Implementation of Washington State's zero tolerance law: patterns of arrests, dispositions, and recidivism

OBJECTIVES: Zero tolerance (ZT) laws have been effective in reducing alcohol-related crashes among underage drivers. However, enforcement in some states has not been rigorous, and ZT offenses may not be viewed as serious offenses. On July 1, 1994, the state of Washington implemented a ZT law that allowed police to request a test for alcohol on suspicion of either a ZT or driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offense. The present study examined effects of the ZT law on arrests and case dispositions among underage offenders as a function of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and post-law patterns of recidivism. METHODS: Times-series analyses examined the effects of the ZT law on trends in arrests of underage drivers between 1991 and 1999. Based on arrest records matched with driver's license records, the effects of the law on dispositions of alcohol-related offenses among underage drivers were examined, and rates of recidivism among underage offenders were examined for the period following the ZT law. RESULTS: There was a substantial increase in arrests of underage drivers beginning immediately after implementation of the ZT law, especially among drivers with low BACs. The types of court or administrative dispositions received by underage offenders changed markedly after the ZT law was implemented. Underage offenders with lower BACs became far more likely to receive alcohol-related convictions and/or license suspensions. However, the percentage of underage offenders with higher BACs receiving DUI convictions declined as some of these offenders received the lesser ZT disposition. After the ZT law, underage offenders with BACs of 0.10 g/dL or higher were more likely to recidivate than those with lower BACs, but appreciable proportions of drivers were re-arrested for another alcohol offense, whatever the BAC and however they were penalized. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of Washington's law indicates that a ZT law can increase the likelihood that an underage person will be sanctioned for drinking and driving. However, recidivism remains an issue as more than one in four underage drivers arrested with low BACs subsequently were re-arrested.     

Head injuries in child pedestrian accidents--in-depth case analysis and reconstructions

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate head injuries, injury risks, and corresponding tolerance levels of children in car-to--child pedestrian collisions. METHODS: An in-depth accident analysis was carried out based on 23 accident cases involving child pedestrians. These cases were collected with detailed information about pedestrians, cars, and road environments. All 23 accidents were reconstructed using the MADYMO program with mathematical models of passenger cars and child pedestrians developed at Chalmers University of Technology. The contact properties of the car models were derived from the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) subsystem tests. RESULTS: The accident analysis demonstrated that the head was the most frequently and severely injured body part of child pedestrians. Most accidents occurred at impact speeds lower than 40 km/h and 98% of the child pedestrians were impacted from the lateral direction. The initial postures of children at the moment of impact were identified. Nearly half (47%) of the children were running, which was remarkable compared with the situation of adult pedestrians. From accident reconstructions it was found that head impact conditions and injury severities were dependent on the shape and stiffness of the car front, impact velocity, and stature of the child pedestrian. Head injury criteria and corresponding tolerance levels were analyzed and discussed by correlating the calculated injury parameters with the injury outcomes in the accidents. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing head injuries should be set as a priority in the protection of child pedestrians. HIC is an important injury criterion for predicting the risks of head injuries in child pedestrian accidents. The tolerance level of head injuries can have a considerable variation due to individual differences of the child pedestrians. By setting a suitable speed limit and improving the design of car front, the head injury severities of child pedestrians can be reduced.     

A new THOR shoulder design: a comparison with volunteers, the Hybrid III, and THOR NT

