Aberrant Driving Behaviours on Risk Involvement among Drivers in China

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to validate the version of Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) by considering distractions, fatigue, and drunk driving, the main reasons for accidents in China, as independent parts of violations and errors and further explore the effects of demographic/driving variables and all factors on risk involvement (accident involvement and penalized points). 241 drivers filled in a self-completion questionnaire with 28 items conducted in Xi’an in August 2018. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a five-factor structure, including violations, distracted driving, errors, drunk driving, and fatigued driving. The frequency of aberrant driving behaviours indicated that distractions were the most prevalent behaviours followed by fatigue. The results showed that drivers with lower education and longer annual mileages were positive with accident involvement while there was no significance in penalized points. Violations and distractions were important factors causing both accidents and penalized points. Therefore, it is effective to reduce accident involvement by establishing educational training and related laws or installing intelligent monitor vehicle equipment to warn drivers to improve safety.

Document type: Article