The safety implications of vehicle seat adjustments

INTRODUCTION: The goal of this study was to gather information on the preferred front seat position of vehicle occupants and to determine the impact of variation in seat position on safety during crashes. METHOD: The study evaluated the relationship between seat position and occupant size using the chi-square test and compared the risk of severe injury for small females and large males with regard to forward and rearward seat position using logistic regression. RESULTS: While smaller drivers sat closer to the steering wheel than larger drivers, front passengers of all sizes used similar seat positions. Additionally, the risk of injury was higher for small, unbelted females in rearward seat positions and large males (belted and unbelted) in forward seat positions. CONCLUSIONS: Occupants who adjust their seats to positions that are not consistent with required federal tests are at a greater risk for severe injury in a crash.     

COMPARING THE IMPAIRMENT PROFILES OF OLDER DRIVERS AND NON-DRIVERS: TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FITNESS-TO-DRIVE MODEL

The purpose of this research effort was to compare older driver and non-driver functional impairment profiles across some 60 assessment metrics in an initial effort to contribute to the development of fitness-to-drive assessment models. Of the metrics evaluated, 21 showed statistically significant differences, almost all favoring the drivers. Also, it was shown that a logistic regression model comprised of five of the assessment scores could completely and accurately separate the two groups. The results of this study imply that older drivers are far less functionally impaired than non-drivers of similar ages, and that a parsimonious model can accurately assign individuals to either group. With such models, any driver classified or diagnosed as a non-driver would be a strong candidate for further investigation and intervention.     

Issues with using police citations to assign responsibility in quasi-induced exposure

Crash fault determination is one of the most critical issues in applications of quasi-induced exposure. Traditionally, the driver citation issued by the investigating police officer is the primary source to assign responsibility for motor vehicle crashes. Such citations are based on the “evidence” or observation of a moving violation (such as engaged hazardous actions) in combination with non-moving violations (such as suspended driver license) prior to the crash. The objective here is to identify the contributing factors that may lead to driver citations in two-vehicle crashes in addition to the hazardous action. Multivariate binary logistic regression modeling is employed to explore the behavior of the investigating police officer in terms of issuing citation at the crash scene. A series of explanatory parameters including roadway characteristics, environmental factors, and driver and vehicle attributes is assessed. The results show that whether the crash type was a hit-and-run, alcohol and illegal drug use, driver gender, driver age, and injury severity all appear to have significant impacts on the investigating officer’s decision-making. Specific examples are given to demonstrate how two factors hit-and-run and drinking status can skew the exposure estimates in the context of quasi-induced exposure. The findings will help to serve as a basis to select appropriate parameters in assigning crash responsibility in quasi-induced exposure applications; and we make recommendations to modify existing crash database for better safety research in the future.     

Effects of environment, vehicle and driver characteristics on risky driving behavior at work zones

This study aims to analyze the effects of environment, vehicle and driver characteristics on the risky driving behavior at work zones. A decision tree is developed using the classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm to graphically display the relationship between the risky driving behavior and its influencing factors. This approach could avoid the inherent problems occurred in the conventional logistic regression models and further improve the model prediction accuracy. Based on the Michigan M-94/I-94/I-94BL/I-94BR highway work zone driving behavior data, the decision tree comprising 33 leaf nodes is built. Bad weather, poor road and light conditions, partial/no access control, no traffic control devices, turning left/right and driving in an old vehicle are found to be associated with the risky driving behavior at work zones. The middle-aged drivers, who are going straight ahead in their vehicles with medium service time and equipped with an airbag system, are more likely to take risky behavior at lower work zone speed limits. Further, the middle-aged male drivers engage in risky driving behavior more frequently than the middle-aged female drivers. The number of lanes exhibits opposing effects on risky behavior under different traveling conditions. More specifically, the risky driving behavior is associated with the single-lane road under bad light or weather conditions while drivers are more likely to engage in risky behavior on the multi-lane road under good light conditions.     

