A Study on the Combined Effect of Noise and Vibration on Operators’ Performance of a Readability Task in a Mobile Driving Environment

This paper presents a study in which the main objective was to investigate the combined effect of noise and vibration on the performance of a readability task in a mobile driving environment. Subjects performed a readability task on a laptop computer in a sitting posture with their backs supported with a backrest under varying levels of noise and vibration. The data in terms of the mean number of characters read per minute were collected and statistically analyzed. Results showed that the individual effect of noise, vibration, and the operators’ gender as well as the interaction between gender and noise, and gender and vibration were statistically significant. However, the combined effect of noise and vibration was not found to be statistically significant. Results also indicated that gender was statistically significant at all levels of noise as well as vibration, and noise and vibration were statistically significant at both levels of gender.     

Driving self-restriction in high-risk conditions: how do older drivers compare to others?

Introduction

Many older drivers self-restrict or avoid driving under high-risk conditions. Little is known about the onset of driving self-restrictions or how widespread self-restrictions are among drivers of all ages.

Methods

The Second Injury Control and Risk Survey (ICARIS-2) was a nationwide cross-sectional, list-assisted random-digit-dial telephone survey from 2001 to 2003. National prevalence estimates and weighted percentages of those reporting driving self-restrictions were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore associations between specific self-restrictions and age group, adjusting for other personal characteristics.

Results

More than half of all drivers reported at least one driving self-restriction. The most commonly reported restriction was avoidance of driving in bad weather (47.5%), followed by at night (27.9%) and on highways or high-speed roads (19%). A greater percentage of young adult women (18-24 years) reported self-restricting in bad weather compared to women in other age groups, and the percentage of drivers self-restricting at night, in bad weather, and on highways or high-speed roads increased steeply after age 64. We found that women, those in low income groups, and those who had driven low annual mileage were more likely to self-restrict.

Conclusions

In addition to assessing self-restrictions among older drivers, a new finding from our study is that self-restrictions are also quite prevalent among younger age groups. Driving self-restrictions may be better understood as a spectrum across ages in which drivers’ reasons for restriction change.

Impact on industry

Future research on the ability of driving self-restrictions to reduce actual crash risk and prevent injuries is needed.     

Behavioural Reactivation and Subjective Assessment of the State of Vigilance—Application to Simulated Car Driving

The frequency of some behaviour (such as self-centred gestures) increases during a task that leads to the occurrence of low-vigilance episodes. These gestures can be useful in stimulating oneself. A study carried out in 20 adults has enabled us to state that motor activity (recorded with an actimeter) increases with the duration of a monotonous driving task and sleep deprivation. The analysis of the scores recorded using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale has shown that drivers can assess the deterioration of their state of vigilance according to the actual sleep preceding the driving test. Finally, the joint analysis of the subjective and objective data revealed a co-variation of these two types of indices. We discuss the stimulatory function of the motor activity in a task leading to the occurrence of low-vigilance episodes by investigating, among other things, the use, conscious or not, of this type of activity.     

设立“农民工日’’的启示

继吸纳百万农民工的沈阳市去年开始把每年9月25日作为“农民工维权日”之后，近日，拥有400余万农民工的重庆市政府也就设立“重庆农民工日”向市人大常委会提出议案。沈渝两地，一北一南，都把目光聚焦在农民工兄弟姐妹上，引人瞩目。     

汽车市场“她时代’’来临

近几年来，中国汽车乘用车市场呈现出爆发性增长，实现了从2002年的125万辆，到2007年629万辆的跨越。而随着汽车普及率的提高，女性对于汽车的兴趣、关注度和话语权也在飙升，女性车主的比例明显增加。据权威机构的统计数据显示，女性车主比例已由2002年的20．3茗增加到2006年的30．9%。     

交警老林说“不’’的故事

时间：2007年12月3日上午 地点：高速交警漳州四大队陈建国教导员的办公室 场景：一名表情有些尴尬的中年汉子,从陈教导员手中接过用报纸包好的一叠钱后,连连点头说：“惭愧,惭愧,遇上你们这样的领导,这样的林警宫,我真是服了,今后我一定按法律办事,再也不给你们添麻烦了。”     

交警老林说“不’’的故事

时间：2007年12月3日上午 地点：高速交警漳州四大队陈建国教导员的办公室 场景：一名表情有些尴尬的中年汉子，从陈教导员手中接过用报纸包好的一叠钱后，连连点头说：“惭愧，惭愧，遇上你们这样的领导，这样的林警宫，我真是服了，今后我一定按法律办事，再也不给你们添麻烦了。”     

Driving context influences drivers' decision to engage in visual–manual phone tasks: Evidence from a naturalistic driving study

