Loss prevention and distribution must begin well before a flood event at multiple levels. However, the benchmarks and terminology we use to manage and communicate flood risk may be working against this goal. U.S. flood policy is based upon a flood with a one percent chance of occurring in any year. Commonly called the "hundred year flood," it has been upheld as a policy criterion, but many have questioned the effectiveness of hundred year flood terminology in public communication. This research examined public perceptions of the hundred year flood and evaluated the comparative effectiveness of this term and two other methods used to frame the benchmark flood: a flood with a one percent chance of occurring in any year and a flood with a 26 percent chance of occurring in thirty years. This research also explored how flooding and flood risk messages fit into the larger context of people's lives by modeling the relationships between flood related understanding, attitude and behavior and the situational and cognitive contexts in which these factors are embedded. The final goal was to come up with locally based suggestions for improving flood risk communication. Data were collected in the Towns of Union and Vestal, New York. Participants were adult residents of single family homes living in one of two FEMA designated floodplains. Face to face surveys and focus groups were used to gather information on respondents' flood experience and loss mitigation activities; general perception of flood risk and cause; flood information infrastructure; perceptions associated with specific flood risk descriptions; and basic demographic data. Focus groups were also asked to suggest improvements to flood risk communication. Results indicated that experience was the most influential factor in perception and behavior. Additionally, there was little evidence that understanding led to "appropriate" behavior. The 26 percent chance description was the most effective when both understanding and persuasion were included, but interpretations of probabilistic flood risk messages were highly individualized. Finally, regulatory practice likely influences attitude and behavior and may emphasize the likelihood of a particular flood at the expense of the possibility of flooding in general.

In response to the rising costs of floods, the United States has adopted sophisticated programs to mitigate the loss of life and property. However, the efficient implementation of certain aspects of flood policy has taken precedence over effective communication. The scope of the National Flood Insurance Program and the efficient coding of "the 100 year flood" have led to a pervasive use of the term in both formal and informal risk communication. When officials began consciously communicating flood policy to the public, they assumed a narrow "engineering" model and did not fully anticipate the influence of informal communication on the perception of flood risk. The effectiveness of the "100 year flood" as a means to change attitudes or motivate behaviors was not assessed. Nor was its utility in increasing public understanding of flood risk. New explanatory methods have been introduced, but they, too, have yet to be tested. This project evaluated the effectiveness of four methods commonly used to communicate the risk associated with policy's benchmark flood. These include: a 100 year flood; a flood with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year; a flood with a 26 percent chance of occurring in 30 years; and a flood risk map available through Project Impact. Data were collected using a structured face to face questionnaire survey of residents living in Wimberley, Texas. Respondents included individuals who lived inside the boundaries of official flood plains, as well as those who did not. Comparable questions regarding uncertainty, perceived need for protection, and levels of concern were asked using each of the four methods of description. Qualitative observations were made during both the interviews and the collection of secondary data. Results showed a significant disjuncture of understanding and persuasion with each method; potentially serious problems with the 26 percent chance method; and a preference for concrete references in describing risk. It is recommended that use of the 26 percent chance method be discontinued. Both the 100 year flood and the map performed better than expected; these descriptions are recommended with reservations in lieu of more contextually appropriate methods of communication and policy formation.

