WalkSafe: a school-based pedestrian safety intervention program

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the WalkSafe program, an elementary school-based pedestrian safety program in a single high-risk district in Miami-Dade County. METHODS: Sixteen elementary schools were identified in a single high-risk district and enrolled in a one-year study. All schools implemented the WalkSafe program on the last week of January 2003. A pre, post, and three-month post testing of pedestrian safety knowledge was conducted. An observational component was also implemented at four schools that were randomly chosen. Engineering recommendations and law enforcement initiatives were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 6467 children from K-5th grade from 16 elementary schools participated in the program. Of these 5762 tests were collected over three different testing times. A significant difference (p-value < 0.001) was found between the pre and post testing conditions across all grade levels. There was no significant difference found between the post and three-month post testing conditions across all grade levels (p-value > 0.05). The observational data collected at four schools across the different testing times demonstrated a significant difference found between pre and post testing conditions for Group A (stop at the curb and look left, right, left) and also for Group B (midstreet crossing and darting out) (p-value < 0.05). There was no difference found between comparing the pre-test or post-test condition with the three-month post-test time. There were many environmental modifications that were recommended and actually performed. CONCLUSION: The WalkSafe program implemented in a single high-risk district was shown to improve the pedestrian safety knowledge of elementary school children. The observational data demonstrated improved crossing behaviors from pre-test to post-testing conditions. Future research will focus on sustaining the program in this district and expanding the program throughout our county.     

Trespassing on the tracks: a review of railway pedestrian safety research

INTRODUCTION: Train-pedestrian collisions have been shown to be the leading cause of fatality in train-related accidents worldwide, yet there is remarkably little research in this area. METHOD: In this paper, the major types of railway transportation accident research are briefly highlighted to indicate the general context of research concerning train-pedestrian collisions, which are then reviewed. Themes emerging from the diverse research are identified, the various strategies that have been proposed for prevention of railway pedestrian accidents are discussed, and the empirical evidence for their efficacy examined in the light of the much more extensive literature on road pedestrian accidents. Finally, it is proposed that application of current theory in behavioral and cognitive psychology may usefully inform future research in transportation safety.     

Parental risk perceptions of childhood pedestrian road safety: a cross cultural comparison

INTRODUCTION: This cross-sectional community-based randomized telephone survey, aimed to compare the parental risk perceptions on childhood pedestrian road safety among three different major community language speaking groups and the mainstream English speaking Australians in Sydney, Australia. METHOD: This was a community-based telephone survey with subjects randomly selected from the population of specific cultural languages in Sydney. RESULTS: Results indicated that Chinese and Arabic speaking parents or caregivers perceived the road environments as significantly less hazardous for their 4-12 year old children as pedestrians when compared with Vietnamese and English speaking parents. This was true even after adjusting for the age of child, socioeconomic status, and the living environments of respondents. CONCLUSION: The implication of the results was discussed in light of possible application to childhood safety behavior across different cultures. IMPACT TO THE INDUSTRY: The results obtained have highlighted the importance of cultural factors in risk perceptions, and safety behaviors. Cultural differences in risk perceptions should be taken into consideration in the design of safety education programs.     

Job level risk assessment using task level strain index scores: a pilot study.

This paper explores 2 methods of modifying the Strain Index (SI) to assess the ergonomic risk of multi-task jobs. Twenty-eight automotive jobs (15 cases and 13 controls) were studied. The first method is based on the maximum task SI score, and the second method is modeled on the NIOSH Composite Lifting Index (CLI) algorithm, named cumulative assessment of risk to the distal upper extremity (CARD). Significant odds ratios of 11 (CI 1.7-69) and 24 (CI 2.4-240) were obtained using the modified maximum task and CARD, respectively. This indicates that modification of the SI may be useful in determining the risk of distal upper extremity injury associated with a multi-task job.     

Behavior of children and accompanying adults at a pedestrian crosswalk

Children and accompanying adults were observed while using a pedestrian crosswalk on the way to or from kindergarten or primary school. The results of this study corroborate earlier findings that accompaniment was less than complete, that adults can set much better examples in various respects and that accompanied children often show no awareness of actively participating in the road crossing task. The solution provided by a two-dimensional scaling analysis of child and adult behavioral data illustrates that adults perform better in some respects than children, but not in all. From the results of this study, five recommendations are made concerning topics that need more emphasis in road safety programs aimed at parents.     

Socioeconomic status and the occurrence of non-fatal child pedestrian injury: Results from a cross-sectional survey

This study is to examine the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) to the risk of nonfatal pedestrian injury among children. The sample was obtained from two urban cities of China using multi-staged randomized sampling. Information was collected by respondents’ reporting using self-administrative way in the classroom under the guidance of interviewers. A logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the associations between SES and nonfatal children pedestrian injury. The results showed that boys and children aged 10 had significantly increased odds of suffering nonfatal pedestrian injury. Migrant children were at higher risk of being injured. Students whose mothers’ educational levels were either less than secondary school or postgraduate were more likely to sustain injury. Children who were from wealthier families or poorer families easily suffered from injury compared to children from middle families. Children living with grandparents, or siblings, or a single father, or a single mother were all at increased risk of injury. The possible causes or pathways of these SESs’ impacts on pedestrian injury were explored in discussion. This study suggests that SESs are important determinants of nonfatal pedestrian injury among children in China.     