IntroductionVisual–manual (VM) phone tasks (i.e., texting, dialing, reading) are associated with an increased crash/near-crash risk. This study investigated how the driving context influences drivers' decisions to engage in VM phone tasks in naturalistic driving.MethodVideo-recordings of 1,432 car trips were viewed to identify VM phone tasks and passenger presence. Video, vehicle signals, and map data were used to classify driving context (i.e., curvature, other vehicles) before and during the VM phone tasks (N = 374). Vehicle signals (i.e., speed, yaw rate, forward radar) were available for all driving.ResultsVM phone tasks were more likely to be initiated while standing still, and less likely while driving at high speeds, or when a passenger was present. Lead vehicle presence did not influence how likely it was that a VM phone task was initiated, but the drivers adjusted their task timing to situations when the lead vehicle was increasing speed, resulting in increasing time headway. The drivers adjusted task timing until after making sharp turns and lane change maneuvers. In contrast to previous driving simulator studies, there was no evidence of drivers reducing speed as a consequence of VM phone task engagement.ConclusionsThe results show that experienced drivers use information about current and upcoming driving context to decide when to engage in VM phone tasks. However, drivers may fail to sufficiently increase safety margins to allow time to respond to possible unpredictable events (e.g., lead vehicle braking).Practical applicationsAdvanced driver assistance systems should facilitate and possibly boost drivers' self-regulating behavior. For instance, they might recognize when appropriate adaptive behavior is missing and advise or alert accordingly. The results from this study could also inspire training programs for novice drivers, or locally classify roads in terms of the risk associated with secondary task engagement while driving.     

’95安全生产情况及’96安全工作意见

’９５安全生产情况及’９６安全工作意见劳动部副部长王建伦在党中央、国务院的领导下，经过各地区、各部门的共同努力，１９９５年全国安全生产形势相对稳定，重大、特大恶性事故比１９９４年有所减少。据统计，１９９５年１～１１月，全国道路交通事故２４７６１６起，...     

’93火情严重

鸡年消防,唱了一曲“黑色咏叹调”。据统计,1993年,我省共发生火灾805起,日平均2.2起,火灾烧死148人,烧伤115,人直接经济损失5521.6万元。与1992年相比,火灾的4项指数分别上升16.7％、89.7％、64.3％、104％。其中重特大火灾17起。进入1994年,火势并不寂寞,元月1～8日,全省发生重特大火灾5起,经济损失逾350万元。纵观去年我省的火情,主要有如下几个特点: 一、火灾集中在沿海经济发达的地区。如福州、泉州两市,去年就发生火灾232起,     

烧伤’不该发生

１９９８年１月２日早晨５点３０分,湖南省桑植县境内的山东正业集团桑植官坪煤矿职工５人在班长夏某的带领下,进入大巷６００米的第二号上山采场１０米处打煤层炮眼,５人各自相距０５米进行作业,６点３０分左右,正当打第三个炮眼时,因顶板伪层掉落,把作业中的电...     

’2003新车秀

福特SVT Focus 此车为五门五座掀背车,采用直列式四缸发动机,可以提供170匹马力和197.2Nm的扭距     

Parents’ work injuries and children’s mental health: The moderating role of children’s work centrality

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between parents’ work-related injuries and their children’s mental health, and whether children’s work centrality – the extent to which a child believes work will play an important part in their life – exacerbates or buffers this relationship. Method: We argue that high work centrality can exacerbate the relationship between parental work injuries and children’s mental health, with parental work injuries acting as identity-threatening stressors; in contrast, high work centrality may buffer this relationship, with parental work injuries acting as identity-confirming stressors. We test this relationship with a sample of Canadian children (N = 4,884, 46.2% female, M age = 13.67 years). Results:Children whose parents had experienced more frequent lost-time work-related injuries reported worse mental health with high work centrality buffering this negative relationship. Conclusions: Our study highlights the vicarious effects of work injuries on salient others, specifically parental work injuries on children’s mental health, as well as the role of work centrality in shaping children’s sense-making and expectations about the consequences of work.     

’96全国十大火灾

一、1月1日2时10分，广东省深圳市宝安区龙华镇青湖村股立圣诞饰品有限公司发生火灾，烧死20人（其中女113人），烧伤109人，烧毁建筑3000平方米及塑料制品1万件，直接财产损失469万元。火灾系职工睡觉时，未熄灭蜡烛所致。二、2月5日22时许，四川省重庆市渝中区群林商场（4层）发生火灾，烧死5人（其中女性2人），烧毁整座市场及市场内的所有商品，还殃及市美术广告公司、医药保健品门市部、干果公司门市部和43户居民（建筑面积8093平方米），直接财产损失963．1万元。火灾原因是重庆天宇广告公司雇用的民工在群林商场房顶违章焊接广告架时…     

’2004巴黎车展一瞥

麟树ha一一 _1撼美自市场一直受青睐的 沦绮烈否也得到你的垂青呢?‘孟二二二里,卜‘黔马自达6MPS-一矛一丫黔灿了_解·“便知道;它丈该品并鸿燕筑快的标致907代表了众的发展方向'2004巴黎车展一瞥     

’94全国十大火灾

’９４全国十大火灾▲１月３０日３时左右，浙江省杭州市天工艺苑（购物中心）家具包房内因吸顶灯电源线短路打火，喷贱的熔珠落在席梦思床垫上引起火灾，大火将这座建筑面积１２３３２平方米，集经营、娱乐、生产、办公为一体的４层（局部５层）大楼大部分烧损，内部商场...