Food-borne illness is a significant burden both with regard to public health and financially. Efforts to reduce the level of food-borne illness continue to concentrate on the full food supply chain with particular regard given to Campylobacter, the most commonly reported zoonosis and the greatest burden to public health. The focus of this research is domestic food safety practises, where there is no regulation. Food safety is reliant on people’s knowledge or awareness, their ability to adopt safe food handling practises and for the correct behaviours to achieve this, to be routine. The elicitation of awareness and perceptions with regard to food safety are problematic due to the complexities of human nature, including the presence of several forms of bias, such as social desirability bias and optimistic bias. The research was designed in order to try to minimise such biases, whilst further understanding influences on food safety preparation behaviour. Food safety preparation behaviours and kitchen hygiene were investigated between people who had campylobacteriosis in comparison to people who had not had food poisoning. Whilst no difference was noted in the kitchen hygiene between the two groups, significant differences were noted in self-reported food preparation behaviours. Optimistic bias was exhibited by both groups but when tested again after six months had elapsed, the group who had not had food poisoning increased their optimism, introducing a significant difference in optimistic bias between the two groups. Awareness of a number of unsafe food behaviours was explored for individuals and groups of people using a method developed as part of the research. This method of hazard awareness uses video as a stimulus, creating an interactive survey, combined with attitudinal and demographic data. Changes were made to perceptions of knowledge and risk following the hazard perception challenge, with the number of hazards missed, influencing this movement in perception. The risk perception of unsafe food handling behaviours was examined using a novel technique Best-Worst Scaling, in order to identify relative risks. This technique, in conjunction with latent class modelling, demonstrated a difference in perceptions between food safety experts and members of the general public. However, these differences are nuanced and demonstrate that heterogeneity exists both within and across the groups. Taken together, these findings have extended the research on domestic food safety behaviour and risk perceptions. It has done so by developing and testing novel methods to elicit relative risk perceptions and hazard perception with regard to food safety behaviours. The results provide valuable evidence for stakeholders particularly with regard to the novel methods used in identifying the heterogeneity and influences of food safety behaviour between groups of people. It also provides important tools for stakeholders, risk managers and communicators to use in future research, communication and education.

Cycling in urban environments requires the ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant targets quickly and reliably, so that potential hazards can be anticipated and avoided. In two experiments, we investigated where adults and children direct their attention when viewing videos filmed from a cyclist’s perspective. We wanted to see if there were any differences in the responses given by experienced adult cyclists, inexperienced adult cyclists, and child cyclists. In Experiment 1, 16 adults (19–33 years) were asked to watch ten videos and to point out things they would pay attention to by tapping a touchscreen (pointed out locations). Afterwards, they were asked to explain their answers. In Experiment 2, 17 adults (19–34 years) and 17 children (11–12 years) performed the same task with the same ten videos, but they were not asked to explain their answers afterwards. The data sets from these two experiments were pooled, creating three groups: ten experienced adult cyclists, 23 inexperienced adult cyclists and 17 children. A total of 23 clearly visible, traffic-relevant targets (pre-specified targets) had previously been identified in the videos. We investigated whether the participants’ pointed-out locations matched these targets (and if so, how fast they responded in pointing them out). We also investigated the number and vertical/horizontal dispersion of these pointed-out locations on the touchscreen. Adults pointed out more locations than children, especially pedestrians and cyclists. This result suggests that, while children focussed as well as adults on cars (arguably the most salient hazard), they were less able to identify other hazards (such as pedestrians or other cyclists). The children had also a larger vertical dispersion and a larger between-participant variation than the adults. Adults were faster at tapping the pre-specified targets and they missed them less often. Overall, the results suggest that 11–12 year old-cyclists have worse situation awareness in traffic than adults.

This thesis examined how cross-country skiers perceive and prepare for winter hazards. A self-completion questionnaire was administered to cross-country skiers in northern Utah. The questions on the questionnaire were designed to explore the relationships that affect how skiers perceive and prepare for winter hazards. Additionally, the situation where skiers put themselves at risk due to lack of information as opposed to skiers placing themselves at risk through the desire to confront nature's dangers was explored. Variables that were contained in these relationships were correlated and the degree of correlation was measured. Those that sought information on the day surveyed were more likely to perceive and prepare for winter hazards than those that didn't seek information. Additionally, experienced skiers were more likely to perceive and prepare for winter hazards. However, experienced skiers were more likely to be involved in other risk recreation activities and to consider risk important in their ski experience than less experienced skiers. Skiers that believed skiing to be central to their life interests were more likely to seek avalanche hazard information and be more prepared than those that didn't seek avalanche information. Results suggest more research is needed to determine the most effective techniques of disseminating hazard information to cross-country skiers. Moreover, different survey techniques, such as naturalistic inquiries, should be used to extract hazard perception and preparation information from skiers.