OBJECTIVE: Since the shoulders are rarely seriously injured in frontal or oblique collisions, they have been given low priority in the development of frontal impact crash test dummies. The shoulder complex geometry and its kinematics are of vital importance for the overall dummy kinematics. The shoulder complex also influences the risk of the safety belt slipping off the shoulder in oblique forward collisions. The first aim of this study was to develop a new 50th percentile male THOR shoulder design, while the second was to compare the new shoulder, mounted on a THOR NT dummy, with volunteer, THOR NT, and Hybrid III range of motion and stiffness data. The third aim was to test the repeatability of the new shoulder during dynamic testing and to see how the design behaves with respect to belt slippage in a 45 degrees far-side collision. METHODS: The new 50th percentile THOR shoulder design was developed with the aid of a shell model of the seated University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) 50th percentile male with coordinates for joints and bony landmarks (Schneider et al., 1983). The new shoulder design has human-like bony landmarks for the acromion and coracoid processes. The clavicle curvature and length are also made similar to that of a male human, as is the range of motion in the anterior-posterior, superior-inferior, and medial-lateral directions. The new shoulder design was manufactured and tested under the same conditions that T?rnvall et al. (2005b) used to compare the shoulder range of motion for the volunteers, Hybrid III, and THOR Alpha. The new design was also tested in two dynamic test configurations: the first was a 0 degrees full-frontal test and the second was a 45 degrees far-side test. The dummy tests were conducted with an R-16 seat with a three-point belt, the Delta V was 27.0+/-0.5 km/h and the maximum peak acceleration was approximately 14.6+/-0.5 g for each test. RESULTS: A new shoulder design with geometry close to that of humans was developed to be retrofitted to the THOR NT dummy. The results showed that the range of motion for the new shoulder complex during static loading was larger by at least a factor of three, for the maximum load (200 N/arm), than that of either the Hybrid III or the THOR NT; this means it was more similar to the volunteers' range of motion. It was observed that the THOR NT with the new shoulder did not slide out of the shoulder belt during a far-side collision. The performance of the new shoulder was reasonably repeatable and stable during both the static tests and the sled tests. CONCLUSION: A new shoulder for the THOR NT has been designed and developed, and data from static range of motion tests and sled tests indicate that the new shoulder complex has the potential to function in a more human-like manner on the THOR dummy.     

Choice of teenagers' vehicles and views on vehicle safety: survey of parents of novice teenage drivers

Objective

To examine parental decisions about vehicles driven by teenagers and parental knowledge of vehicle safety.

Methods

About 300 parents were interviewed during spring 2006 in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Rhode Island while teenagers took their first on-road driving tests.

Results

Fewer than half of parents surveyed said teenagers would be the primary drivers of the chosen vehicles. Parents most often cited safety, existing family vehicle, and reliability when explaining the choices for their teenagers’ vehicles. About half of the vehicles intended for teenagers were small/mini/sports cars, pickups, or SUVs — vehicles considered less safe for teenagers than midsize/large cars or minivans. A large majority of vehicles were 2001 models or earlier. Vehicles purchased in anticipation of adding a new driver to the family were more likely to be the sizes/types considered less safe than vehicles already owned. Few parents insisted on side airbags or electronic stability control, despite strong evidence of their safety benefits. Even when asked to identify ideal vehicles for their teenagers to drive, about half of parents identified less safe vehicle sizes/types. Most parents knew that midsize/large vehicles are safer than small vehicles, and at least half of parents said SUVs and pickups are not safe for teenage drivers, citing instability.

Conclusions

The majority of parents understood some of the important criteria for choosing safe vehicles for their teenagers. However, parents actually selected many vehicles for teenagers that provide inferior crash protection.

Impact on industry

Vehicle safety varies substantially by vehicle size, type, and safety features. Many teenagers are driving inferior vehicles in terms of crashworthiness and crash avoidance.     

地表UV-B辐射增强对土壤-冬小麦系统呼吸速率和N2O排放的影响

通过室外盆栽实验,用静态箱-气相色谱法测定土壤-冬小麦系统的呼吸速率和N₂O排放通量,研究了UV-B辐射增强20%对土壤-冬小麦系统的呼吸速率和N₂O排放的影响.结果表明,相同的气象条件和田间管理下,UV-B辐射增强处理对呼吸速率和N₂O排放的季节变化模式无明显影响.在返青期,UV-B辐射增强显著降低了土壤-冬小麦系统的呼吸速率,但对N₂O的排放通量没有产生显著影响;在拔节孕穗期,UV-B辐射增强处理显著降低了土壤-冬小麦系统的呼吸速率和N₂O的排放通量;在抽穗-成熟期,UV-B辐射增强处理对土壤-冬小麦系统的呼吸速率和N₂O的排放没有显著影响.返青-齐穗期,UV-B增强处理显著降低土壤-冬小麦系统的N₂O累积排放量;但从齐穗开始至小麦成熟,UV-B增强处理对土壤-冬小麦系统的N₂O累积排放量没有显著影响.     

