Taxi driver seat belt wearing in Nanjing, China

Objective

To determine and validate patterns of seat belt use and attitudes of taxi drivers on wearing a seat belt following national and provincial seat belt legislation in 2004-2005. Design: Roadside daylight seat belt observation and interview survey methods were used, as well as observations from inside taxis during routine trips and a taxi driver focus group. The setting was Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China in April of 2006 and 2007.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of seat belt use and attitudes to wearing a seat belt were determined, as were vehicle and driver characteristics, and comparisons with other motor-vehicle driver's seat belt use and attitudes.

Results

Taxi drivers interviewed were predominantly male and aged 30-39 years. They spent more hours per week in their vehicles and had more driving experience than other drivers. Over half (56.2%) of taxi drivers interviewed reported that they always wore seat belts, while observation of taxi drivers showed lower wearing rates (i.e., roadside observation was 43.8%, and observation from inside taxis was 36.2%). Belt tampering was a practice of 12-15% of taxi drivers. “Fine avoidance, safety, high speed and long trips” were given as important reasons for wearing and “feeling trapped and uncomfortable” for not wearing. Seat belt reminder signs in taxis were common (82.6% of taxis), but did not appear to impact on driver seat belt use.

Conclusion

The four research methods found taxi drivers to have consistently low “correct wearing” rates.

Impact on industry

As in several other countries, taxi drivers are particularly resistant to seat belt use. Innovative strategies, including occupational health and safety approaches, may be required to achieve increased levels of seat belt use.     

Examining the relationship between driver distraction and driving errors: A discussion of theory, studies and methods

Over the past two decades the concept of driver distraction has been the focus of intense research attention. One aspect of distraction for which there has been limited systematic research, however, is its role in driver error causation. This article presents a review of the distraction literature with a view to elucidating what is currently known about the types of driving errors that distraction contributes to and the mechanisms by which distraction induces these errors. The review revealed a number of fundamental gaps in our knowledge, including the number and nature of errors made by drivers when distracted; the mechanisms by which distraction causes errors; whether and how distraction disrupts drivers’ ability to recover from errors; and how system-wide factors moderate the relationship between distraction and error. In closing, we attempt to identify the most appropriate theoretical and methodological approach to drive the integrated study of distraction and error forward. We conclude that it is only through the adoption of a systems approach that integrated countermeasures can be proposed and implemented to mitigate driver errors caused by distraction.     

The effects of driver factors and sign design features on the comprehensibility of traffic signs

PROBLEM: This paper addresses the effects of driver factors and sign design features on the comprehensibility of traffic signs. METHODS: A survey was designed to capture subjects' personal particulars, ratings on sign features, and comprehension scores, and then administered to 109 Hong Kong full driving license holders. RESULTS: Years with driving license and education level were significant predictors of sign comprehensibility. Contrary to expectation, the driver factors of age group, years of active driving, hours of driving, last time driving, driving frequency, and non-local driving experience had no effect on comprehension performance. Sign familiarity was correlated with comprehension score for licensed drivers, whereas sign concreteness, simplicity, and meaningfulness were not. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The results of this study provide useful guidelines for designing more user-friendly traffic signs in the future. It identified particular driver groups who lacked good understanding of traffic signs, and this information may assist the relevant organizations to better allocate traffic training resources, and better target future studies of traffic sign comprehension.     

Self-assessed driver competence among novice drivers - a comparison of driving test candidate assessments and examiner assessments in a Dutch and Finnish sample

Problem

This study examined novice drivers’ overconfidence by comparing their self-assessed driver competence with the assessments made by driving examiners.

Method

A Finnish (n = 2,739) and a Dutch sample (n = 239) of drivers license candidates assessed their driver competence in six areas and took the driving test.

Result and Discussion

In contrast to previous studies where drivers have assessed their skill in comparison to the average driver, a smaller proportion overestimated and a larger proportion made realistic self-assessments of their driver competence in the present study, where self-assessments were compared with examiner assessments. Between 40% and 50% of the candidates in both samples made realistic assessments and 30% to 40% overestimated their competence. The proportion of overestimation was greater in the Dutch than in the Finnish sample, which might be explained by greater possibilities for practicing self-assessment in the Finnish driver education system. Similar to other self-assessment studies that indicate that incompetence is related to overestimation, a larger proportion of candidates that failed the test overestimated their skill compared to those who passed. In contrast to other studies, males did not overestimate their skills more than females, and younger driver candidates were not more overconfident than older drivers.