Horizontal curves on roadways are the site of numerous crashes and motorist deaths each year. Traditional methods to warn drivers of curve hazards, including static roadside signs, are sometimes ineffective at influencing driver behavior for reasons such as driver acclimation to inconsistency in posted advisory speeds. In-vehicle curve warning devices (CWDs) may be an effective alternative for reducing the number of collisions at curves. Multi-modality displays have elicited positive driver results and should be further explored. The objective of this study was to determine the most effective curve warning system using on-road performance and subjective evaluation. Two top-performing warning stimulus presentations, as determined by a recent simulator study, were tested at the Virginia Smart Road closed test highway. Both warnings exhibited auditory (speech) and visual (Heads Down Display) stimuli, however one included a throttle pushback haptic stimulus and the other did not. No on-road studies of this type of haptic stimulus, nor of CWDs, have been published to date. Forty-eight individuals, 24 age 18-25 years and 24 age >60 years, participated in the study. A 2 (Age) x 3 (Stimulus Presentation) between-subjects design was used to examine participant performance and ratings for the first "surprise" experience with the stimulus while driving on the Smart Road, and a 2x3 mixed factors design examined stimulus as a repeated measure. Participant braking reaction times, speed, and subjective evaluations were compared between stimulus presentations as well as driver age. Throttle reaction times and brake reaction times were significantly quicker, and curve entry speed significantly closer to an advisory speed for participants receiving a warning presentation than those without a warning presentation at alpha=0.05. No statistical differences between objective measures were found between the stimulus presentation with the haptic and the stimulus presentation without the haptic stimulus. Age was a significant main effect as older drivers reached more appropriate curve entry speeds than younger drivers. Driver risk-taking style was significantly related to age and to curve entry speed. During an interview, participants demonstrated higher comprehension when presented with the stimulus lacking the haptic component, and ranked this presentation higher, though ratings gathered from questionnaires were not significantly different between the two stimulus presentations. Driver comments were examined using a content analysis technique organized by design guideline topics. Discussion was presented in terms of four main research questions and recommendations toward CWD design guidelines were developed based on the objective and subjective results of this study. In addition, this research developed a foundation for further on-road testing of CWDs and other multi-modal in-vehicle warning systems. / Master of Science

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlates and predictors of hazard perception skill among drivers. Specifically, it was examined whether novice and experienced drivers would differ from each other in terms of hazard perception skill. In addition, the role of personality factors and driving skills in predicting hazard perception among drivers was inspected. Drivers&rsquo / hazard perception skills were assessed by using both a computer-based hazard perception latency test (Turkish Hazard Perception Test in Traffic) which consists 31 video clips recorded in real traffic, and a self-report measure (Self-Reported Hazard Perception Scale). Following the completion of hazard perception measures, Turkish drivers (N = 135 / 90 males, 45 females) also responded to the measures of driving skills, big five personality factors, and sensation seeking. The results of the study indicated that both computer-based and self-reported hazard perception measures significantly differentiated novice and experienced drivers after controlling for the effects of age. Results of the regression analyses demonstrated that computer-based hazard perception skills were significantly predicted by perceptual motor skills subscale of the Driving Skill Inventory. Self-reported hazard perception skill was also strongly predicted by age and perceptual motor skills. The results further revealed that sensation seeking and big five traits did not predict either the computer-based or the self-reported hazard perception skill among drivers. It was concluded that the effects of personality factors could be more observable in on-road assessment of hazard perception. However, the significant difference between novice and experienced drivers showed that hazard perception training should be included to the driver-training curriculum in Turkey as an intervention to promote young novice drivers safety. The findings of the present study were argued in the light of the literature and in relation to the implications for traffic safety in Turkey. Additionally, limitations of the study and suggestions for future researches were discussed.