Development and evaluation of a risk management methodology for pedestrian surfaces

This paper describes the development and evaluation of the Pedestrian Surface (PS) priority indicator (PS priority indicator). This tool was developed to comply with Australian Standard AS 4360: 2004 (Risk Management). Pedestrian surfaces should be evaluated to identify hazards and assess the level of risk calculated in order to ensure that the surfaces do not have a significant level of risk. If a significant level of risk is present, then control measures should be implemented. Pedestrian surfaces for the purposes of this research are classified as same level surfaces (excluding stairways) where pedestrians on foot (or by wheelchair) travel from one place to another.     

Job level risk assessment using task level ACGIH hand activity level TLV scores: a pilot study.

Existing upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder analytical tools are primarily intended for single or mono-task jobs. However, many jobs contain more than 1 task and some include job rotation. This case/control study investigates methods of modifying an existing tool, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Hand Activity Level (HAL) Threshold Limit Value (TLV), to assess the upper extremity risk of multi-task jobs. Various methods of combining the task differences and ratios into a job level assessment were explored. Two methods returned significant odds ratios, (p < .05) of 18.0 (95% CI 1.8-172) and 12.0 (95% CI 1.2-120). These results indicate that a modified ACGIH HAL TLV may provide insight into the work-related risk of multi-task jobs. Further research is needed to optimize this process.     

Observation study of pedestrian flow on staircases with different dimensions under normal and emergency conditions

Compared with horizontal motion, there were several characteristics in staircase movement. This study focused on the movement characteristics in staircases of typical student crowds and the quantitative relations of flow rate-speed-density in different dimensions of staircases and different circumstances were obtained. Basic data concerning daily movement when classes were over and an evacuation drill for college students was collected through analysis of video observation. From the analysis, the following conclusions can be given: some typical characteristics of pedestrian movement in staircases were found, such as queuing behavior at platform, merging flow at staircase entrance, and subgroup behavior. Movement on stairs was markedly slower than the horizontal motions. In normal condition, the number and initial speed of students entering the staircase affected observably the pedestrians flow, and the impact of staircase attributes (riser, tread, slope, etc.) cannot be neglected. In different conditions, the characteristics of pedestrian movement were quite different, and the influence of the speed on the density was more significant in the emergency condition. The study highlighted the amassment phenomenon at the bottom of the staircase and the potential influence of stair widths to evacuation efficiency in evacuation drill.     

A study on chest injury mechanism and the effectiveness of a headform impact test for pedestrian chest protection from vehicle collisions

This study was aimed at investigating the injury mechanism of pedestrian chests in collisions with passenger vehicles of various frontal shapes and examining the influence of the local structural stiffness on the chest injury risk by using the headform impact test at the chest contact area of the vehicle. Three simulations of vehicle to pedestrian collisions were conducted using three validated pedestrian finite element (FE) models of three pedestrian heights of 177 (AM50th), 165 and 150 cm and three FE vehicles models representing a one-box vehicle, a minicar and a medium car. The validity of the vehicle models was evaluated by comparing the headform acceleration against the measured responses from headform impact tests. The chest impact kinematics and the injury mechanisms were analyzed in terms of the distribution of the von Mises stress of the ribcage and in terms of the chest deflections. The chest contact locations on the front panel and the bonnet top were identified in connection to the causation of rib fractures. The risk of rib fractures was predicted by using the von Mises stress distribution. The headform impact tests were carried out at the chest contact area on the front panel and bonnet to examine the safety performance with respect to pedestrian chest protection. In simulations of the one-box vehicle to pedestrian collisions, the chest was struck directly by the frontal structure at a high velocity and deformed substantially, since a shear force was generated by the stiff windshield frame. The acceleration of the headform was related to the rib deflections. The injury threshold of the ribcage deflection (42 mm) corresponded to the headform average acceleration of 68 G. In the minicar collision, the chest was struck with the bonnet top and cowl area at a low velocity, and the deformation was small due to the distributed contact force between the chest and the bonnet top. Besides, the ribcage deformation was too small for bridging a relation between the headform accelerations and rib deflections. In the medium car collision, the deformation mode of the chest was similar to that in the minicar collision. The chest collided with the bonnet top at a low velocity and deformed uniformly. The deflection of the ribs had an observable correlation with the headform accelerations measured in the headform impact tests. The frontal shape of a vehicle has a large influence on a pedestrian’s chest loadings, and the chest deformation depends on the size of the pedestrian and the stiffness of the vehicle. The one-box passenger vehicle causes a high chest injury risk. The headform impactor test can be utilized for the evaluation of the local stiffness of a vehicle’s frontal structure. The reduction of the headform acceleration is an effective measure for pedestrian chest protection for specific shapes of vehicles by efficacy in modifying the local structural stiffness.     