神光Ⅲ激光装置安全管理探讨

神光Ⅲ激光装置是我国在惯性约束聚变研究领域建设的科学工程,具有涉及学科多、指标要求高、建设周期长、建造规模大等特点,其安全管理面临复杂局面。本文首先阐述了神光Ⅲ激光装置在设计、建造、运行维护阶段的安全管理。其次,结合前期工作重点提出了动态危险源辨识、科研人员安全培训、现场安全监管等三方面的问题。最后,探讨了针对上述问题的安全管理对策,提出了三纲四目制危险源辨识、以设计师为核心对象的上岗安全培训、安全监察员制度等针对性措施,为今后国家类似科学工程如何建立一种专业化、本地化的有效安全管理模式提供了借鉴,同时也为该工程下一步推行安全生产标准化建设指明了工作重点。     

汽车驾驶操作信息数据库与采集系统设计

为提高驾驶操作监控技术研究效率 ,对驾驶操作数据、影响因素、车辆状态运行数据等进行分析并在此基础上进行了驾驶操作信息数据库概念结构、逻辑结构以及物理结构的设计。同时为提高驾驶操作数据采集的真实性 ,设计由工业控制计算机、数据采集卡、视觉传感器、力传感器、光电编码器、节气门开度传感器、传感器电路等组成车载驾驶操作信息多传感器采集实验系统 ,并分析了驾驶操作信息管理软件模块构成。     

Is road rage increasing? Results of a repeated survey

PROBLEM: We report on trends in road rage victimization and perpetration based on population survey data. METHOD: Based on repeated cross-sectional telephone surveys of Ontario adults between July 2001 and December 2003, logistic regression analyses examined differences between years in road rage victimization and perpetration in the previous year controlling for demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The prevalence of any road rage victimization in the previous year decreased significantly from 47.5% in 2001 to 40.6% in 2003, while prevalence of any road rage perpetration remained stable (31.0% to 33.6%). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the odds of experiencing any road rage victimization was 33% higher in 2001 and 30% higher in 2002, than in 2003. DISCUSSION: Survey data provide a valuable perspective on road rage trends, but efforts to track road rage incidents is also needed. SUMMARY: In Ontario, the proportion of adults experiencing any road rage victimization decreased from 2001 to 2003 while the proportion reporting any road rage perpetration remained stable. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: None.     

Safety halls--an evaluation

PROBLEM: In most countries, drivers licensing systems usually include teaching some aspects of using safety equipment (e.g., airbags and seat belts). However, there is now evidence worldwide that such education is inadequate, as indicated by, for example, the overrepresentation of young drivers who do not use seat belts. METHOD: A randomized controlled study was conducted in Sweden to evaluate the effects of visiting a facility known as a "safety hall" in combination with the mandatory skid training. The results were assessed to determine the effects of the knowledge and attitudes of learner drivers in the following subjects: airbags, securing loads, seat belts, sitting posture, speed, and tires. An experimental group and a control group comprising 658 and 668 learners, respectively, answered identical questionnaires on three different occasions (pretest, posttest 1, and posttest 2). RESULTS: The results show that, for most of the topics considered, knowledge and attitudes in both groups were better at posttest 2 than at the pretest, and in general, the best knowledge and attitudes were found in the experimental group. The combined safety/skid training seems to have had the greatest effect on seat belts and loads. The findings also indicate that the safety halls can be further improved to achieve an even better effect. IMPACT ON TRAFFIC SAFETY: The use of safety halls has improved the knowledge and attitudes of learner drivers concerning several important areas related to traffic safety. Since knowledge and attitudes are important predictors of behavior, implementing safety halls can be expected to lead to improvements, especially regarding the use of safety belts and securing loads.     

我国道路交通安全的现状及其对策

由于国民经济的发展 ,使在用车辆逐年大幅度增长 ,同时也使我国的道路交通事故呈逐年增加的趋势。为了改变我国道路交通的严峻状况 ,笔者从我国道路交通的现状出发 ,分析了交通事故率高的原因 ,有针对性地给出了减少交通事故的可行而有效的软硬件措施 ,为道路交通安全改善指出了实现的方法及努力的方向     

Views of US drivers about driving safety

Problem: To assess how drivers view dangers on the highway, what motivates them to drive safely, how they say they reduce their crash and injury risk, and how they rate their own driving skills. Results: Most drivers rated their skills as better than average. The biggest motivating factor for safe driving was concern for safety of others in their vehicle, followed by negative outcomes such as being in a crash, increased insurance costs, and fines. The greatest threats to their safety were thought to be other drivers' actions that increase crash risk such as alcohol impairment or running red lights. In terms of reducing crashes and injuries, drivers tended to focus on actions they could take such as driving defensively or using seat belts. There was less recognition of the role of vehicles and vehicle features in crash or injury prevention. Impact on research, practice, and policy: Knowing how drivers view themselves and others, their concerns, and their motivations and techniques for staying out of trouble on the roads provides insight into the difficulty of changing driving practices.