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Psychosocial Factors Influencing Commercial Drivers’ Recklessness
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study
Driving a car, bus, lorry or an articulated-vehicle is a psychomotor activity that requires a combination of concentration and good visual and auditory functions. Several forces that can negatively affect driving mostly fall within the purview of psycho-social factors (Kagashe and Seleman, 2009). Some of these psychosocial factors are the use of alcohol and drug. Others include driver’s personality, the environment, where they grew up, family trauma among others.
Ability to drive successfully from one point to another is an important component of road safety. However, in most part of the world especially in developing countries, few though significant number of drivers do not get to their destinations successfully. This occurs as a result of drivers’ recklessness along the way. Most crashes could have been prevented by small differences in driver behavior but saved for drivers’ recklessness (Redelmeier et al, 2003).
According to O’Brien (2011), the main theoretical perspectives was the frustration-aggression model which identifies both the person related and situational characteristics that contribute to aggressive driving as well as proposing that aggressive behaviors can serve either an instrumental or hostile function. Hostile aggressive drivers were also significantly more likely to engage in speeding, drink/drunk driving behavior.
A driver will adopt an instrumental aggressive behavior when there progress is impeded if it allows them to achieve their immediate goals (E.g reaching their destination as quickly as possible).
Recent studies have considered various psycho-social factors that contribute to reckless driving such as individual characteristics of a driver, driving violation, alcohol, drug use, fatigue, disability, self-esteem, mental health, parenting styles& family background, perception of risk (Javadi, et al 2015).
Studies suggest that those who drive commercial vehicles for a living are more likely to be involved in a vehicular accident than private motorists, even when mileage is taken into account (Chapman, Roberts &Underwood, 2000; Broughton et al, 2003). Indeed, accidents involving those employed who drive for a living account for a large proportion of the total number of work-related deaths in the world.
For example, in Australia, almost half of all motor vehicle accidents involve commercial drivers (Mitchell, Driscoll & Healey, 2004; Boufous & Williamson, 2006).Moreover, in Greece, 25 percent of all accidents involve heavy trucks (Tzamalouka, Papadakaki & Chliaoutakis, 2005). In Sweden, commercial drivers account for the greatest number of those injured or killed on the job relative to their representation in the work force, with driver deaths accounting for about 10 percent of all work-related fatalities in that country (Bylund, Björnstig & Larsson, 1997).
The disproportionate involvement of commercial drivers in moderate to severe motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) suggests the need to better understand what it is about commercial driving that may account for such a high accident rate. Given that commercial driving involves heavier vehicles demanding quicker response times, research into the factors increasing commercial drivers’ vulnerability have focused on psychosocial factors, and in particular, on those drivers’ reckless behaviors that may adversely affect driver awareness, mindfulness and/or response times such as driver exhaustion and alcohol misuse.
Drug abuse and alcohol has become such a problem of great concern to all well meaning Nigerian and particularly the Federal Government to the extent that the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was established to combat the social disease with a view to reducing the spread of drug abuse to the barest minimum but the impact of the Agency is yet to be felt as drug abuse among commercial drivers in Lagos State continue to be a prime cause of commercial drivers recklessness.
Reckless and distracted driver are quietly causing a staggering amount of serious car accidents. In fact, driver distractions are the leading causes of most auto accidents. Driver distraction is the diversion of attention away from activities critical for safe driving toward a competing activity (Regan, Lee and Young, 2009). Distraction has been identified as an emerging road safety issue in Towards Zero Western Australian’s road safety for 2008-2020 (Road Safety Council, 2009). It is also being increasingly ranked by road safety authorities around the world as significant contributing factors to road traffic accidents (Regan, Lee and Young, 2009).
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
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