Impact on traffic safety

Although a great proportion of the candidates made a realistic assessment of their own driver competence, overestimation is still a problem that needs to be dealt with. To improve the accuracy of novice drivers’ self-assessment, methods for self-assessment training should be developed and implemented in the driver licensing process.     

浅析提高船舶岗位人员安全技能及对策

通过分析提高船员素质及对策,提高船舶培训质量,强化航运企业关爱船员、心系船员,激励船员爱岗敬业、做好本职工作,共促航运企业、船舶和谐环境,确保船舶安全生产和经济效益发展.     

重庆高速公路安全现状分析及对策

首先分析了重庆高速公路路网现状及当前安全管理模式,再依据交警部门最新权威统计信息以及近三年交通事故总体统计信息对重庆高速安全状况进行比较分析,从宏观阐述安全形势,最后对重庆高速安全现状进行概述并提出详尽的对策。     

中国道路交通安全现状和对策

在分析我国道路交通安全的现状的基础上,介绍了我国道路交通安全的特点,比较了中美日印等多国道路安全状况,提出了在新的形势下,针对我国交通特点的道路安全对策。     

安全系统的功能安全的发展及实施建议

安全系统的功能安全是基于整体安全生命周期的风险控制与管理,是安全管理学和安全监控技术的新发展。有效的开展功能安全相关工作是进一步落实科技兴安战略和预防为主方针的必然要求,对于减低安全生产事故风险,提高安全监控监管监察效能,缩小安全技术差距具有重要意义。实施功能安全相关工作需要各行业协调行动,从战略高度进行综合分析、宏观设计、统筹安排和合理规划。对功能安全研究与应用、安全生产法规标准、产业发展、科研试验、人才队伍等方面进行了探讨,在加大功能安全相关研发投入,增强科技扶持力度,提高功能安全准入门槛,建设功能安全认证服务机构,发展功能安全产业,培养功能安全专业人才等方面提出了相应的建议措施。     

Effect of enhanced seat belt reminders on driver fatality risk

Objective

Enhanced seat belt reminders in automobiles have been shown to increase belt use rates by approximately 3 percentage points. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of enhanced seat belt reminders on driver fatality risk.

Method

Data included all passenger vehicle driver deaths and vehicle registration counts in the United States for calendar years 2000-2007. Driver fatality rates per vehicle registration per year were compared for otherwise identical vehicle models with and without enhanced seat belt reminders.

Results

Driver fatality rates were 6% lower for vehicles with enhanced seat belt reminders compared with vehicles without enhanced belt reminders. After adjusting for vehicle age differences, the estimated effect of enhanced belt reminders on driver fatality risk ranged from a 9% reduction for General Motors vehicles to a 2% increase for Honda vehicles. Combining all manufacturers, enhanced belt reminders reduced fatality risk by approximately 2%. Although not statistically significant, the 2% reduction in fatality risk agrees with what should be expected from a 3 percentage point increase in seat belt use rates.

Conclusions

Enhanced seat belt reminders have raised driver belt use rates and reduced fatality rates, but more aggressive systems may be needed for some drivers. It can be inferred that nonfatal injury rates also have been reduced.

Impact on Industry

Manufacturers should be encouraged to put enhanced seat belt reminders on all vehicles as soon as possible.     

考虑驾驶员反应时间的车辆碰撞预警模型

为了保证车辆在行驶过程中的安全性,提出了一种考虑驾驶员反应时间的车辆碰撞预警模型,改进了传统模型中驾驶员反应时间定值化的缺点。首先,依据车辆的制动过程分析了驾驶员反应时间对制动距离的影响。其次,设计驾驶员反应时间的模糊推理算法,选取驾龄、疲劳强度和应变能力3个主要因素作为评价指标来计算反应时间。最后,采用分等级的预警策略建立考虑驾驶员反应时间的碰撞预警模型,并通过Carsim-Matlab/Simulink联合仿真与传统模型进行对比分析。结果表明,设计的预警模型可以对不同类型的驾驶员进行差异化碰撞预警,在30 km/h和80 km/h两种车速下实际停车距离与理论值的最大误差为8%。     

Physiological signal analysis for fatigue level of experienced and inexperienced drivers

Objective: We studied the changes in driving fatigue levels of experienced and inexperienced drivers at 3 periods of the day: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Methods: Thirty drivers were involved in 120-min real-car driving, and sleepiness ratings (Stanford Sleepiness Scale, SSS; Hoddes et al. 1973 Hoddes E, Zarcone V, Smythe H, Phillips R, Dement WC. Quantification of sleepiness: a new approach. Psychophysiology. 1973;10:431–436.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, and heart rates (HRs) were recorded. Together with principal component analysis, the relationship between EEG signals and HR was explored and used to determine a comprehensive indicator of driving fatigue. Then the comprehensive indicator was assessed via paired t test.

Results: Experienced and inexperienced drivers behaved significantly differently in terms of subjective fatigue during preliminary trials. At the beginning of trials and after termination, subjective fatigue level was aggravated with prolonged continuous driving. Moreover, we discussed the changing rules of EEG signals and HR and found that with prolonged time, the ratios of δ and β waves significantly declined, whereas that of the θ wave significantly rose. The ratio of (α + θ)/β significantly rose both before trials and after termination, but HR dropped significantly. However, one-factor analysis of variance shows that driving experience significantly affects the θ wave, (α + θ)/β ratio, and HR.

Conclusions: We found that in a monotonous road environment, fatigue symptoms occurred in inexperienced drivers and experienced drivers after about 60 and 80 min of continuous driving, respectively. Therefore, as for drivers with different experiences, restriction on continuous driving time would avoid fatigued driving and thereby eliminate traffic accidents. We find that the comprehensive indicator changes significantly with fatigue level. The integration of different indicators improves the recognition accuracy of different driving fatigue levels.     

驾驶员雨中面对不同颜色障碍物时制动点选择研究

为研究雨天驾驶员对障碍物颜色的感知特征,保障雨天驾驶安全,利用仿真驾驶平台,研究大雨、中雨、小雨3种状况下,驾驶员面对红、白、黑3种颜色障碍物时的鸣笛点(与障碍物距离设为L1)、刹车点(与障碍物距离设为L2)的选择和行驶初速度(V1)与通过障碍物最小速度(V2)的关系。最后,依据模拟驾驶采集得到的23位驾驶员经过各颜色障碍物的驾驶数据,通过SPSS分析L2,V1的拟合关系,结合安全制动距离模型,建立不同雨量下驾驶员受障碍物颜色影响的行车安全模型。结果表明:运行速度相同时,红色障碍物对应的L1,L2值明显大于黑色和白色对应的值;面对同种颜色的障碍物时,随着雨量的增加,V2值不断减小,而V1越大,V2值越大。     

我国安全生产标准体系的现状和对策研究

从安全标准总数、领域分布、级别划分、标准性质、类别构成以及采标情况几方面分析了我国安全生产标准的总体状况;结合国民经济行业分类,分析了安全标准在基础通用和社会事业、第一产业、第二产业、第三产业,以及在各产业所属领域和行业的分布情况;阐述了目前我国安全生产标准体系现状以及框架构成状况。提出了我国安全标准及体系存在的标准分布不均衡、关键标准缺失和滞后、采标率偏低、标龄过长和标准体系覆盖面窄五个问题,并给出了加强关键和缺失标准的研制,加大先进技术成果标准化、建立和完善安全生产标准体系、建立标准维护机制、加强安全生产标准国际化工作四项建议措施。     

Turning gap acceptance decision-making: the impact of driver distraction

PROBLEM: A number of studies have found that use of in-car phones by drivers can interfere with the cognitive processing necessary for making appropriate and timely vehicle control decisions. However, the specific linkage between communication-based distraction and unsafe decision-making has not been sufficiently explored. METHOD: In a closed-course driving experiment, 39 subjects were exposed to approximately 100 gaps each in a circulating traffic stream of eight vehicles on an instrumented test track that was wet about half the time. The subjects were at the controls of an instrumented car, which was oriented in a typical left-turn configuration (traffic-crossing situation in North America) and with parking brake on and the transmission in neutral. The subjects were instructed to press on the accelerator pedal when they felt that a gap was safe to accept. Their performances were monitored and incentives were provided for balancing safe decision-making with expeditious completion of the task. For half of the gap exposures (randomly assigned), each subject was required to listen and respond to a complex verbal message. RESULTS: When not distracted, the subjects' gap acceptance judgment was found to be significantly influenced by their age, the gap size, the speed of the trailing vehicle, the level of "indecision," and the condition of the track surface. However, when distracted, the subjects did not factor pavement surface condition into the decision process. On wet pavement, the subjects were judged to have initiated twice the level of potential collisions when distracted by the messages that they did when not distracted. DISCUSSION: Listening/responding to verbal messages may reduce the capacity of drivers to process adequately all the important information necessary for safe decision-making. The effects of the messages in our study seemed to cause the subjects to misjudge gap size and speed information when operating under the additional disadvantage of adverse pavement condition. SUMMARY: Attention to complex messages while making decisions about turning through gaps in an on-coming vehicle stream was associated with significantly increased unsafe decision making by subjects in our experiment when the additional complexity of wet surface condition was introduced. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: While the results reflected a somewhat artificial situation where the measure was signaled intention to act rather than the act itself, nevertheless, they do strongly suggest a scenario in which mental distraction could contribute to crash risk. With the rapid proliferation of telematics in the vehicle market, even with the laudable objectives represented by the Intelligent Transportation Systems initiative, there is a danger of the primary task of the driver being subordinated to a perceived need to enhance information flow to/from the external "world." Industry and governments need to work together to ensure that apparently desirable in-vehicle communication improvements do not compromise safety.     