基于个体能力差异的人员疏散微观模型研究

在人员疏散过程中,个体能力的差异会对疏散结果造成影响.本文引入个体的竞争能力、个体的承受能力和个体的承受极限等与个体能力相关的概念,在Agent建模思想指导下,建立一种人员疏散微观模型,并对疏散情形和不同能力个体的疏散差异进行仿真分析.     

Slipping on pedestrian surfaces: methods for measuring and evaluating the slip resistance

Tripping, slipping and falling accidents are among the types of accident with a high incidence. This article describes the requirements concerning slip resistance, as well as the state of the art of slip resistance measurement standards in the European Community and the USA. The article also describes how risk assessment can be performed in the field.     

Road traffic deaths in Brazil: rising trends in pedestrian and motorcycle occupant deaths

Objective: According to the World Health Organization, the global burden of road traffic mortality exceeds 1.27 million people annually; over 90 percent occur in low- and middle-income countries. Brazil's road traffic mortality rate of ～20 per 100,000 is significantly higher than nearby Chile or Argentina. To date, there has been very little information published on road traffic fatalities among vulnerable road users (VRUs) in Brazil. Methods: Road traffic fatality data from 2000 to 2008 were extracted from Brazil's Mortality Information System (SIM). Road traffic deaths were extracted using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) V-codes (V01-V89) and then subcategorized by VRU categories. Information was then disaggregated by gender, age, and region. Results: In 2008, 39,211 deaths due to road traffic injuries were recorded in Brazil, resulting in a crude mortality rate of 20.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. Pedestrian mortality averaged 5.46 deaths per 100,000 between 2000 and 2008. The mortality rate for elderly pedestrians (80+ years) is 20.1 per 100,000, over 10 times that of 0- to 9-year-olds. In the past decade, motorcycle occupant mortality has dramatically increased by over 300 percent from 1.5 per 100,000 in 2000 to 4.7 per 100,000 in 2008. The 20- to 29-year age group remains most affected by motorcycle deaths, with a peak fatality rate of 10.76 per 100,000 in 2008. The north and northeast regions, with the lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP), have higher proportions of VRU deaths compared with other regions. Conclusions: Vulnerable road users are contributing an increasing proportion of the road traffic fatalities in Brazil. Nationally, elderly pedestrians are at particularly high risk and motorcycle fatalities are increasing at a rapid rate. Less prosperous regions have higher proportions of VRU deaths. Understanding the epidemiology of road traffic mortality in vulnerable road user categories will better allow for targeted interventions to reduce these preventable deaths.     

工艺变更管理在长北项目应用探讨

针对长北项目工艺变更管理的情况,阐述了长北项目工艺变更管理在程序控制、技术支持和审核保证等方面的优势,分析了目前长北项目工艺变更管理存在的问题,提出了解决建议。并通过实例讲解工艺变更管理在长北项目的应用,对于提高合作项目工艺变更管理水平,提升HSE业绩有一定借鉴意义。     

A study of pedestrian and bicyclist exposure to head injury in passenger car collisions based on accident data and simulations

The objective was to assess head injury risks and kinematics of adult pedestrians and bicyclists in primary impact to the passenger cars and secondary impact to the ground using real world accident data and computer reconstructions of the accidents. For this purpose, a subsample of 402 pedestrians and 940 bicyclists from the GIDAS database, Germany, was used for the statistical analysis, from which 22 pedestrian and 18 bicyclist accidents were further selected for reconstruction. PC-Crash was used to calculate impact conditions, such as vehicle impact velocity, vehicle kinematic sequence, and thrown distance. These conditions were employed to identify the initial conditions in reconstruction in MADYMO program. A comparable analysis was conducted based on the results from accident analysis and computer reconstructions for the impact configurations and the resulting injury patterns of pedestrians and bicyclists in view of head injury risks. Differences in HIC, head-relative impact velocity, linear acceleration, maximum angular velocity and acceleration, contact force, thrown distance, Wrap Around Distance (WAD), and head contact time were evaluated. Injury risk curves were generated by using a logistic regression model for vehicle impact velocity. The results indicate that bicyclists suffered less severe injuries compared with severity of pedestrian injuries. In the selected samples, the AIS 2+ and AIS 3+ head injury risks for pedestrians are 50% probability at impact speed of 38.87 km/h and 54.39 km/h respectively, while for bicyclists at 53.66 km/h and 58.89 km/h respectively. The findings of high injury risks suggested that in the area with high frequency car-pedestrian accidents, the vehicle speed limit should be 40 km/h, while in the area with high frequency car-cyclist accidents the vehicle speed limit should be 50 km/h.     

北方县城生活垃圾填埋场的探讨

本文对垃圾填埋场垃圾处理工艺进行阐述,详细描述垃圾填埋场建设内容,并对垃圾填埋场建设的必要性进行分析。