Traffic psychology
Traffic psychology is a field of psychology or of Transport Sciences with a long scientific tradition. Some of the first empirical studies of psychology dealing with traffic related problems, especially with the also called mobility competence fitness to drive motor vehicles.
In the German-speaking area of focus traffic psychology practice has since been in traffic psychological assessment and counseling, rehabilitation and retraining striking drivers. In this area there has been in Germany with the new traffic laws since 1999, an expansion of the professional fields of activity.
- 3.1 Books
- 3.2 Magazines
History of Traffic Psychology
The roots of traffic psychology are in Germany. At the beginning of last century, traffic psychologists employed in the wake of growing motorization with the selection of tram drivers and train drivers, from 1915 also systematically with other vehicle operators ( cf. Hugo Münsterberg ).
After the 2nd World War, the initial focus was on the assessment of war-torn drivers referred to a review of performance limitations and possibilities of compensation.
At the beginning of the 1950s were the first ' Medical and Psychological Institute ' founded ( cf. Munsch ). In subsequent years, the focus shifted with the onset of mass motorization on the review of behavioral and " characterological " Fitness in cases, eg due to traffic violations with and without alcohol.
Since the mid- 1970s established itself as an additional field work the retraining and rehabilitation of motorists who were striking on the road with alcohol. This group evaluated programs were gradually expanded to the early 1990s and finally completed by the ' traffic psychological therapy ', with more psychotherapeutic agents, especially in individual discussions with traffic offenses, drivers (some pilots ) works.
The assessment of fitness to drive as well as the group-based measures for the restoration of fitness to drive subject to the legal requirement for accreditation by the Federal Highway Research Institute since 2000.
Areas of traffic psychology
The traffic psychology researched and designed the interrelations between mobility, transport and traffic systems and human experience and behavior. In addition to problems of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for restoration of fitness to drive traffic to psychologists involved in research, often in collaboration with engineers, economists and practitioners, with a wide range of mobility issues as a whole and the behavior on the road in particular.
Empirical research in traffic psychology is primarily concerned with the optimization of existing practice and innovative areas from which the future can develop relevant traffic psychological professions. It turns traffic- psychological research on not only theoretical and methodological foundations of psychology; it is an innovative research area some with their own methodology and independent theoretical approaches precisely because of its interdisciplinary integration. New knowledge and new practices arise today in many areas of science less of initial inventions or new discoveries, but to a great extent from transfer payments between different fields of knowledge. Common object of knowledge remains the mobility behavior, mobility experience and modal choice of the people.
Six areas of traffic psychology can be distinguished at a glance (see Impact, 1999).
Traffic Psychological Assessment
The best-known application is the medical-psychological investigation. Current concepts can be found in the model PASS.
Traffic Psychological intervention
The following areas of work are to be distinguished:
- Individual consultations during the retention period
- Interventions in the points system for voluntary reduction points. Special advanced courses for traffic offenders
- Traffic Psychological consultations pursuant to § 71 FeV
In Austria, the traffic psychological intervention in the context of so-called traffic psychological retraining courses (see license retraining in Austria ) takes place.
Accident Research
Accident research and improve road safety for the following groups of road users ( age groups, types of road use ) simultaneously with respect to roads and vehicle design; Perception, cognition and attention when driving, risk taking and driving motives, interactions, and social psychology of driving.
Training and education
Influencing behavior through legal ( enforcement ), educational, vehicle and road-side measures; and outside of school road safety education, driver training, driving instructor training, traffic education, campaign design and marketing.
Research and consultancy
Issues of spatial mobility and transport planning; Transport policy Transport Management, mode choice, psychological aspects of the design of the roads and the traffic environment, offering quality and quality management.
Vehicle Design
Issues of ergonomics, but also of dealing with on-board services ( for example, risk compensation), analysis of critical driving tasks and the conditions that require motorists to address them, layout and design of vehicles ( driver assistance systems ), acceptance of technical and organizational innovations (for example, road pricing, toll ); Moreover, railway and aviation psychology as a further development fields.