hispanic. Additionally, 4,517 (91%) reported phoning and/or texting while driving; 4,467 (90%) of drivers said they talk on the phone while driving; 1,241 (25%) reported using a hands-free device “most of the time”; 4,467 (90%) of drivers reported texting while driving; 2,488 (50%) reported sending texts while driving on the freeway; 2,978 (60%) while in stop-and-go traffic or on city streets; and 4,319 (87%) at traffic lights. Those who drove more often were more likely to drive distracted. When asked about their capability to drive distracted, 46% said they were capable or very capable of talking on a cell phone and driving, but they felt that only 8.5% of other drivers were capable. In a multivariate model, 9 predictors explained 44% of the variance in DD, which was statistically significant, F (17, 4945) = 224.31; P <.0001; R2 = 0.44. The four strongest predictors (excluding driving frequency) were self-efficacy (i.e., confidence) in driving while multitasking (β = 0.37), perception of safety of multitasking while driving (β = 0.19), social norms (i.e., observing others multitasking while driving; β = 0.29), and having a history of crashing due to multitasking while driving (β = 0.11). Distracted driving is a highly prevalent behavior among college students who have higher confidence in their own driving skills and ability to multitask than they have in other drivers’ abilities. Drivers’ self-efficacy for driving and multitasking in the car, coupled with a greater likelihood of having witnessed DD behaviors in others, greatly increased the probability that a student would engage in DD. Most students felt that policies, such as laws impacting driving privilege and insurance rate increases, would influence their behavior.

Sensation seeking and drunk driving: The mediational role of social norms and self-efficacy

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:54:46 GMT

The aim of this work was to examine the role of sensation seeking in drunk driving by youths, and the potential mediational effect of social, cognitive and emotional variables on their relationship. To this end, a survey was conducted on 274 drivers (164 females and 110 males) aged 24.36 ± 2.96 years (range 18–30 years). The results obtained confirm the significance of sensation seeking to drunk driving by youths and the mediating role of biased self-efficacy perceptions in their relationship. The important practical implications of this finding on the development of effective interventions to prevent the risks of drunk driving in youths are discussed.