Objective: The objective of this article is to provide empirical evidence for safe speed limits that will meet the objectives of the Safe System by examining the relationship between speed limit and injury severity for different crash types, using police-reported crash data.
Method: Police-reported crashes from 2 Australian jurisdictions were used to calculate a fatal crash rate by speed limit and crash type. Example safe speed limits were defined using threshold risk levels.
Results: A positive exponential relationship between speed limit and fatality rate was found. For an example fatality rate threshold of 1 in 100 crashes it was found that safe speed limits are 40 km/h for pedestrian crashes; 50 km/h for head-on crashes; 60 km/h for hit fixed object crashes; 80 km/h for right angle, right turn, and left road/rollover crashes; and 110 km/h or more for rear-end crashes.
Conclusions: The positive exponential relationship between speed limit and fatal crash rate is consistent with prior research into speed and crash risk. The results indicate that speed zones of 100 km/h or more only meet the objectives of the Safe System, with regard to fatal crashes, where all crash types except rear-end crashes are exceedingly rare, such as on a high standard restricted access highway with a safe roadside design. 相似文献
A standardized method of moss exposition for assessing variations in nitrogen deposition was tested in the western part of
Germany. Six pleurocarpous moss species were transplanted to two sites differing in their deposition rates but being comparable
as to their climatic conditions. The mosses were exposed in standardized containers over a period of 12 months; the focus
of interest was the effect of N deposition on nitrogen content and on 15N natural abundance (δ15N-values). Within the first nine months only trends could be observed. However, after one year all species tested showed significantly
higher N concentrations at the highly polluted site. Besides, more negative δ15N-values possibly reflecting the higher ammonium input were detected at this site. Surprisingly, most of the plants though
being kept in plastic containers without a favourable substratum did not show any conspicuous deficiency symptoms. The potential
advantages of a standardized moss exposition for N monitoring purposes are discussed. It is concluded that the method presented
here can yield significant results in particular if the number of testing sites is increased. 相似文献
Although most research has focussed on inorganic nutrient forms of nitrate (NO-3) and phosphorus (PO34) in runoff and receiving waters, nitrogen loss from agricultural land can also occur in organic and ammonium-nitrogen form; phosphorus losses, although often dominated by particulate transport, may occur in soluble organic and inorganic form. Furthermore, fluxes between different species may take place during transport from the land to the stream and as a result of in-stream, in-river or in-lake transformations. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation in all nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions in a drainage basin is therefore essential if the wider environmental significance of elevated nutrient concentrations in natural waters are to be assessed. This paper reviews recent work on N and P losses from agricultural land and presents some results from two intensive agricultural catchments: Slapton, Devon and the river Windrush catchment in the Cotswolds. 相似文献