Background: The proportion of older individuals in the driving population is predicted to increase in the next 50 years. This has important implications for driving safety as abilities which are important for safe driving, such as vision (which accounts for the majority of the sensory input required for driving), processing ability and cognition have been shown to decline with age. The current methods employed for screening older drivers upon re-licensure are also vision based. This study, which investigated social, behavioural and professional aspects involved with older drivers, aimed to determine: (i) if the current visual standards in place for testing upon re-licensure are effective in reducing the older driver fatality rate in Australia; (ii) if the recommended visual standards are actually implemented as part of the testing procedures by Australian optometrists; and (iii) if there are other non-standardised tests which may be better at predicting the on-road incident-risk (including near misses and minor incidents) in older drivers than those tests recommended in the standards. Methods: For the first phase of the study, state-based age- and gender-stratified numbers of older driver fatalities for 2000-2003 were obtained from the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau database. Poisson regression analyses of fatality rates were considered by renewal frequency and jurisdiction (as separate models), adjusting for possible confounding variables of age, gender and year. For the second phase, all practising optometrists in Australia were surveyed on the vision tests they conduct in consultations relating to driving and their knowledge of vision requirements for older drivers. Finally, for the third phase of the study to investigate determinants of on-road incident risk, a stratified random sample of 600 Brisbane residents aged 60 years and were selected and invited to participate using an introductory letter explaining the project requirements. In order to capture the number and type of road incidents which occurred for each participant over 12 months (including near misses and minor incidents), an important component of the prospective research study was the development and validation of a driving diary. The diary was a tool in which incidents that occurred could be logged at that time (or very close in time to which they occurred) and thus, in comparison with relying on participant memory over time, recall bias of incident occurrence was minimised. Association between all visual tests, cognition and scores obtained for non-standard functional tests with retrospective and prospective incident occurrence was investigated. Results: In the first phase,rivers aged 60-69 years had a 33% lower fatality risk (Rate Ratio [RR] = 0.75, 95% CI 0.32-1.77) in states with vision testing upon re-licensure compared with states with no vision testing upon re-licensure, however, because the CIs are wide, crossing 1.00, this result should be regarded with caution. However, overall fatality rates and fatality rates for those aged 70 years and older (RR=1.17, CI 0.64-2.13) did not differ between states with and without license renewal procedures, indicating no apparent benefit in vision testing legislation. For the second phase of the study, nearly all optometrists measured visual acuity (VA) as part of a vision assessment for re-licensing, however, 20% of optometrists did not perform any visual field (VF) testing and only 20% routinely performed automated VF on older drivers, despite the standards for licensing advocating automated VF as part of the vision standard. This demonstrates the need for more effective communication between the policy makers and those responsible for carrying out the standards. It may also indicate that the overall higher driver fatality rate in jurisdictions with vision testing requirements is resultant as the tests recommended by the standards are only partially being conducted by optometrists. Hence a standardised protocol for the screening of older drivers for re-licensure across the nation must be established. The opinions of Australian optometrists with regard to the responsibility of reporting older drivers who fail to meet the licensing standards highlighted the conflict between maintaining patient confidentiality or upholding public safety. Mandatory reporting requirements of those drivers who fail to reach the standards necessary for driving would minimise potential conflict between the patient and their practitioner, and help maintain patient trust and goodwill. The final phase of the PhD program investigated the efficacy of vision, functional and cognitive tests to discriminate between at-risk and safe older drivers. Nearly 80% of the participants experienced an incident of some form over the prospective 12 months, with the total incident rate being 4.65/10 000 km. Sixty-three percent reported having a near miss and 28% had a minor incident. The results from the prospective diary study indicate that the current vision screening tests (VA and VF) used for re-licensure do not accurately predict older drivers who are at increased odds of having an on-road incident. However, the variation in visual measurements of the cohort was narrow, also affecting the results seen with the visual functon