How to Improve the Inclusion of Drivers with Disabilities: Measures to Enhance Accessibility, Mobility, and Road Safety
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 148, Issue 10
Abstract
Access to transportation is a vital issue for persons with disabilities (PwDs). This paper aims to define measures to improve the mobility, road safety, and access to transportation of drivers with disabilities (DwDs) who use hand controls (HCs) and encourage persons with disabilities to drive. Measures were proposed based on identified factors that influence the mobility with private vehicles and the participation in traffic accidents of drivers with disabilities who use hand controls. The research was conducted in Serbia, a country with a lower inclusion rate of persons with disabilities. The dependent variables in the research were average annual mileage as an indicator of mobility and the number of traffic accidents with adapted vehicles per year as an indicator of road safety. The four most important areas for action with seven measures were recognized. The areas of action are (1) improving the driving training process, (2) appropriate vehicle adaptations, (3) improving awareness about road safety, and (4) supporting persons with disabilities to drive.
Practical Applications
In this paper, we defined measures to improve the mobility, road safety, and access to transportation of drivers with disabilities who use hand controls and encourage persons with disabilities to drive. Based on a comprehensive analysis, we proposed the following measures: individual approach at the driving training process, training in driving simulators, periodic adjustment of hand control’s performance, encouraging using vehicles with emerging technologies, education about risky behaviors in traffic, developing appropriate applications for travel planning, and more support for specific groups (e.g., females). These measures would significantly improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Target 11.2, improving the accessibility of transport for persons with disabilities. Because the measures were defined on a sample of respondents in Serbia, a country with a lower inclusion rate, their applicability is possible to other regions with similar problems.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The research presented in this paper has been realized in the framework of the technological projects financed by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. We express special gratitude to the Union of Persons with Paraplegia and Quadriplegia of Serbia (UPPQS), Road Traffic Safety Agency (RTSA) of the Republic of Serbia, Kristina Đorđević, and Vesna Vićentić for their great help during the realization of the research. We also thank Zlatan Bojić for useful advice in the field of medicine.
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Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 148 • Issue 10 • October 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 9, 2021
Accepted: May 13, 2022
Published online: Jul 19, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Dec 19, 2022
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