After the Crash: Post-Collision Travel Behavior and Safety Perceptions

Md Musfiqur Rahman Bhuiya, Jesus M. PhD Barajas and Prashanth S. PhD Venkataram

Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series from Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

Abstract: Post-collision travel behavior and effects on road safety perception are not well-understood. To quantify the ways thatcrash-related experiences shape the way individuals think about travel, we conducted four focus group discussions with people who had been involved in a crash or near miss or whose relatives or friends experienced one. Several themes emerged from the discussions. Participants changed their travel behavior after experiencing a collision by modifying their travel mode, travel frequency, trip purposes, or vehicle types. Participants developed an enhanced awareness about potentially unsafe behaviors of other road users and road environments and adopted more cautious attitudes toward their own travel. Many participants experienced long-term stress as a result of the incidents, including fear, behavior modification, or travel avoidance. Participants offered several recommendations, including the need for safer infrastructure, improved road user visibility, a shift in media narratives, educational programs, and policy changes focused on land use and transportation synergies.

Keywords: Social and Behavioral Sciences; travel behavior; traffic crashes; traffic crash victims; mode choice; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); focus groups (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-03-01
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