土壤中多环芳烃的SPMD辅助解吸行为研究

为了开发一种表征土壤中憎水性有机污染物解吸及生物有效性的新方法,建立了半透膜被动采样装置（SPMD）研究土壤中有机污染物解吸行为的方法,利用SPMD分析了多环芳烃菲、芘和苯并［a］芘在3种不同性质土壤中的辅助解吸行为.结果表明,SPMD是一种很好地表征土壤中憎水性有机污染物解吸及生物有效性的手段. SPMD辅助解吸多环芳烃的效率与土壤有机质及多环芳烃性质有关.随着土壤有机质含量的降低,土壤中菲和芘的SPMD解吸率逐渐升高,对于10 mg/kg染毒水平,当土壤有机质含量由18.68%降低到0.3%时,2种化合物的解吸率分别由56.45%和48.28%上升到接近100%;但是对于苯并［a］芘,粘土表现出明显的滞留能力,在有机质含量（0.3%）很低、粘土含量（39.05%）较高的3号土壤中,苯并［a］芘的解吸率仅有66.97%.不同多环芳烃SPMD辅助解吸率差别很大,随着土壤有机质含量的降低,以及污染物浓度的提高,菲和芘的解吸差异逐渐缩小,而苯并［a］芘与上述2种多环芳烃的差异很大,主要是由于苯并［a］芘具有高度亲脂性,并且分子较大,造成其容易滞留在粘土的微孔及有机质的致密结构中.     

Radiocesium in caribou and reindeer in northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland from 1958 to 2000

This study summarizes the spatial and temporal trends of fallout (137)Cs concentrations in caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus ssp.), reported in various programs in Canada, Alaska and Greenland, over a 40-y period. During the 1960s, the highest (137)Cs concentrations (2000-3000Bqkg(-1) wet weight in muscle) were found in the large caribou herds of central northern Canada, with levels about 50% lower in Alaska and Greenland. Concentrations varied by up to a factor of 6 between spring and fall. Concentrations in reindeer were comparable to those in caribou from the same regions. The highest (137)Cs concentrations (750Bqkg(-1)) in the late 1980s were found in the Caniapiscau herd of central Québec. The contribution from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 was estimated from (134)Cs measurements to be 10-40% of the total (137)Cs. Present concentrations have declined to 200-300Bqkg(-1). The effective half-life (T(eff)) of (137)Cs in Canadian caribou herds was estimated to be about 6 y. The potential impact on the health of northern residents is discussed.     

Distribution of nuclear bomb Pu in Nishiyama area, Nagasaki, estimated by accurate and precise determination of 240Pu/239Pu ratio in soils

Plutonium isotopes in forest soils collected in Nishiyama area, Nagasaki, were successfully determined by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after the treatment with a microwave decomposition system. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios observed in the samples in the Nishiyama area were obviously lower than the range of the global fallout. The low ratios (minimum 0.032) observed in Nishiyama area indicated the influence of detonation of the Pu nuclear weapon in 1945. Since the area is contaminated also by global fallout, the (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratio can be more sensitive indicator of bomb-derived Pu than Pu activity concentration.     

137Cs in the Danish Wadden Sea: contrast between tidal flats and salt marshes

The 137Cs activity of salt marsh and tidal flat sediments of the northern part of the European Wadden Sea was studied based on a comprehensive dataset of 210Pb dated cores. The 137Cs inventory of salt marsh sediments shows a major peak corresponding to the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and a minor peak located in the late 1960s interpreted as the combined effect of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Emissions from the nuclear reprocessing plant Sellafield are not reflected as peaks in 137Cs activity, but may contribute to the rising 137Cs activity in the years prior to 1986. The 137Cs activity of tidal flat sediments differs from salt marsh sediment in two respects. First, the activity is much lower and, second, the major peak in the 1980s is located in the beginning instead of in the middle of the decade. The differences in 137Cs inventory between the two environments are interpreted to result from repeated cycles of deposition/resuspension and mixing on tidal flats. A simple model illustrating the consequence of mixings returns an apparent shift of major peaks in 137Cs activities backwards in time corresponding to the mixing depth divided by the deposition rate.     

一体化接触氧化反应器处理景区生活污水

常州某旅游景区采用一体化生活污水处理装置处理该区生活污水,通过试验确定反应器的最佳工艺参数,研究表明采用接触氧化反应器处理农村污水,在反应器内溶解氧维持在2.0~4.0 mg/L,水力负荷为3.53 m3/(m3.d)的运行条件下,对COD、NH3-N及TN去除率分别达80.82%、69.12%、63.16%,出水可稳定达GB18918-2002《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》一级标准。