Personality traits and the level of driving risk taken by drivers during a trip.

• Driving risk levels and some physical and emotional characteristics of the driver.

There is a high number of road traffic deaths per year, approximately 1.35 million. The situation analysis reports that major casualties are due to human-related issues, therefore handling them becomes the highest dynamic target of road safety actions. Human factors have been estimated to be the sole or leading causal factor in approximately 90% of road traffic accidents. The previous study focused on road safety primary factors. Driving behavior, driver risk perception, and experience were the fundamental factors that impacted road safety.

It is well known that, especially in some jobs, as in the case of bus drivers, mistakes can be very costly, even if the risk of fatalities or serious injuries for bus passengers is actually considerably lower than that of car passengers.

Public transport is universally recognized as a more effective and sustainable alternative to private vehicle use. However, the work environment of public transport drivers is beset by adverse conditions, which, emphasized by high mileage, may increase the occurrence of negative safety outcomes, such as traffic accidents, often preceded by risky road behavior enhanced by stress, anger, and difficult operating conditions.

The issue of bus drivers’ behavior has been widely studied in the literature. Different factors affect driving behavior, including vehicle, environmental characteristics, and road-related features.

Bus drivers often work irregular hours or on split shifts and their activity involves high levels of stress. These factors can lead to severe sleepiness and dangerous driving. One of the most relevant processes associated with risky driving behavior is fatigue level. Several studies correlate work stress and fatigue levels with unsafe and counterproductive work behavior.

 

•  Among human factors, driver behavior has a much greater influence on safety than driver performance.

“According to several studies, driving behavior is the primary cause, alone or in combination with other factors, of most road accidents that occur every year. Particularly, driver distraction has now become a major problem in transportation safety as a result of the increasing number of entertainment, assistance, and navigation devices used while driving.”

An attempt to investigate the potential role of distraction enablers in fatal crashes can be found in researchers who also try to investigate how driver age and gender may affect driving behavior. The causes of driver inattention can be divided into two main categories, including distraction and drowsiness. Distraction factors can range from a visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive stimulus interfering with critical driving activities, such as mobile phone usage, and interaction with passengers.

If distraction can be defined as inattention related to the diversion stimuli, drowsiness can be defined as inattention related to the driver’s physiological response. This biological behavior is typically caused by limited sleep, altered medical conditions, or long periods of driving in a monotonous environment.

It is widely known that major bus and truck accidents cause high social costs, and are often also victims. Furthermore, not to be disregarded is the fact that road traffic injuries typically involve people who are in the active age group, thus placing a heavy burden on households as well as on national economies. Road traffic injuries are to be the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 worldwide, and young drivers have a disproportionately high crash rate.

“According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries cost annually between 3 and 5% of the Gross Domestic Product in low and middle-income countries, and between 1 and 2% of GDP in developed economies.”