Michigan's graduated driver licensing program: evaluation of the first four years

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the four-year outcome of Michigan's graduated driver licensing (GDL) program, motor-vehicle crash data for 16-year-old drivers in 1996 (pre-GDL), and 1998-2001 (post-GDL) were analyzed. METHOD: Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for several crash types were computed, and pre-post-GDL population-based crash rates were compared. Reductions in crash risks among 16-year-olds previously found in 1998 and 1999 were generally maintained in 2000 and 2001. RESULTS: Reductions in crash risk among 16-year-olds from 1996 to 2001 were 29% for all, 44% for fatal, 38% each for nonfatal-injury and fatal-plus-nonfatal-injury, 32% for day, 31% for evening, 59% for night, 32% for single-vehicle, and 28% for multi-vehicle crashes. Even after adjusting for more general population-wide changes among drivers 25 years and older that might have contributed to changes in 16-year-old crash risk, reductions remained impressive (19% for all crashes in 2001). IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: As one approach to reducing teenage motor-vehicle morbidity and mortality, GDL remains promising.     

The role of enforcement programs in increasing seat belt use

Seat belt laws by themselves led to increased belt use in the United States and Canada, but initial effects were limited. Canadian provincial officials launched highly publicized enforcement campaigns in the early 1980s that resulted in substantially increased belt use. Canadian-style enforcement programs subsequently were adopted in the United States, and the use of such programs has grown in recent years. Lessons from these efforts include the importance of police leadership, focused publicity about enforcement, and sustained rather than single-shot efforts. What is needed in the United States to achieve a national belt use rate of 90% or greater is widespread, methodical, and sustained application of enforcement programs augmented by creative publicity. Enhanced penalties-in particular drivers license points-likely will be needed to reach hard-core nonusers.     

恐怖内心思想的智能阅读车(IRV)开发研究

近年来 ,恐怖袭击事件威胁着城市公共安全 ,给人们的精神和心理造成极大的创伤和痛苦 ,已引起各国政府、各大媒体的广泛关注。笔者分析了城市公共安全的特点 ,研制了恐怖内心思想的智能阅读车 (IRV) ,通过对进入公共场所的人群进行快速 (数秒内 )检测人体生理参数 (3项指标 ) ,阅读人群的心理、生理、行为特征 ,快速地识别出恐怖分子 ,解决了安全预警滞后的问题 ,建立公共安全的常规通道 (或非常规通道 )。研究与开发的目的是从传统的被动防范转变到主动预控 ,为解决国内外防恐和反恐难题提供了一种新方法。     

基于存活概率的动态车龄分布模型

城市车辆的年龄组成(简称车龄分布)是体现城市车辆老化程度和确定车辆报废年限的重要指标。目前已有的车龄分布算法要求数据量大,在我国大部分城市很难得到完整的数据。笔者提出一种符合威布尔分布的车辆存活概率算法。该算法根据车辆保有量数据和报废车辆总数(或新车数据)推导出各年的车龄分布,且能够动态预测将来年份的车龄分布。同时,利用北京市小客数据对算法进行了实例应用,证明该法的实用可行性。由于该算法所需数据量小,计算简便,特别适用于我国在用车统计不完备的地区,利用该算法根据有限的数据来推导出当地的车龄分布,具有通用性。该算法的有效性检验和敏感度分析需进一步研究。     

Responsibility of drivers, by age and gender, for motor-vehicle crash deaths

Problem: Motor-vehicle crash rate comparisons by age and gender usually are based on the extent to which drivers in a particular age/gender category are themselves injured or involved in crashes (e.g., the number of 20-year-old females in crashes). Basing comparisons instead on the extent to which drivers in various age/gender groups are responsible for deaths (including themselves) in their crashes is more revealing of their overall contribution to the problem. Methods: Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS, 1996–2000) were used in the analysis, which was based on crashes that involved one or two vehicles only. Drivers in fatal single-vehicle crashes were assumed to have responsibility for the crash. In fatal two-vehicle crashes, driver operator errors reported by police were used to assign crash responsibility. Results: When all crashes were considered, both the youngest and oldest drivers were most likely to be responsible for deaths in their crashes. In two-vehicle crashes, the oldest drivers were more likely than young drivers to be responsible. Young males were more likely than young females to be responsible for crash deaths, whereas females in their 50s and older were more likely than same-age males to be responsible. In terms of responsibility for deaths per licensed driver, young drivers, especially males, had the highest rates because of their high involvement rates and high responsibility rates. The majority of deaths for which young drivers were responsible occurred to people other than themselves, especially passengers in their vehicles, whereas the bulk of the deaths for which older drivers were responsible were their own. Discussion: The results highlight the contribution of young drivers to the motor-vehicle crash problem, the need for measures such as passenger restrictions in graduated licensing systems, and the need for vehicle modifications to better protect older occupants.     

