On the development of a new hybrid risk assessment process using occupational accidents’ data: Application on the Greek Public Electric Power Provider

The occupational accidents have a major impact upon human integrity and also bring about high costs for the social health and insurance system of a country. In addition, risk analysis is an essential process for the safety policy of a company, having as main aim the effacement of any potential of damage in a productive procedure, while the quantified risk evaluation is the most crucial part of the whole procedure of assessing hazards in the work. The main goal of this study is double: a) the development and presentation of a new hybrid risk assessment process (HRAP) and b) the application of HRAP in the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) (the unique electric power provider and the largest industry in Greece), by using occupational accidents that have been recorded, during the 12-year period of 1993-2004. The new process consists of four distinct phases a) the hazard sources’ identification phase, b) the risk consideration phase, c) the risk-evaluation phase, and d) the phase of the risk assessment and safety-related decision making. The results show that in some cases the risk value has been calculated in PPC to be higher than 500 (in the risk rating of 0-1000), which imposes the taking of suppressive measures for abolishing the danger source, while the fatal accident frequency rate (per 10⁸ man-hrs) is FAFR ≅ 2.4.     

Using a novel data linkage approach to investigate potential reductions in motor vehicle crash severity – An evaluation of strategic highway safety plan emphasis areas

Introduction: With the significant number of motor-vehicle fatalities occurring on the nation’s roadways in recent years, there exists a need to integrate a more complete range of data sources, available at a regional or statewide level, to effectively evaluate existing safety concerns and quantify their impacts. Crash data alone does not provide ample crash-associated citation, injury, and roadway characteristics; therefore, a more cohesive dataset is required to accurately and completely analyze the true impacts of motor-vehicle crashes. Previously developed strategies linked crash data with citation and roadway inventory data to enhance the identification and optimization of highway safety strategies. Method: The main objective of this research focused on developing a new deterministic linkage between crash and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data, by utilizing the Massachusetts Crash Data System (CDS) and the Massachusetts Ambulance Trip Record Information System (MATRIS). Results: After several iterations of match criterion, the validated linkage successfully matched 58.3% of MATRIS records (containing an Injury Cause of Motor Vehicle Crash) to a CDS person record (55011 linked pairs, between 2014 and 2016). The data linkage provided significant insight into injury trends in several highway safety emphasis areas such as roadway departure, speeding-related, and distraction-affected crashes. The findings from this research are twofold: (1) an established process for linking previously separate data sets, and (2) a mechanism for analysis that provides decision-makers and safety professionals with a better measure of crash outcomes.     

Social and hospital costs of patients admitted to a university hospital in Brazil due to motorcycle crashes

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the social and hospital costs of patients treated at a public hospital who were motorcycle crash victims.

Method: This prospective study was on 68 motorcycle riders (drivers or passengers), who were followed up from hospital admission to 6 months after the crash. A questionnaire covering quantitative and qualitative questions was administered.

Results: Motorcycle crash victims were responsible for 12% of the institution's hospital admissions; 54.4% were young (18–28 years of age); 92.6% were the drivers; 91.2% were male; and 50% used their motorcycles as daily means of transportation. Six months afterward, 94.1% needed help from someone; 83.8% had changed their family dynamics; and 73.5% had not returned to their professional activities. Among the injuries, 94.7% had some type of fracture, of which 53.5% were exposed fractures; 35.3% presented temporary sequelae; and 32.4% presented permanent sequelae. They used the surgical center 2.53 times on average, with a mean hospital stay of 18 days. The per capita hospital cost of these victims’ treatment was US$17,481.50.

Conclusion: The social and hospital costs were high, relative to the characteristics of a public institution. Temporary or permanent disability caused changes to family dynamics, as shown by the high numbers of patients who were still away from their professional activities more than 6 months afterward.     

