Human factors affecting truck – vulnerable road user safety: a scoping review

Abstract

Truck collisions with vulnerable road users (VRUs) are infrequent, but often severe or fatal. While research has investigated factors contributing to safety and collisions, a synthesis of human-related contributors remains missing. This scoping review follows PRISMA guidelines to synthesise studies on the effects of human factors on truck-VRU safety. With a focus on human factors related to pedestrians, cyclists, and truck drivers, five scientific databases were searched and 3,414 records were screened. Twenty-four articles met the inclusion criteria. Most were published after 2015, indicating a limited but growing focus on human factors affecting truck-VRU safety. Half of the studies analysed police collision reports, while others used qualitative data collection methods, like questionnaires and focus groups, or human subject experiments. Compared to passenger-vehicle literature, notably fewer behavioural studies were identified, highlighting a need for further behavioural human factors studies of truck-VRU interactions. Sociodemographic and vision-related factors were most frequently investigated and found to significantly affect collision occurrence and severity. Driving and cycling experience and training, and road user distractions were examined less, albeit being important. This review bridges a literature gap by focusing on human characteristics, states, decisions, and errors affecting truck-VRU safety, offering insights for road-user-centred mitigation strategies.