Analysis of motor-vehicle crashes at stop signs in four US cities

Problem: Nearly 700,000 police-reported motor vehicle crashes occur annually at stop signs, and approximately one-third of these crashes involve injuries. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the crashes that occur at stop signs and to identify potential countermeasures. Method: Police reports of crashes at stop sign-controlled intersections during 1996–2000 in four U.S. cities were examined in detail. At total of 1,788 crash reports for intersections with two-way stop signs were included in the study. Results: Stop sign violations accounted for about 70% of all crashes. Typically these crashes were angular collisions. Among crashes not involving stop violations, rear-end crashes were most common, accounting for about 12% of all crashes. Stop sign violation crashes were classified into several subtypes — driver stopped, driver did not stop, snow/wet/ice, and other/unknown. In about two-thirds of stop sign violation crashes, drivers said they had first come to a stop. In these cases, inability or failure to see approaching traffic often was cited as the cause of the crash. Drivers younger than 18 as well as drivers 65 and older were disproportionately found to be at fault in crashes at stop signs. Impact on industry: Potential countermeasures include changing traffic control and intersection design, improving intersection sight distance, and increasing conspicuity of stop signs through supplemental pavement markings and other devices.     

车辆碰撞特性的数值仿真及试验研究

运用显式动态有限元方法建立了某车辆的有限元模型 ,按照国家标准对整车进行了正面碰撞仿真计算和实车正面碰撞试验。通过仿真计算和实验的对比分析 ,其结果表明 :仿真计算的变形结果和试验吻合较好 ,车身上一些主要部位的加速度曲线在趋势上也基本吻合 ,说明运用有限元法进行车辆的仿真切实可行。分析结果为车辆的安全性设计提供了参考依据。     

Some determinants of possible injuries in crashes at signalized intersections

INTRODUCTION: This paper identifies some determinants of possible injuries from crashes that occur at signalized intersections using a conditional probability model. METHOD: It uses longitudinal data for one city and calculates the marginal effects of these determinants. RESULTS: Among its findings, an airbag deploying in a crash reduces the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury. The size of this decrease is similar for the front airbag or both side airbags deploying. When crashes occur because a driver suddenly falls ill, or because a driver has an existing medical condition that flares up, the results show that the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury increases by 0.1414 and 0.1217, respectively. In comparison the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury increases by 0.0706 when the crash is because of impairment from drugs or alcohol. Additionally, the probability of sustaining possible injury in the event of a crash is 0.0435 and 0.0459 higher in passenger cars and vans respectively than in other vehicles. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing these results to those in the traffic safety literature, the marginal effects from national data are similar to those from local level data.     

Characteristics and anthropogenic sources of carbonyl sulfide in Beijing

Atmosphericmixing ratios of carbonyl sulfide (COS) in Beijingwere intensivelymeasured from March 2011 to June 2013. COS mixing ratios exhibited distinct seasonal variation, with a maximumaverage value of 849 ± 477 pptv in winter and a minimal value of 372 ± 115 pptv in summer. The seasonal variation of COS was mainly ascribed to the combined effects of vegetation uptake and anthropogenic emissions. Two types of significant linear correlations (R² > 0.66) were found between COS and CO during the periods from May to June and from October to March, with slopes (ΔCOS/ΔCO) of 0.72 and 0.14 pptv/ppbv, respectively. Based on the emission ratios of COS/CO from various sources, the dominant anthropogenic sources of COS in Beijing were found to be vehicle tire wear in summer and coal burning in winter. The total anthropogenic emission of COS in Beijing was roughly estimated as 0.53 ± 0.02 Gg/year based on the local CO emission inventory and the ΔCOS/ΔCO ratios.