questionnaires. Hence a larger cohort with greater variability should be considered for a future study. A slightly lower cognitive level (as measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) did show an association with incident involvement as did slower reaction time (RT), however the Useful-Field-of-View (UFOV) provided the most compelling results of the study. Cut-off values of UFOV processing (>23.3ms), divided attention (>113ms), selective attention (>258ms) and overall score (moderate/ high/ very high risk) were effective in determining older drivers at increased odds of having any on-road incident and the occurrence of minor incidents. Discussion: The results have shown that for the 60-69 year age-group, there is a potential benefit in testing vision upon licence renewal. However, overall fatality rates and fatality rates for those aged 70 years and older indicated no benefit in vision testing legislation and suggests a need for inclusion of screening tests which better predict on-road incidents. Although VA is routinely performed by Australian optometrists on older drivers renewing their licence, VF is not. Therefore there is a need for a protocol to be developed and administered which would result in standardised methods conducted throughout the nation for the screening of older drivers upon re-licensure. Communication between the community, policy makers and those conducting the protocol should be maximised. By implementing a standardised screening protocol which incorporates a level of mandatory reporting by the practitioner, the ethical dilemma of breaching patient confidentiality would also be resolved. The tests which should be included in this screening protocol, however, cannot solely be ones which have been implemented in the past. In this investigation, RT, MMSE and UFOV were shown to be better determinants of on-road incidents in older drivers than VA and VF, however, as previously mentioned, there was a lack of variability in visual status within the cohort. Nevertheless, it is the recommendation from this investigation, that subject to appropriate sensitivity and specificity being demonstrated in the future using a cohort with wider variation in vision, functional performance and cognition, these tests of cognition and information processing should be added to the current protocol for the screening of older drivers which may be conducted at licensing centres across the nation.

本研究以經歷過921大地震以及多次土石流災害的雲林縣古坑鄉為個案，透過參與觀察法、質性訪談以及文獻檔案分析的方式，以了解當那些受到環境劇變的人們在經歷自然災害後，如何在有選的情況下做出遷移與否的決策，而哪些社會因素會在決策過程中影響人們的決定及行動。 本研究的重要發現包括以下幾點：第一，在自然災害發生後，多數的居民會選擇留下，這是基於本身的災害識覺排除了立即性、短時間內的生命威脅。同時，大部分的居民也會因為在地性的資源（如社會關係、在地知識、與在地的不動產）較多，而傾向選擇留在原地。同時，有一些社經弱勢家庭會因為非在地性資源的缺乏，也使他們不得不做出留下來的選擇。從生命史的觀點，本研究發現這些遷移決策往往是鑲嵌在長期累積的地方經驗與生活脈絡中的。第二，家庭的遷移往往是家庭成員整體的決定，或考量家庭整體需要後做出的決定。不同的家庭可能採取不同的方式來完成他們在地重建或者是遷移的目標。第三，個人和家庭的慣習往往在選擇的傾向或行動的方式中成為核心。多數人希望能在自然災害發生後恢復既有的生活慣習，但慣習的維持不僅在於個人能力，也與他所在環境中是否有足夠的社會支持有關。當社區中的社會安全網可以提供足夠的支持時，個人與家庭的慣習則得以被維持，而社區社會安全網又和地方產業型態具有緊密關聯。以觀光為主要發展的草嶺村，和在921大地震後轉型為觀光農業的華山村就是兩個極佳的對比案例。研究資料也顯示當地居民改變社會環境的可能，證明了人不是單向地受到社會環境的影響，也可以反向影響社會環境。 / This study aims at understanding how people make migration decisions after drastic environmental changes brought by natural disasters and exploring the social factors influencing these decisions. Gukeng was chosen as a case for this study due to its encounters of the Chichi earthquake and several landslides. The study utilizes qualitative research methods and collects field data, mainly through participant observation, in-depth interviewing techniques and text analysis. The main findings of this study are summarized as follows. First, most residents tend to stay after natural disasters, and such choice is based on their hazard perception that excludes immediate and short-term threats to their lives. The majority of residents prefer to stay due to more local resources（including social relationships, local knowledge, and ownership of real estate property）. Those families in lower social-economic status also tend to stay for the lack of non-local resources. From the perspective of life history, these decisions are embedded in local contexts contructed and experiences accumulated throughout the years. Second, family’s migration decision is usually made by all family members or based on the needs of all members. Different families may use different ways to reach their goals of migration or rebuilding on the same ground. Third, the habitus of individuals and families often become the core element in the modes of choice and action. Most people want to be able to recover their habitus after the natural disasters. However, the maintenance of the habitus is based not only on personal capacity, but also on the social support drawn from the his environment. People can maintain their habitus when the local community safety net can provide enough support, and the local community safety net is highly related to the development of local industries. The comparative study of Caoling Villege and Huashan Villege provides an illustrative example, in which the former is based on tourism and the latter was transformed into eco-tourism and tourist agriculture after the Chichi earthquake. The findings also show the possibility of people changing the environment, proving the mutual influence between individuals and the environment.

