Driving Experience of Commercial vehicle Drivers-A Factor for Behavioral Modelling – Indian Highways

One of the pivotal aspects traffic engineering comprehends is the study of the behavior of vehicle drivers in a traffic stream because it contributes much towards safe driving and the prevention of accidents on roads. It provides supportive enlightenments to Engineering, Enforcement, and Education (EEE) measures in identifying and developing solutions for problems relating to safety on roads in India. A study is on truck drivers plying their vehicles on two-lane undivided rural roads (National Highways). This study is to model and analyze their behavior Vis a Vis their experience under prevailing roadways and traffic conditions in India. We used the modified Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) with site-specific and local conditions on a group of truck drivers plying their vehicles on a two-lane undivided carriageway at NH-۱۶۱, NH-۱۶, NH-۸۴۴, and NH-۳۱۹ in India, to analyze the driving practice of commercial vehicle drivers for this study. We applied the concept of factor analysis and Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) for modelling. Models demonstrated a strong relationship between driving experience Vis a Vis the number of violations. It showed that increased driving experience decreased the quantum of errors and lapses. The study revealed that drivers having driving experience of ۲-۵ years are more prone to traffic violations than others as such they require free or/and forced educative grooming for safety while driving under the EEE concept. Drivers, having less experience, showed fewer proclivities for committing mistakes than others as they, being new to driving, concentrate more on safe driving.

Keywords:

Driver behavior questionnaire , Factor analysis , Analysis of variance , Road Side Interview (RSI) technique