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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

EMOTIONAL STRESS AND DRIVING PERFORMANCE: THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE

THE DRIVING RECORDS OF 410 PERSONS INVOLVED IN DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS WERE ANALYZED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DESCRIBING DRIVING PERFORMANCE UNDER EMOTIONAL STRESS. THE 410 DRIVERS INCLUDED FOUR GROUPS: (1) FEMALE PLAINTIFFS, (2) MALE DEFENDANTS, (3) MALE PLAINTIFFS, AND (4) FEMALE DEFENDANTS. THE SEVEN YEAR DRIVING RECORD OF EACH OF THE GROUPS WAS STATISTICALLY HIGHER THAN AVERAGE. DURING THE YEAR OF STRESS, WHICH INCLUDED SIX MONTHS BEFORE AND SIX MONTHS AFTER FILING OF THE DIVORCE PETITION, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN AVERAGE ACCIDENT AND VIOLATION RATES WERE FOUND IN ALL CASES EXCEPT ACCIDENTS OF MALE PLAINTIFFS AND VIOLATIONS OF FEMALE DEFENDANTS. THE FIRST THREE MONTHS AFTER FILING PROVED TO BE THE TIME OF GREATEST ACCIDENT AND VIOLATION ACTIVITY FOR ALL GROUPS. ACCIDENTS, RATHER THAN VIOLATIONS, WERE ACCENTUATED DURING THE YEAR OF STRESS. ALL GROUPS EXCEPT MALE PLAINTIFFS HAD A HIGHER RATIO OF ACCIDENTS TO VIOLATIONS THAT YEAR THAN THEY HAD FOR THE TOTAL SEVEN YEARS. THOSE PERSONS WHO HAD ACCIDENTS THAT YEAR, HOWEVER, HAD HIGHER THAN AVERAGE VIOLATION RATES. THE TYPES OF VIOLATIONS THAT ARE MORE COMMON THAN AVERAGE DURING STRESS ARE SPEEDING, FAILURE TO YIELD, AND OTHER VIOLATIONS SUCH AS PROHIBITED TURN AND FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY. THERE WAS A SMALLER THAN AVERAGE PROPORTION OF MANDATORY LICENSE SUSPENSION VIOLATIONS DURING THE YEAR OF STRESS. /AUTHOR/

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Report 016, 18 PP, 10 TAB
  • Corporate Authors:

    Washington State Department of Motor Vehicles

    Olympia, WA  United States  98501
  • Authors:
    • McMurray, L
  • Publication Date: 1968-8

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00222892
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Mar 19 1971 12:00AM