Die dauerhafte Reduktion der von Menschen verursachten Emissionen ist eine der zentralen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Eine Strategie zur Reduzierung von Emissionen im Mobilitätssektor sind elektrisch betriebene Fahrzeuge, die je nach Typ teilweise oder vollständig mit Strom angetrieben werden. Für die Verkehrspsychologie stellt sich nun die Frage, ob und wie schnell sich Fahrer an die Nutzung von Elektrofahrzeugen gewöhnen und welche Herausforderungen sich aus Nutzersicht ergeben. Anhand von Studien mit vollelektrischen Fahrzeugen wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit zwei grundlegende Eigenschaften von Elektrofahrzeugen aus psychologischer Perspektive untersucht: Zum einen verfügen Elektrofahrzeuge über eine Rekuperationsfunktion, mit der es möglich ist, in Verzögerungsvorgängen kinetische in elektrische Energie umzuwandeln, also Energie rückzugewinnen und damit letztlich die Emissionen zu reduzieren. Zum anderen beschränkt sich die mögliche Emissionsreduktion von Elektrofahrzeugen nicht nur auf den CO2-Ausstoß, sondern betrifft auch die Geräuschentwicklung dieser Fahrzeuge. Fahrzeuge mit Elektroantrieb emittieren weniger Geräusche, was einerseits die Lärmbelastung durch Straßenverkehr reduzieren kann, zum anderen aber auch zu Bedenken z.B. blinder Verkehrsteilnehmer geführt hat. Gerade bei geringen Geschwindigkeiten sind Elektrofahrzeuge schlechter wahrnehmbar und dadurch eine potentielle Gefahr für andere Verkehrsteilnehmer. Das erste Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation bestand darin, die Auswirkungen einer über das Gaspedal gesteuerten Rekuperation aus verkehrspsychologischer Perspektive zu untersuchen. Die zur Nutzung der Rekuperation nötigen motorischen Fertigkeiten müssen erlernt und in unterschiedlichen Verkehrssituationen angewandt werden. Basierend auf dem Power Law of Practice (Newell & Rosenbloom, 1981) wurde der Fertigkeitserwerb bei der Nutzung der Rekuperationsfunktion eingehend betrachtet. Anhand von Fahrzeugdaten lassen sich eine sehr steile Lernkurve und damit ein kurzer Adaptationsprozess zeigen, der mit einer Powerfunktion beschrieben werden kann. Bereits innerhalb der ersten gefahrenen Kilometer nehmen die Anzahl der konventionellen Bremsmanöver und ihr zeitlicher Anteil an der gesamten Verzögerung rapide ab. Das zweite Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation war, die Auswirkungen der geringeren Geräuschemission auf das Verkehrsgeschehen zu prüfen. Dies erfolgte jedoch nicht, wie in anderen Studien bereits dargestellt, aus Fußgängerperspektive, sondern aus der Fahrerperspektive. Da die Fahrer gerade in der Anfangsphase eine zentrale Rolle bei der Entschärfung geräuschbedingter kritischer Situationen spielen, soll die Arbeit dazu beitragen, diese Forschungslücke zu schließen, um eine umfassendere Bewertung der Geräuschthematik bei Elektrofahrzeugen zu ermöglichen. In Anlehnung an Deerys (1999) Modell zu Fahrerreaktionen auf potentielle Gefahren, wurden Risikowahrnehmung (risk perception) und Gefahrenwahrnehmung (hazard perception) als entscheidende Determinanten der Fahrerreaktion auf geräuschbedingte Gefahrensituationen identifiziert. Was die Risikowahrnehmung betrifft, so konnte gezeigt werden, dass