TerryLansdown:
Ok, I am a UK academic with no affiliations or sponsorships by either Government bodies or in-car device manufacturers. If you would like further information about my credentials please look at my web site http://www.sls.hw.ac.uk/lansdown or contact me via the details in my original post.
That does not mention that you where a Senior researcher with TRL, whose customers actually are actually Government bodies and in car device manufacturers !!
TerryLansdown:
My motives in undertaking the survey are that we do not currently have good data about many of the distracting behaviours being undertaken and how distracting these behaviours are. If we are to design safer roads, vehicles and transport systems, it is important that we can focus the limited resources on the biggest problems. Thus survey will provide much needed data to assist in that prioritisation. I hope that answers your questions.
TerryLansdown:
Ok, I am a UK academic with no affiliations or sponsorships by either Government bodies or in-car device manufacturers. If you would like further information about my credentials please look at my web site http://www.sls.hw.ac.uk/lansdown or contact me via the details in my original post.
That does not mention that you where a Senior researcher with TRL, whose customers actually are actually Government bodies and in car device manufacturers !!
It doesn’t mention that I was born in Chippenham either! I worked for TRL between 1998 - 2000, that was nine years ago. I have been very clear about the scope and aims of the survey, and it is not supported by TRL or the DfT. If you feel I am trying to misrepresent this research, I would strongly encourage you to contact the chair of the ethics committee in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. The URL is: http://www.sls.hw.ac.uk/ethics/The survey has been approved by this committee, and a key feature of that approval is protection of the rights of potential participants.
TerryLansdown:
My motives in undertaking the survey are that we do not currently have good data about many of the distracting behaviours being undertaken and how distracting these behaviours are. If we are to design safer roads, vehicles and transport systems, it is important that we can focus the limited resources on the biggest problems. Thus survey will provide much needed data to assist in that prioritisation. I hope that answers your questions.
If the DfT choose to consider any findings that I publish, that is their business. I certainly hope that they will take findings along with other published research to inform our understanding of the issues compromising the safety of the drivers on our roads. However, my research, as stated previously, is not supported by them. Consequently, they will not have access to any results before, for example, any participant who has asked for a copy of the report. Further, I reiterate that there is no way to associate responses to an individual. Participation is anonymous and confidential.
I would like to say here that we have allowed many organisations in the past access to you lot to gain information, some of those have twisted the answers from here to suit a particular slant they wanted put on an issue. ( I think we all can remember the " Do you ever drive tired" question from the BBC, and when 90% of drivers here said yes, but I stop as soon as possible for a break/Nap/Coffee/ overnight, they remembered the “90% of LGV drivers drive tired” part but forgot the we “stop and remedy the situation bit”)This is not the first time someone from HW University has been here and HW has not so far done a hatchet job on us, And I have no reason at all to think they will this time. As one of the few places respected for their research into transport amd logistics I suspect their reputation means a bit more to them than some of the people we have had here in the past .
I dont know how HW Uni run their ethics committee, but I do know that a while ago I was asked to help out with a study done by some guys from Bristol, and our sole task to to look at their findings, then review the data and see if we could pull the findings to bits, had they started with preconceptions and then read the returns in a way that suited what they wanted to prove.? Did they discard/ignore returns that didnt match the profile they wanted to show? etc we couldnt, and the findings of the research in our view was valid. I dont believe any academic research needs to twist its results. If Terry worked for a certain “Solar” newspaper I might be a bit more sceptical
Terry, if guys here seem a bit defensive , its simply because we have been stung in the past and are a little wary
Rikki-UK:
Terry, if guys here seem a bit defensive , its simply because we have been stung in the past and are a little wary
Perhaps some mitigation is required?
Since we equally(?) share the UK’s roads with lots of European qualified & based drivers …maybe catching a swathe of those ‘bad-boys’ within the survey - or as an annex to it, might assuage the sensed pride & professionalism of British qualified drivers that I generically believe warrants us to have a valid case to ‘protect’ against any data distortion that some might feel is pending against the UK’s largely(?) urban* LGV driving fraternity - that incidentally prides itself as the world’s fairest (& best?).
What I’m suggesting is that if UK LGV drivers get found wanting within any sphere of derogatory finding or in need of any ‘correctional’ nonsense - then woe betide what’ll get learned about some Euro-brethren…!
*Urban inasmuch that we don’t work ice-roads or mega road-trains, etc
TerryLansdown:
Ok, I am a UK academic with no affiliations or sponsorships by either Government bodies or in-car device manufacturers. If you would like further information about my credentials please look at my web site http://www.sls.hw.ac.uk/lansdown or contact me via the details in my original post.
That does not mention that you where a Senior researcher with TRL, whose customers actually are actually Government bodies and in car device manufacturers !!
It doesn’t mention that I was born in Chippenham either! I worked for TRL between 1998 - 2000, that was nine years ago. I have been very clear about the scope and aims of the survey, and it is not supported by TRL or the DfT. If you feel I am trying to misrepresent this research, I would strongly encourage you to contact the chair of the ethics committee in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. The URL is: http://www.sls.hw.ac.uk/ethics/The survey has been approved by this committee, and a key feature of that approval is protection of the rights of potential participants.
