Investigating the Knowledge and Behavior of Road Users in Adherence to Traffic Ethics

Abstract

This study aims to investigate road users’ knowledge and behavior towards traffic ethics among university students in Qingjiangpu District, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, China. The study helps to identify whether the concept of traffic ethics is effectively understood and applied by road users, focusing on students within the area. It also aims to identify the most commonly used mode of transportation among students in the city and assess their level of understanding of traffic ethics and the importance of adhering to them for road safety in the city. From the pilot questionnaire issued to 50 random students across the universities in this district, it can be concluded that most of the students who use a two-wheel vehicle (bicycle, electric bike, or motorcycle) have a mode of transportation, and this helps to sharpen the questionnaire and direction of this research. All the participants in this study are Chinese and international students within the age of 16 years and above (undergraduate and postgraduate), with 67 percent of respondents male and 33 percent female; 76 percent are domestic students while 23 percent are international students. An online questionnaire survey was created and conducted for effectiveness in reaching out to students in other institutions through QR codes to assess the questionnaire. A random sampling method is employed, and a definite sample size formula is used to determine the sample size of participants for the study. With over 22,000 students in the research site, through the use of a sample size of the known population, 380 participants were administered questionnaires, which included socio-demographic information and various questions about the knowledge of traffic ethics and behavior on the road. According to the findings, it can be seen that mobile phone addiction plays a big role in traffic safety amongst students and also the need for proper orientation about traffic ethics most especially at the point of road intersection, within and outside the institutional framework as areas where there is an institution or university is usually populated due to high number of students, staffs, university workers and other road users in the vicinity. The data from the questionnaire are analyzed using SPSS in descriptive statistics.  The majority of participants are aware of traffic ethics, but become complacent due to the less frequent occurrence of major accidents on the road caused by negligence.