Kazuko Okamura

Factors influencing premature graduation from the use of child restraints in Japan

This study examined the association of child passenger restraint use by younger and older children taking into account situational factors and driver/child passenger characteristics. The Japanese national traffic accident data pertaining to children injured in rear-end collisions where the drivers were not-at-fault was analyzed, while applying the quasi-induced exposure method. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the adjusted effects of predictors for proper restraint use by 0-5, 6-9, and 10-12-year-old children. Unbelted drivers, childs seating position, the number of total occupants, and the childs age were significantly associated with restraint use by both younger and older children. Riding in the rear seats was strongly associated with older SB-age children not being properly restrained, suggesting a link between the lack of booster seat-use requirements and the generally low restraint use rate in rear seats as well as the premature graduation from CRS use in general. The results were discussed in light of other international findings in this field.

Factors contributing to driver choice after hitting a pedestrian in Japan

In Japan, where pedestrian deaths account for a third of road traffic fatalities, 7.4% of victims die from hit-and-run accidents. To identify determinants for drivers considering leaving an accident scene after hitting a pedestrian, environment-related, driver-related, and pedestrian-related factors were examined using Japanese national police data. Results generally confirmed the conceptual framework of previous studies, which examined hit-and-run behavior based on a classic economic cost-benefit approach. However, results suggest that effects of road-related factors and harsher legal punishments have limited influence for reducing hit-and-run likelihood after a driver hits a pedestrian. Measures to prevent hit-and-run accidents are presented herein.

Typology of Driving-Under-The-Influence (DUI) Offenders Revisited: Inclusion of DUI-Specific Attitudes

OBJECTIVES Much work remains to improve rehabilitative interventions for driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders. There is heterogeneity of patterns of alcohol use, personality, and driving behaviour within DUI offenders, but little is known about how their appraisal of DUI differs. This study investigated within-offender variability in DUI-specific attitudinal variables. METHOD Convicted male DUI offenders (N=219) living in greater Tokyo were interviewed. Cluster analysis was undertaken using age, psychological distress, personality trait, alcohol use, and attitudes towards DUI. Discriminant function analysis explored the relative explanatory power of the grouping variables. RESULT Many offenders reported current excessive alcohol consumption. About 26-36% of the participants were potentially alcohol-dependent based on screening instruments/biomarkers. Cluster analysis identified five subgroups. The biggest subgroup considered their DUI a singular mistake and reported strong self-efficacy for avoiding further DUI (clusters 1 and 2). A small subgroup manifested alcohol dependence, psychological distress, higher impulsivity, and lower self-efficacy for avoiding DUI (cluster 3). Another subgroup exhibited a tendency to rationalise DUI, higher likelihood of future DUI, and lower self-efficacy for avoiding DUI (cluster 4). Most participants in another small subgroup abstained from alcohol use temporarily after their convictions (cluster 5). CONCLUSION The majority of DUI offenders regarded their DUI conviction as an exceptional mishap, while they continued consuming hazardous amounts of alcohol. DUI-specific attitudinal variables, including DUI rationalisation and self-efficacy for avoiding future DUI incidents, constituted a distinct aspect of the problem, suggesting the need to address this issue in addition to the underlying alcohol use problem.

Predictors of driving outcomes including both crash involvement and driving cessation in a prospective study of Japanese older drivers

The first aim of this study was to investigate predictors of future traffic crash involvement, taking into account bias in the handling of data for former drivers. The second aim was to compare characteristics of former drivers and crash-involved drivers in order to gain an understanding of appropriate driving cessation among older drivers. In all, 154 drivers aged 70 years or older participated in the baseline interview and the follow-up survey conducted two years later. In the baseline interview, participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire, take the Useful Field of View test® (UFOV), and complete the Mini-Mental State Examination. In the follow-up survey, participants were asked by mail or telephone whether they had stopped driving. Participants reporting that they still drove were invited to participate in a subsequent interview. Based on the information obtained in the follow-up survey, participants were classified as follows: driving cessation group (n=26); crash-involved group (n=18); and crash-free group (n=110). A multinomial logistic regression was then used to analyse the data. Contrary to the results of previous studies, we found older age to be associated with crash involvement but not with driving cessation. The cessation group had more decreased cognitive processing speed than the crash-involved and crash-free groups. Crash history was also predictive of crash involvement. Participants who were subject to license renewal between baseline and follow-up had a greater tendency to continue driving. Results suggested that age and crash history could potentially identify high-risk older drivers. The predictive power of cognitive processing speed is reduced under certain conditions. License-renewal procedures may induce Japanese older adults to continue driving. Future studies should use a large national sample to confirm the results of the present study.