Effects of mixed traffic flow and time pressure on violated driving behaviors of bus drivers

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of mixed traffic flow (MTF) environments with time pressure (TP) on violated driving behaviours (VDBs) of bus drivers. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among bus drivers. Factor analyses, partial correlation and linear regression analyses were utilised to explore the associations among VDB, MTF and TP. Our results proposed two novel measurements of MTF and TP and one modified VDB scale. Bus drivers who perceived a higher presence of motorcycles and more dangerous interactions among vehicles were less likely to participate in VDB. Those who perceived motorcyclists as aggressive, road users’ traffic habits as unsafe, and bus routes’ punctuality and organisation as very strict were more likely to engage in VDB. The predictive models indicated a higher influence of MTF and TP on VDB among bus drivers involved in an accident over the last 3 years compared to other groups.

PRACTITIONER SUMMARY

This study explores the impact of MTF environments with TP on bus drivers’ VDB. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to investigate bus drivers’ VDB and their perceptions of MTF and TP. The results indicate that MTF conditions discourage bus drivers’ VDB. Conversely, road users’ unsafe traffic habits, aggressive driving behaviours and TP encourage bus drivers’ VDB.

Keywords:

• Bus safety
• violated driving behaviour
• bus driver
• mixed traffic flow
• time pressure

Acknowledgements

The research study has received funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. The authors would like to extend their appreciation to the Japanese government for the generous support received. Furthermore, the authors express profound gratitude to the editors and reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions, which have been highly beneficial.

Ethical approval

The questionnaire surveys were used in this study. The questions in the questionnaire are not a mentally burdensome content. Therefore, in this research study, we do not need the approval of the ethics committee.

Consent of survey participation

I would like to declare that all of the participants agreed and consented to participate in the questionnaire survey.

In the survey form, the authors noted that before asking any question, the surveyors need to ask about the survey participation of bus drivers. If the bus drivers agree to participate in the survey, the surveyors could continue to proceed with the questionnaire survey.

Author’s contribution

Conceptualisation, Methodology, and Survey design: Vu Van-Huy and Nguyen Hoang-Tung.

Data Collection and Analyses: Vu Van-Huy.

Original Draft: Vu Van-Huy.

Review and Editing: Nguyen Hoang-Tung and Hisashi Kubota.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, under Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarships.