Traffic Safety and Human Behavior

Traffic crashes have become the epidemic of the third millennium - a seemingly necessary evil that accompanies increasing levels of motorization. In this comprehensive book, Dr. David Shinar provides a theoretical framework and a critical evaluation of the most recent research findings to comprehend the complexity of traffic safety and the central role that drivers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians play in it. In approximately 800 pages of text and over 250 graphs and tables, Shinar covers the key issues that relate human behavior to traffic safety. The book discusses the relationship between safety and drivers' limited information processing capabilities, vision and perception, personality, and age. It also examines the effects of distraction, fatigue, alcohol intoxication, and drug abuse on crash involvement. Driving style is examined in terms of speeding, aggressive driving, and use of seat belts, and the relationship between these behaviors and safety is elucidated. The vulnerable road users - the pedestrians and cyclists - are also discussed in detail. The last part of the book details the causes of crashes and the various crash countermeasures that can be applied to deal with them.

About the Author:
Dr. David Shinar is currently a George Shrut professor of Human Performance at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel