A comparison of overtime patrol stops made inside and out of cluster identified hotspots

Objective: The annual rate of impaired driving crashes in the United States has remained nearly constant over the last decade. While engineers, educators, enforcement, and emergency response personnel have worked diligently in their combined efforts to reduce the loss of life, there is still significant progress to be made. One area of recent interest is the use of data driven enforcement. The basis for data driven enforcement is the use of statistical clustering to identify geographic areas that represent the location of problem identification for various criminal or traffic offenses. In the case of impaired driving fatalities, the clustering represents locations with high rates of impaired driving crashes. Law enforcement officers and supervisors may allocate resources towards more specifically and efficiently addressing problem areas.

Methods: While data driven enforcement has been proven to be an effective tool in addressing crime and traffic safety problems, it has been a slow process for agencies to adopt data driven techniques. This study aims to explore the difference in traffic stops made inside and outside of hotspot identified areas. The study uses data from the Stark County Operating a Vehicle Impaired Task Force between 2013 and 2014.

Results: The analysis determined that stop occurring in hotspot defined areas are more likely to result in impaired driving arrests and seatbelt citations. Additionally it is found that the average cost of impaired driving arrests is significantly cheaper for stops occurring inside of hotspot areas.

Conclusion: Clustering as a means of directing law enforcement efforts are a way to increase the productivity and benefits of law enforcement agencies with limited finances or personnel. From this study it is seen that traffic stops made within defined cluster or hot spot areas are more effective in resulting in OVI arrests.     

Spatial relationships between alcohol outlet densities and drunk driving crashes: An empirical study of Tianjin in China

Introduction: Numerous studies have demonstrated the close relationship between alcohol availability and alcohol-related crashes. However, there is still a lack of spatial empirical analysis regarding this relationship, particularly in large cities of developing countries. Differences in alcohol outlets and drinking patterns in these cities may lead to quite different patterns of crash outcomes. Method: 3356 alcohol-related crashes were collected from the blood-alcohol test report of a forensic institution in Tianjin, China. Density of alcohol outlets such as retail locations, entertainment venues, restaurants, hotels, and companies were extracted based on 2114 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) together with the residential and demographic characteristics. After applying the exploratory spatial data analysis, this research developed and compared the traditional Ordinary Least Square model (OLS), Spatial Lag Model (SLM), Spatial Error Model (SEM) and Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to explore spatial effects of all the variables. Results: The results of incremental spatial autocorrelation show that the most significant distance threshold of alcohol-related roadway traffic crashes is 3 km. The SDM is found to be the optimal spatial model to characterize the relationship between alcohol outlets and crashes. The number of alcohol-involved traffic crashes is positively related to population density and retail density, but negatively related to the company density, hotel density, and residential density within the same TAZ. Meanwhile, dense population and hotels have reverse spillover effects in adjacent zones. Conclusions: The significant spatial direct effect and spillover effect of alcohol outlet densities on drunk driving crashes should not be neglected. These findings could help improve transportation planning, traffic law enforcement and traffic management for large cities in developing countries.     

The effects of drug and alcohol consumption on driver injury severities in single-vehicle crashes

Objective: It is well known that alcohol and drugs influence driving behavior by affecting the central nervous system, awareness, vision, and perception/reaction times, but the resulting effect on driver injuries in car crashes is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting the injury severities of unimpaired, alcohol-impaired, and drug-impaired drivers.

Method: The current article applies a random parameters logit model to study the differences in injury severities among unimpaired, alcohol-impaired, and drug-impaired drivers. Using data from single-vehicle crashes in Cook County, Illinois, over a 9-year period from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2012, separate models for unimpaired, alcohol-impaired, and drug-impaired drivers were estimated. A wide range of variables potentially affecting driver injury severity was considered, including roadway and environmental conditions, driver attributes, time and location of the crash, and crash-specific factors.

Results: The estimation results show significant differences in the determinants of driver injury severities across groups of unimpaired, alcohol-impaired, and drug-impaired drivers. The findings also show that unimpaired drivers are understandably more responsive to variations in lighting, adverse weather, and road conditions, but these drivers also tend to have much more heterogeneity in their behavioral responses to these conditions, relative to impaired drivers. In addition, age and gender were found to be important determinants of injury severity, but the effects varied significantly across all drivers, particularly among alcohol-impaired drivers.

Conclusions: The model estimation results show that statistically significant differences exist in driver injury severities among the unimpaired, alcohol-impaired, and drug-impaired driver groups considered. Specifically, we find that unimpaired drivers tend to have more heterogeneity in their injury outcomes in the presence potentially adverse weather and road surface conditions. This makes sense because one would expect unimpaired drivers to apply their full knowledge/judgment range to deal with these conditions, and the variability of this range across the driver population (with different driving experiences, etc.) should be great. In contrast, we find, for the most part, that alcohol-impaired and drug-impaired drivers have far less heterogeneity in the factors that affect injury severity, suggesting an equalizing effect resulting from the decision-impairing substance.     

Validity of police-reported alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes in the United States between 1982 and 2005

Objective

To examine the validity of police-reported alcohol data for drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes.

Material and Methods

We determined the availability of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and police-reported alcohol data on 157,702 drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes between 1982 - 2005 using Fatality Analysis and Reporting System (FARS) data. Drivers were categorized as motor carrier drivers if they operated a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds. Otherwise, they were classified as non motor carrier drivers. The sensitivity and specificity of police-reported alcohol involvement were estimated for both driver types.

Results

Of the 157,702 drivers, 18% had no alcohol information, 15% had BAC results, 42% had police-reported alcohol data, and 25% had both. Alcohol information varied significantly by driver, crash, and vehicle characteristics. For example, motor carrier drivers were significantly more likely (51%) to have BAC testing results compared to non motor carrier drivers (31%) (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of police-reported alcohol involvement for a BAC level ≥ 0.08 was 83% (95% CI 79%, 86%) for motor carrier drivers and 90% (95% CI 89%, 90%) for non motor carrier drivers. The specificity rates were 96% (95% CI 95%, 96%) and 91% (95% CI 90%, 91%), respectively.

Conclusions

The sensitivity and specificity of police-reported alcohol involvement are reasonably high for drivers involved in fatal motor carrier crashes. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which the accuracy of police-reported alcohol involvement may be overestimated because of verification bias.

Impact on the Industry

Based on the results of this study, the federal government should continue to work with states to strengthen their strategies to increase chemical testing of all drivers involved in fatal crashes.     

Influence of built environment and roadway characteristics on the frequency of vehicle crashes caused by driver inattention: A comparison between rural roads and urban roads

Introduction: With prevalent and increased attention to driver inattention (DI) behavior, this research provides a comprehensive investigation of the influence of built environment and roadway characteristics on the DI-related vehicle crash frequency per year. Specifically, a comparative analysis between DI-related crash frequency in rural road segments and urban road segments is conducted. Method: Utilizing DI-related crash data collected from North Carolina for the period 2013–2017, three types of models: (1) Poisson/negative binomial (NB) model, (2) Poisson hurdle (HP) model/negative binomial hurdle (HNB) model, and (3) random intercepts Poisson hurdle (RIHP) model/random intercepts negative binomial hurdle (RIHNB) model, are applied to handle excessive zeros and unobserved heterogeneity in the dataset. Results: The results show that RIHP and RIHNB models distinctly outperform other models in terms of goodness-of-fit. The presence of commercial areas is found to increase the probability and frequency of DI-related crashes in both rural and urban regions. Roadway characteristics (such as non-freeways, segments with multiple lanes, and traffic signals) are positively associated with increased DI-related crash counts, whereas state-secondary routes and speed limits (higher than 35 mph) are associated with decreased DI-related crash counts in rural and urban regions. Besides, horizontal curved and longitudinal bottomed segments and segments with double yellow lines/no passing zones are likely to have fewer DI-related crashes in urban areas. Medians in rural road segments are found to be effective to reduce DI-related crashes. Practical Applications: These findings provide a valuable understanding of the DI-related crash frequency for transportation agencies to propose effective countermeasures and safety treatments (e.g., dispatching more police enforcement or surveillance cameras in commercial areas, and setting more medians in rural roads) to mitigate the negative consequences of DI behavior.     

The effectiveness of alternative transportation programs in reducing impaired driving: A literature review and synthesis

Introduction: Studies have shown that approximately half of arrested intoxicated drivers had their last alcoholic drink at a licensed bar or restaurant. Current efforts to prevent intoxicated patrons from leaving licensed establishments and driving home have been only partially successful. Since a high proportion of drinkers drive to their drinking destination, promoting the use of alternative transportation (AT) – including safe ride shuttles, free or subsidized taxi and ridesharing services, voluntary or paid designated driver programs, and more accessible public transportation – is an important strategy for preventing impaired driving. The primary goal of this study was to review and synthesize the findings of research studies designed to test the effectiveness of AT programs in reducing alcohol-impaired driving. A secondary goal was to report if using AT has led to any unintended consequences, in particular greater alcohol consumption. Method: We identified relevant academic articles, new articles, government reports, and other documents (English only) through the University of Chicago library, Google Scholar, and Google Search. We also included published articles recommended by peers. Key search terms included: alternative transportation; safe rides; designated driver; alcohol-impaired driving; alcohol consumption, cost effectiveness; and reduce drunk driving. Initially, we identified 168 potentially relevant sources, of which only 57 were academic articles. After a thorough review, we narrowed down the number of relevant articles to 125 including some background articles and government reports. Results: Some AT programs produced reductions in one or more of the following outcomes: (1) impaired driving; (2) impaired driving crashes; (3) driving under the influence (DUI) arrests; and (4) traffic crashes in general, but others were not shown to be effective. A few programs resulted in greater self-reported alcohol use, but there were no significant findings indicating that drinking when using AT led to an increase in alcohol-related harms such as public intoxication, assaults, or other alcohol-related crime. Of the studies that conducted a cost-benefit analysis, most showed that AT programs yielded a positive benefit, but these studies did not include a sufficient number of variables to be considered true cost-benefit analyses. Conclusions: There is mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of AT programs. Evaluations with more rigorous quasi-experimental and experimental designs are needed to identify which types of AT programs work best for different types of communities and target groups. Practical Applications: The literature review and synthesis revealed that the most successful AT programs typically have some of these attributes: (1) social acceptance; (2) high level of public awareness; (3) low cost; (4) year-round availability; (5) provide rides to and from drinking venues; (6) several sponsors that provide funding); (7) user convenience; and (8) perceived safety.     

The effects of airbags and seatbelts on occupant injury in longitudinal barrier crashes

Introduction

Longitudinal barriers, such as guardrails, are designed to prevent a vehicle that leaves the roadway from impacting a more dangerous object while minimizing the risk of injury to the vehicle occupants. Current full-scale test procedures for these devices do not consider the effect of occupant restraints such as seatbelts and airbags. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which restraints are used or deployed in longitudinal barrier collisions and their subsequent effect on occupant injury.

Methods

Binary logistic regression models were generated to predict occupant injury risk using data from the National Automotive Sampling System / Crashworthiness Data System from 1997 through 2007.

Results

In tow-away longitudinal barrier crashes, airbag deployment rates were 70% for airbag-equipped vehicles. Compared with unbelted occupants without an airbag available, seat belt restrained occupants with an airbag available had a dramatically decreased risk of receiving a serious (MAIS 3+) injury (odds-ratio (OR) = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.004-0.24). A similar decrease was observed among those restrained by seat belts, but without an airbag available (OR = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.001- 0.79). No significant differences in risk of serious injuries were observed between unbelted occupants with an airbag available compared with unbelted occupants without an airbag available (OR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.10-2.68).

Impact on Industry

This study refutes the perception in the roadside safety community that airbags rarely deploy in frontal barrier crashes, and suggests that current longitudinal barrier occupant risk criteria may over-estimate injury potential for restrained occupants involved in a longitudinal barrier crash.     

Exploring the effects of state highway safety laws and sociocultural characteristics on fatal crashes

Objective: Distinguished from the traditional perspectives in crash analyses, which examined the effects of geometric design features, traffic factors, and other relevant attributes on the crash frequencies of roadway entities, our study focuses on exploring the effects of highway safety laws, as well as sociocultural characteristics, on fatal crashes across states.

Methods: Law and regulation related data were collected from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, State Highway Safety Offices, and Governors Highway Safety Association. A variety of sociodemographic characteristics were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, cultural factors and other attributes from a variety of resources are considered and incorporated in the modeling process. These data and fatal crash counts were collected for the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and were analyzed using zero-truncated negative binomial (ZTNB) regression models.

Results: The results show that, in law and regulation–related factors, the use of speed cameras, no handheld cell phone ban, limited handheld cell phone ban, and no text messaging ban are found to have significant effects on fatal crashes. Regarding sociocultural characteristics, married couples with both husband and wife in the labor force are found to be associated with lower crash frequencies, the ratios of workers traveling to work by carpool, those driving alone, workers working outside the county of residence, language other than English and limited English fluency, and the number of licensed drivers are found to be associated with higher crash frequencies.

Conclusions: Through reviewing and modeling existing state highway safety laws and sociocultural characteristics, the results reveal new insights that could influence policy making. In addition, the results would benefit amending existing laws and regulations and provide testimony about highway safety issues before lawmakers consider new legislation.     

A cross-country comparison of short- and long-term effects of an ergonomic intervention on musculoskeletal discomfort, eyestrain and psychosocial stress in VDT operators: selected aspects of the international project.

Three groups of data entry female visual display terminal (VDT) workers from Norway (n = 30), Poland (n = 33) and the USA (n = 29) were compared. Before intervention, the Norwegian group reported more neck pain compared with the Polish group. The Polish group reported less shoulder pain than both the U.S. and the Norwegian groups. The clinical examination documented fewer symptoms and signs of musculoskeletal illness among the Polish participants compared with the Norwegian and the U.S. groups. After intervention, the Norwegian group reported a reduction in neck pain while the U.S. group reported a reduction in shoulder pain. The Polish group reported an increase in neck, shoulder and forearm pain at follow-up compared to after intervention. The Polish group recorded higher flexion of the upper arm at follow-up parallel with an increase of pain in the upper part of the body. Visual discomfort showed variable results in the 3 countries.     

Exploring differences between self-report and electrophysiological indices of drowsy driving: A usability examination of a personal brain-computer interface device

IntroductionImpaired driving has resulted in numerous accidents, fatalities, and costly damage. One particularly concerning type of impairment is driver drowsiness. Despite advancements, modern vehicle safety systems remain ineffective at keeping drowsy drivers alert and aware of their state, even temporarily. Until recently the use of user-centric brain-computer interface (BCI) devices to capture electrophysiological data relating to driver drowsiness has been limited. Method: In this study, 25 participants drove on a simulated roadway under drowsy conditions. Results: Neither subjective nor electrophysiological measures differed between individuals who showed overt signs of drowsiness (prolonged eye closure) during the drive. However, the directionality and effect size estimates provided by the BCI device suggested the practicality and feasibility of its future implementation in vehicle safety systems. Practical applications: This research highlights opportunities for future BCI device research for use to assess the state of drowsy drivers in a real-world context.     

The effects of mobile speed camera introduction on road traffic crashes and casualties in a rural county of England

PROBLEM: This study assesses the impact of crash and casualty numbers in correspondence to the introduction of mobile speed cameras in the rural county of Norfolk, England. METHOD: Road traffic accident casualty and crash data were collected for two years before the introduction of cameras and two years subsequently. The casualties and crashes occurring at 29 camera sites were identified and separated from those occurring in the rest of the county. Trends in crashes and casualties, and their severity, were examined graphically and comparisons were made between before and after periods. The regression to the mean effect at individual sites was estimated. RESULTS: After the introduction of cameras, overall crashes declined by 1% and crashes involving fatalities or serious injuries declined by 9% on the roads without cameras. At the camera sites, crashes decreased by 19% and fatal and serious crashes by 44%. The reduction in total crashes was significantly greater than that expected from the effect of regression to the mean in 12 out of 20 sites tested. SUMMARY: The introduction of cameras appears to have resulted in real and measurable reductions in crash risk in this rural county. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Our results suggest the deployment of mobile speed cameras is an effective tool for organizations wishing to reduce road traffic casualties in areas where high crash rates have been associated with excessive vehicle speeds.     

A Bayesian assessment of the effect of highway bypasses in Iowa on crashes and crash rate

Introduction

A common contention is that the construction of highway bypasses negatively impacts the economy of local communities by reducing pass-by traffic for businesses. However, as access to specific business' account records is limited, this impact is difficult to quantify. Another common contention is that bypasses contribute to a reduction in overall crashes in the community and in the surrounding areas. Even though a large number of bypasses have been constructed in the State of Iowa over the past several years, their actual impact in terms of traffic safety has not been quantified.

Objectives

This study seeks answers to the following questions: (a) Are bypasses in Iowa associated with a reduction in crash frequencies and crash rates on the bypassed highway? (b) Do bypasses in Iowa introduce a reduction of overall crash frequencies and rates or do they merely shift crashes from the highways through the communities to the bypasses with no significant overall reduction?

Method

We obtained crash information from the Iowa DOT at 19 sites on which a bypass was constructed sometime during the past 23 years. We also obtained the same information at six sites used as comparison sites on which no bypasses were constructed at least until 2005. We them employed a Bayesian approach to estimating the association between the construction of the bypass and crash rates, while also accounting for other factors.

Results

The construction of bypasses in Iowa is associated with a significant increase in traffic safety both on the main road through town and on the combined main road and bypass roadway.     

The effects of arm posture and holding time on holding capability and muscle activity

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of arm posture and holding time on human holding capability and resulting muscle activity. Fifteen healthy young males were recruited as participants. Maximum holding capacity was examined at 0 (degrees of shoulder forward flexion angle)/90 (degrees of elbow angle), 30/120 and 90/180 arm postures. Maximum acceptable weight of holding was evaluated in three arm postures (0/90, 30/120, 90/180) by three holding times (10?s, 20?s, 30?s). The greatest and lowest maximum holding capacity or maximum acceptable weight of holding occurred at 0/90 and 90/180 arm postures, respectively. Maximum acceptable weight of holding decreased with increasing holding time. While holding maximum acceptable weights, the % of maximum voluntary contraction of brachioradialis, biceps brachii and erector spinae ranged from 14 to 44%, from 14 to 53% and from 25 to 36%, respectively.     

A comparison between superfine magnesium hydroxide powders and commercial dry powders on fire suppression effectiveness

The effectiveness of superfine magnesium hydroxide powders and commercial dry powder in fire suppression were compared in a laboratory-scale, immovable fire suppression apparatus. The investigation focused on their suppression effectiveness under various pressures. It likewise studied the relationship between the powders’ surface structures and their effectiveness on fire suppression. The microcosmic structure of the powders was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the Thermal Gravity Analysis (TGA) technique was used to analyze the thermal behavior of the superfine magnesium hydroxide powders. By analyzing the results, it could be concluded that the pressure, the particle size, and the microcosmic structure of the powders’ surface mainly decide the capability of the powders to extinguish the fire. Comparing this with commercial dry powders, superfine magnesium hydroxide powders extinguished the fire in less than 10 s.     

Severity of accidents with hazardous materials A comparison between transportation and fixed installations

A review of accident case histories relevant to hazardous materials has been performed. From the literature, 1793 accident case histories involving hazardous materials were identified, most of them from the period 1960–1988. Of these 1793 accidents, 39% happened during transportation. In 682 accidents the consequences included fatalities, and of these 27% involved the transportation of hazardous materials. The accumulated frequency-fatality curves (so-called fN curves) have been constructed and are close to straight lines with a slope of –1, indicating that the probability of having an accident with, for instance, more than one hundred fatalities is approximately ten times lower than the probability of having an accident with more than ten fatalities. The accidents were grouped according to transportation type, and the difference between the various groups was tested using a standard χ² approach. No significant difference between fixed installations and transportation was found for accidents having consequences above three fatalities. Differences were found between Western Europe and North America and the rest of the world. Once an accident has happened, it seems to have more severe effects outside Western Europe and North America, both for transportation accidents and fixed installations. Comparison of fN curves for Western Europe and North America from different time periods did not show significant differences, indicating that once an accident has happened, it has the same probability of escalating now, as it had 20 years ago.     

