Rural Roads Drivers and Driving

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Rural Roads Drivers and Driving

• Pat MacLeod, TNS System Three

Scottish Road Safety Annual Seminar 2007
24th October 2007
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Contents

• Why the study was needed
• What the study involved
• Initial stages establishing some basics
• Quantitative survey investigating behaviour and
  attitudes
• Qualitative research providing insight on young
  drivers
• Conclusions recommendations - future strategy

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Why the study was needed

• Road accident rates are falling, though are doing
  so more slowly in non-built up areas
• In 2005 72 of people killed and 53 of people
  killed or seriously injured were involved in road
  accidents on roads in non-built up areas
• A greater proportion of virtually all types of
  road user is killed or seriously injured on these
  roads
• No previous primary research specifically
  focussing on rural roads in Scotland, though some
  have covered driving on both rural and urban
  roads
• RSS and the Scottish Executive commissioned this
  original research for use in future strategy
  development
• Study investigated types of rural road drivers,
  their behaviour and attitudes, and factors that
  contribute to accidents

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What the study involved

• Collaborative study involving TNS, TRL and
  Professor Steve Stradling, Napier University
• Initial stages
• What factors contribute to an accident
  analysis of STATS19 data
• Who drives on rural roads omnibus survey of
  1000 adults 17
• Quantitative Survey
• 1020 car drivers who have driven on rural roads
  in the past 12 months, interviewed in-home across
  Scotland.
• Rural roads defined as those with a speed limit
  of 50 miles an hour or more excluding
  motorways/dual carriageways
• Qualitative Research
• 6 focus groups among confident, younger (17-35),
  male drivers

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Initial stages establishing some basics
STATS19 analysis and Survey of 1000 adults
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Top ten contributory factors STATS19 data

Base All serious and fatal rural road accidents
(1,797,319)
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Current driving on different road types

• Over 9 in 10 current drivers, both urban and
  rural based, drive on rural roads

Base All respondents (1000)
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Quantitative survey investigating behaviour and
attitudes
Current rural road drivers
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Frequency of driving on rural roads in past 12
months

Base All (1020)
10
Near misses and accidents in last 12 months
Of whom.
Base All (1020)
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Self assessed driving speed and ability

Base All respondents (1020)
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Attitudes

• Males, younger and more frequent drivers are more
  confident
• Males more often say they like driving on
  unfamiliar rural roads
• Younger drivers are more confident they wont
  have accidents, are less aware of their speed and
  like testing their driving skills on rural roads
• Females, infrequent drivers and those living in
  urban areas are less confident
• Females particularly dislike driving in the
  dark on unlit roads, as do drivers who live in
  urban areas
• Infrequent drivers and females dont like bends
  and corners and feel pressured by other drivers
  when driving on rural roads
• Females dislike driving in bad weather and find
  it difficult to know when to overtake on rural
  roads
• Older people are more patient behind slow moving
  vehicles

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Adjusting to the conditions
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Qualitative research providing insight on
younger drivers
Confident, younger, male drivers
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How do younger drivers approach rural road
driving

• Quite the opposite of urban driving
• Enjoyed and reflected in how drive fewer
  constraints and less stress
• Speed dictated by the road layout rather than
  official limits
• Aware of the need to adapt speed to circumstances
• However the inclination is to drive to ones
  limit / on the margin, stemming from
• confidence in own ability and judgement
• lack of perceived risk

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The confidence of youth and beyond

• Self-confidence in driving ability fundamental to
  attitudes and approach
• particularly on familiar roads
• Near misses / minor accidents part of the
  learning / self-improvement process, rather than
  salutary
• While there are, clearly, risks associated with
  higher speeds, little assessment or expectation
  of these on a personal level
• Due to self-belief, minimal perceived risk in own
  behaviour wont happen to me
• Incidents more likely to arise through external
  factors other drivers, slow traffic, road
  conditions
• Since usually the unexpected, regarded as more
  victim of circumstance than irresponsibility

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So, how do we reduce accidents on rural roads

• Lack of training and experience of rural road
  driving a major factor
• learners taught to manoeuvre a car in urban
  conditions
• Strong support for extended training to include
  car handling in different conditions and for a
  tougher test
• Pass plus in theory a good idea, but a number of
  perceived flaws
• expensive at present (with lowering of cost a
  possible attraction)
• purely voluntary
• no independent testing
• A more formal approach to improve driver training
  / accreditation required

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Other options to reduce accidents on rural roads

• Little support for legal restrictions as
  potentially ineffective / unenforceable
• raising the legal driving age will only
  time-shift problems
• night time restrictions for younger drivers on
  rural roads on driving generally, or on carrying
  passengers, difficult to police effectively
• lower speed limits ineffective without blanket
  cameras
• View - problem younger drivers would continue to
  flout any further legal constraints
• Some potential benefit in more informative
  signage such as advisory speeds on bends

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Conclusions and recommendations - future strategy
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Conclusions and Recommendations

• Accidents on rural roads mainly occur as a result
  of driver error / misjudgement / lack of ability
  rather than necessarily breaking the legal speed
  limit
• As such enforcement not in itself the solution,
  although can contribute
• Over confidence of drivers in ability to drive
  at speed and in control for the conditions a
  critical factor
• Firmly believe they know what they are doing, are
  driving within their ability and will come to no
  harm
• No perceived deterrents in driving behaviour,
  either legal or otherwise
• Since as much an issue of skill / experience as
  attitude, requires more than communication
  approach

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Conclusions and Recommendations

• A multi-faceted strategy is required, with the
  overarching theme of helping drivers to drive
  rural roads better
• On a practical level, more stringent driver
  training in different road situations /
  conditions to improve skill and control on rural
  roads - mandatory
• Provide more information to drivers through road
  signage, such as advisory speeds on sharper
  bends, to reduce errors of judgement / assist
  learning
• Communications adopting a positive, educational
  approach rather than scare tactics
• not directly challenging
• focusing on unexpected dangers (road conditions,
  other drivers)
• encouraging greater awareness / care in driving
  better
• greater receptivity to an adult conversation /
  advice than reprimands / threats

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Rural Roads Drivers and Driving

• Pat MacLeod, TNS System Three

Scottish Road Safety Annual Seminar 2007
24th October 2007