MaryPODS revisited: updated crash analysis and implications for screening program implementation

PROBLEM: Due to the relative scarcity of crashes, there has consistently been a problem with analyses that use crashes as a criterion measure in their analyses. METHOD: Previous analyses of the relationships between functional capacity measures and at-fault crash involvement for older drivers as reported in the NHTSA Model Driver Screening and Evaluation Program Final Technical Report have been updated to include one additional year of driving experience. Eighteen new at-fault crashes involving drivers who previously had no crash involvement were recorded for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) test sample during this interval. The method of odds ratio (OR) calculation was used to examine the relationships between functional status predictors and the most salient among the safety outcome measures identified in the Maryland research. Peak valid OR values for the prior and current analyses were contrasted, and the stability of candidate pass-fail cut-points for each predictor relative to values identified in the Final Technical Report was examined. RESULTS: Results indicate that the predictive value of functional tests appears to decrease over time, particularly for the perceptual-cognitive measures. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The impact of these findings on programs and policies is to underscore a need for periodic reevaluation, spaced at the shortest practical intervals but not more than 2 years apart, in order for functional capacity screening to be applied effectively by licensing authorities, health care professionals, and others to reduce personal risk and enhance public safety.     

The relation of non-culpable traffic incidents to bus drivers' celeration behavior

PROBLEM: The driver celeration behavior theory predicts that celerations are associated with incidents for which the driver has some responsibility in causing, but not other incidents. METHOD: The hypothesis was tested in 25 samples of repeated measurements of bus drivers' celeration behavior against their incidents for two years. RESULTS: The results confirmed the prediction; in 18 samples, the correlation for culpable incidents only was higher than for all incidents, despite the higher means of the latter. Non-culpable incidents had correlations close to zero with celeration. DISCUSSION: It was pointed out that most individual crash prediction studies have not made this differentiation, and thus probably yielded underestimates of the associations sought, although the effect is not strong, due to non-culpable accident involvements being few (less than a third of the total). The methods for correct identification of culpable incident involvements were discussed.     

A national evaluation of the nighttime and passenger restriction components of graduated driver licensing

Introduction

The high crash rate of youthful novice drivers has been recognized for half a century. Over the last decade, graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems, which extend the period of supervised driving and limit the novice's exposure to higher-risk conditions (such as nighttime driving), have effectively reduced crash involvements of novice drivers.

Method

This study used data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the implementation dates of GDL laws in a state-by-year panel study to evaluate the effectiveness of two key elements of GDL laws: nighttime restrictions and passenger limitations.

Results

Nighttime restrictions were found to reduce 16- and 17-year-old driver involvements in nighttime fatal crashes by an estimated 10% and 16- and 17-year-old drinking drivers in nighttime fatal crashes by 13%. Passenger restrictions were found to reduce 16- and 17-year-old driver involvements in fatal crashes with teen passengers by an estimated 9%.

Conclusions

These results confirm the effectiveness of these provisions in GDL systems. Impact on Public Health. States without the nighttime or passenger restrictions in their GDL law should strongly consider adopting them.

Impact on Industry

The results of this study indicate that nighttime restrictions and passenger limitations are very important components of any GDL law.     

Identifying crash type propensity using real-time traffic data on freeways

Introduction: We examine the effects of various traffic parameters on type of road crash. Method: Multivariate probit models are specified on 4-years of data from the A4-A86 highway section in the Ile-de-France region, France. Results: Empirical findings indicate that crash type can almost exclusively be defined by the prevailing traffic conditions shortly before its occurrence. Rear-end crashes involving two vehicles were found to be more probable for relatively low values of both speed and density, rear-end crashes involving more than two vehicles appear to be more probable under congested conditions, while single-vehicle crashes appear to be largely geometry-dependent. Impact on Industry: Results could be integrated in a real-time traffic management application.     

Graduated driver licensing: review of evaluation results since 2002

Unintentional injury from motor-vehicle crashes is the number one cause of death among teenagers in the United States. Increasingly, jurisdictions have adopted three-stage graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems for young novice drivers. Since a previous review of U.S. GDL evaluation results, many more U.S. states and Canadian provinces have implemented GDL and/or had enough time pass that additional evaluation results are now available. Twenty-one studies of GDL within 14 individual jurisdictions, and six studies of GDL in the U.S. nationwide, were collected, reviewed, and summarized. Positive results (usually crash reductions) of varying degrees were reported from nearly all the studies. Given differences in approaches, study goals, methods, and analyses, the results are surprisingly consistent. Overall, GDL programs have reduced the youngest drivers' crash risk by roughly 20 to 40%. Research on teen driving and comprehensive GDL enhancements could further reduce teen drivers' motor-vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Policy-makers, as well as the motor vehicle, insurance, and other industries have been involved in teen driving safety and could enhance and coordinate their roles.