The effects of attitude,subjective norm and self-efficacy on intention to benchmark: a comparison between managers with experience and no experience in benchmarking

Competitive benchmarking is a management technique used to compare company performance. The practices and processes of one's own organization are compared with the best performance of other organizations to set targets and learn ways to make improvements. Drawing on Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behaviour, we examined the effects of attitude, subjective norm and self-efficacy on managers' intentions to undertake benchmarking in their organization. A sample of 49 managers with benchmarking experience was compared with 46 managers with no experience of the practice. Consistent with the theory of planned behaviour, attitude and subjective norm were significant predictors of intention to benchmark. However, contrary to the theory, self-efficacy was not a significant predictor. For managers with benchmarking experience, attitudinal beliefs toward the technique was the strongest predictor of benchmarking intention. For managers with no benchmarking experience, normative beliefs about the views of key groups such as senior management and employees, was the strongest predictor of intention to benchmark. These findings support the possibilities of refinement of the theory of planned behaviour to postulate the primacy of subjective norms in introduction of group behaviour and attitude primacy in continuation of group behaviour. The findings are also discussed in relation to beliefs about benchmarking and for preparing managers who are about to introduce or continue a benchmarking programme.     

Inhibiting effects by Fe2O3 on combustion and explosion characteristics of ABS resin

The global increase in the use of, and reliance on, plastics has prompted the demand for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin in various fields. With this increased requirement, numerous failures have occurred in the ABS process. Those incidents, resulting from electrostatic discharge, powder accumulation, heat accumulation, construction sparks, and plant fires, have caused dust fire and explosions.In this study, the ABS resin was gleaned from the site and tested for its explosion parameters, including minimum ignition temperature of dust cloud (MIT_C), minimum ignition energy (MIE), and minimum explosion concentration (MEC). To improve loss prevention in the manufacturing process, ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) as an inert additive was added in the ABS powder. According to the MIE test, Fe₂O₃ has an apparent inhibiting effect on dust explosion for the ABS dust. With the proportion of Fe₂O₃ increased from 25 to 50 mass% in ABS, the MIE increased from 67 to 540 mJ. The explosion tests via 20-L apparatus indicated that Fe₂O₃ mixed with ABS could not increase the MEC significantly. However, the explosion pressure dropped by increasing in the ratio of Fe₂O₃ in ABS. This inerting strategy of ABS was deemed to substantially lessen the probability and severity of fire and explosion.     

Results from a national survey of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel on impaired driving in Canada: A “System Improvements” perspective

Introduction

This article summarizes the main findings from a study designed to examine the legal process in Canada as it applies to alcohol-impaired driving from the point of view of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel, and to identify evidentiary or procedural factors that may impact the legal process, the rights of the accused, and interactions of all parts in the legal process.

Method

The data in this study were collected by means of a survey that was mailed out to the population of Crown prosecutors and defense counsel in Canada. In total, 765 prosecutors and 270 defense lawyers or an estimated 33% of all Canadian prosecutors and 15% of defense lawyers completed and returned the questionnaire. The "systems improvement" paradigm was used to interpret the findings and draw conclusions. Such an approach acknowledges the importance of the context in which countermeasures are implemented and delivered and the structures or entities used to deliver countermeasures to a designated target group.

Results

Results on type of charges and breath alcohol concentration, caseload, case outcomes, case preparation time, conviction rate at trial and overall conviction rate, reasons for acquittals and time to resolve cases are described.

Discussion

The findings from this national survey suggest that there are important challenges within the criminal justice system that impede the effective and efficient processing of impaired driving cases. Some of these challenges occur as a function of practices and policies, while others occur as a function of legislation.

Impact on industry

This study illustrates that a "system improvements" approach that acknowledges the importance of all elements of the criminal justice system and the interaction between those elements, can be beneficial in overcoming the alcohol-impaired driving problem.