The fact you where born in Chippenham is irrelevant. Your credentials, which you chose to highlight are. To give a more rounded view of what you do and who your work benefits directly it is important to know who will use the research you produce. And ultimateley Government bodies and ‘stakeholders’ will use the research you produce. Being fully informed helps people to make educated descisions. And they have used research of yours much more recently than year 2000.
TerryLansdown:
TerryLansdown:
My motives in undertaking the survey are that we do not currently have good data about many of the distracting behaviours being undertaken and how distracting these behaviours are. If we are to design safer roads, vehicles and transport systems, it is important that we can focus the limited resources on the biggest problems. Thus survey will provide much needed data to assist in that prioritisation. I hope that answers your questions.
If the DfT choose to consider any findings that I publish, that is their business. I certainly hope that they will take findings along with other published research to inform our understanding of the issues compromising the safety of the drivers on our roads. However, my research, as stated previously, is not supported by them. Consequently, they will not have access to any results before, for example, any participant who has asked for a copy of the report. Further, I reiterate that there is no way to associate responses to an individual. Participation is anonymous and confidential.
I hope that helps.
Best wishes,
Terry Lansdown
I certainley have no doubts of the confidentiality of the survey. I have just completed it myself. If the DfT chose to consider any findings that you publish, its also your buisness.
There you go ! Its bumped back up to the top for further consideration by other readers too !!
Rikki-UK:
Terry, if guys here seem a bit defensive , its simply because we have been stung in the past and are a little wary
Perhaps some mitigation is required?
Since we equally(?) share the UK’s roads with lots of European qualified & based drivers …maybe catching a swathe of those ‘bad-boys’ within the survey - or as an annex to it, might assuage the sensed pride & professionalism of British qualified drivers that I generically believe warrants us to have a valid case to ‘protect’ against any data distortion that some might feel is pending against the UK’s largely(?) urban* LGV driving fraternity - that incidentally prides itself as the world’s fairest (& best?).
What I’m suggesting is that if UK LGV drivers get found wanting within any sphere of derogatory finding or in need of any ‘correctional’ nonsense - then woe betide what’ll get learned about some Euro-brethren…!
*Urban inasmuch that we don’t work ice-roads or mega road-trains, etc
Keith i think you can take it as a fact the data they have shows what is distracting, this survey is to understand/reveal how many of us know or don’t know what we do is distracting.
Myself, i’m not sure what is distracting and what isn’t. When looking over my shoulder and then through these…
and then looking through these five…
and then having to look forward into my windscreen, i’m totally bewildered by it all. To add to it all i then have to concentrate on footpedals and a steering wheel !! And i still can’t console myself with the fact that whilst the above mirrors are a legal requirement, this get up of a cooker and a dream catcher are probably illegal as they obscure my view !! I only put the catcher in when i go to sleep, and the cooker up there when i stop. Its a mock up photo !!
Mike-C:
‘…Keith i think you can take it as a fact the data they have shows what is distracting, this survey is to understand/reveal how many of us know or don’t know what we do is distracting…’
Sure; but concerns expressed to Doc Terry earlier seemed to intimate wariness toward an allusion whereby agencies might one day repeat what was understood to be a distortion or compromise of extrapolated data by scallywags.
What if a psychological situation existed whereby drivers of left hookers had a difference of some yet unknown kind due to un-realised conditions within the subject area?
As a result, what if some governing administrative bandit proposed to reduce UK driving hours, wages, etc, should they conclude the findings as inappropriate to perpetuate in the UK only?
Since we are in the EU, then why not encourage pan European research (within an annex to be done later if it’s hard to resource now?) …unless no-one believes the UK government wouldn’t shaft us to leave Pierre, Ivan & Jurgen running riot …on their cheaper fuel!
Intending no personal insult to Terry or HW Uni, I don’t see the point of these surveys at all. Money, directly and indirectly, has been spent on research that confirms what everybody already knows. And I believe such research is dangerous. In the nanny state we live in, don’t be surprised if this and other research is used as ‘evidence’ for introducing new laws to aid safety - making it illegal to talk to passengers including children; use a Satnav; eat; drink; use the vehicle radio/CD/iPod player.
Unlikely? Smokers and drivers have already been targeted by new laws. Drinking is underway. Obesity not far behind. No distracting CD player won’t be long in coming.
I’m pleading the fifth amendment I’d get sent down if I answered that but let’s just leave it at mini skirts and what they may or may not be wearing under them.
I do note that by tracking the exit links- that a fair few people here helped (for free) with your research, It may have been nice to mention the input from here in your report, after all you mentioned all the industry bodies !!
Police told the NT News the 33-year-old man and his female passenger were involved in “amorous activities” when the man crashed his ute at Humpty Doo at about 11.30pm last night
Rikki-UK:
I do note that by tracking the exit links- that a fair few people here helped (for free) with your research, It may have been nice to mention the input from here in your report, after all you mentioned all the industry bodies !!
I did mention that Trucknet.uk were asked to contribute on Page three of the paper in the Procedure. Because the survey was anonymous, I have no way to determine how many people from the forum contributed.
I am very grateful for people’s input to the survey, and everyone who contributed had a chance to win the prize draw. Incidentally, this was won by a woman Jenny R. from Edinburgh.
.