diese sich mit zunehmender Erfahrung verändert. Risiken aufgrund der Geräuscharmut werden als weniger bedrohlich, das leise Fahren zunehmend als Beitrag zum Komfort gewertet. Zusätzlich wurden im Rahmen der Dissertation Situationen im Straßenverkehr näher untersucht, die aufgrund der Geräuscharmut von Elektrofahrzeugen auftraten. Darauf aufbauend wurde ein Katalog von geräuschbedingten Szenarien erstellt, der als empirische Grundlage für die nähere Betrachtung der Gefahrenwahrnehmung von Fahrern diente. Ergebnisse daraus resultierender Experimente zur Detektion von geräuschbedingten Gefahren (hazard detection tasks) zeigten, dass die individuelle Erfahrung mit Elektrofahrzeugen offenbar lediglich eine untergeordnete Rolle bei der Erkennung und Reaktion auf geräuschbedingte Gefahren spielt. Erfahrene Fahrer von Elektrofahrzeugen unterschieden sich nur marginal von unerfahrenen Fahrern in der Reaktion in und der Bewertung von geräuschbedingten Gefahrensituationen, was darauf hindeutet, dass geräuschbedingte Gefahrensituationen auch von Fahrern ohne extensive Erfahrung mit Elektrofahrzeugen bewältigt werden können. Das dritte, übergreifende Ziel der Dissertation bestand darin, die Bedeutung beider Eigenschaften für die Nutzerakzeptanz zu untersuchen. Neben der Untersuchung momentan existierender Barrieren (z.B. Reichweite, Preis, Batterielebensdauer), die eine weitreichende Adoption von Elektrofahrzeugen erschweren können, ist es ebenso wichtig, solche Eigenschaften zu identifizieren, die sich positiv auf das Nutzererleben auswirken. Sowohl die Rekuperation, als auch die Geräuscharmut spielen eine wichtige Rolle in der Nutzerbewertung, da beide Eigenschaften als zentrale, individuell erlebbbare Vorteile von Elektrofahrzeugen beurteilt werden. Im Hinblick auf die Geräuschemission lässt sich konstatieren, dass diese mit zunehmender Erfahrung des Fahrers fast ausschließlich als Vorteil statt als Barriere von Elektrofahrzeugen gewertet wird. Eine bemerkbare, über das Gaspedal gesteuerte Rekuperation scheint als Teil des Fahrererlebens ebenfalls eine zentrale Rolle in der Bewertung zu spielen. Ein hohes Maß an Nutzerakzeptanz und Vertrauen in das System unterstreichen die positive Evaluation einer solchen Funktionalität. Aus verkehrspsychologischer Sicht haben die angeführten Eigenschaften von Elektrofahrzeugen Auswirkungen auf verschiedene Teilaufgaben der Fahrzeugführung. So sind nicht nur motorische Fertigkeiten in der Pedalnutzung (Stabilisierungsbene) erforderlich, sondern auch komplexere kognitive Prozesse, wie z.B. der Umgang mit möglichen Gefahrensituationen aufgrund der geringen Geräuschemission (Bahnführungsebene). Insgesamt weisen die Ergebnisse der Dissertation darauf hin, dass Herausforderungen aufgrund beider oben genannten Fahrzeugeigenschaften gemeistert werden können. Zusätzlich zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass beide Eigenschaften von den Nutzern als willkommene Aspekte der technologischen Innovation geschätzt werden und somit zur allgemeinen Akzeptanz von Elektrofahrzeugen beitragen können. Da auch andere Fahrzeugkonzepte mit elektrischem Antriebsstrang diese beiden Eigenschaften aufweisen, lassen sich die gefundenen Ergebnisse auf andere Fahrzeugtypen übertragen.