Evaluating the impact of train drivers’ cognitive and demographic characteristics on railway accidents

The experience of updating the complex systems of automatic train control has proven that the role of train divers in the train management is vital and indisputable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of train drivers’ cognitive and demographic characteristics on the occurrence of rail accidents. A sample of 56 train drivers was selected. The demographic attributes considered included age and job nature and the cognitive evaluation tools applied were cognition Vienna Test System including WAFV Sustained attention test, COG selective attention test and LVT visual perception test. Results of indicated that the sustainable attention of train drivers was one of the predictors of rail crashes, and no evidence was established for significant relationship between the demographic characteristics and occurrence of the accidents. The practical implications of this study were the development of cognitive rehabilitation courses for train drivers, targeting the reinforcement of attention and the management of railway accident risks.