The impact of environmental, vehicle and driver characteristics on injury severity in older drivers hospitalized as a result of a traffic crash

INTRODUCTION: Compared to younger age groups, older people are more likely to be seriously injured or to die as a result of a traffic crash. METHOD: The aim of the study is to examine the impact of environmental, vehicle, crash, and driver characteristics on injury severity in older drivers involved in traffic crashes by using recently linked police crash records and hospitalization data from New South Wales, Australia. The severity of injury resulting from traffic crashes was measured using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) Injury Severity Score (ICISS). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified rurality, presence of complex intersections, road speed limit, driver error, speeding, and seat belt use as independent predictors of injury severity in older people. The type of intersection configuration explained over half of the observed variations in injury severity. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Environmental modification such as intersection treatments might contribute to a decrease in the severity of injury in older people involved in road crashes.     

Freight transport and non-driving work duties as predictors of falling asleep at the wheel in urban areas of Crete

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the impact of subjective reports of drowsy driving and non-driving duties on the falling asleep responses and road crash involvement of professional drivers in Crete. An attempt was also made to elucidate other driving parameters, such as freight transportation, which could be potential predictors of risky driving, after controlling for lifestyle patterns. METHOD: A sample of 317 professional drivers was studied through personal interviews. The interview questionnaire included items about sleep and fatigue as contributing factors to falling asleep probability and crash risk. In addition, the drivers reported the type of freight they carried in their last trip, as well as practices such as smoking and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The first logistic regression analysis showed that the most significant predictors of falling asleep at the wheel were transportation of fruits/vegetables and livestock, non-driving hours of work, insufficient hours of sleep, and smoking. The second logistic regression analysis revealed all the previous items as powerful factors of crash probability, including the transportation of express freight and freezer. IMPACT: The findings of the current study are discussed as they pertain to directions for future studies and for the development of fatigue countermeasures.     

影响作业疲劳的因素及对策研究

本文重点讨论了疲劳的定义,对现代作业疲劳提出了新的定义,使对疲劳的研究更切合多元化的社会发展方向,并且对人体疲劳的特点进行了更加深入的分析。文章还从人、机、环以及管理制度四个方面系统的分析了现代作业疲劳出现的原因,同时提出了较为科学全面的三级预防措施,从而对现代作业疲劳的研究与防治提供了科学的参考与依据。     

Improving traffic safety: Conceptual considerations for successful action

Introduction

In the early stages of motorization, it did not take rigorous scientific research to achieve major improvements in traffic safety. Instead, early traffic-safety countermeasures were often based exclusively on common sense. Since then, scientific research has gradually increased in importance as the basis for developing successful interventions. This shift was not made by choice but mostly by necessity: Many of the “easy” problems have already been addressed, and the remaining problems are generally too complex for an approach based solely on common sense. Fortunately, our understanding of the complexities involved in traffic safety has recently made major gains, and common sense can now be supplemented, to some degree, by valid technical analysis.

Approach

This article discusses major conceptual issues that should be considered in guiding the future development of effective, science-based traffic-safety countermeasures.

Impact on industry

After briefly discussing the conceptual issues, the article offers a list of implications for action.     

Road traffic injuries to foreigners in the People's Republic of China, 2000-2008

Introduction: China's rapid motorization has resulted in significant challenges in road safety. Method: Using official national statistics, this study examines road traffic injuries (RTIs) experienced by foreigners in China. The number of foreigners entering China has increased 2.4 times over the study period, from 10.16 million in 2000 to 24.33 million in 2008. Results: From 2000- 2008, the number of road traffic fatalities among foreigners similarly increased 2.5 fold, including 49 fatalities reported in 2008. Nonfatal RTIs during this same time frame increased by a magnitude of 1.8 (126 nonfatal injuries in 2000 to 223 in 2008). Conclusions: This study suggests that the total number of foreigners working or visiting China each year who suffer fatal and nonfatal road traffic injuries is relatively low. Impact on Industry: This study provided evidence suggesting that foreigners visiting or working in China face a relatively low risk of road traffic injuries.