Field Evaluation of the PAS III Passive Alcohol Sensor

Passive alcohol sensors (PAS) are screening devices designed to sample nonintrusively the ambient air around a driver's mouth to determine the presence of alcohol. Studies have shown that PAS devices can aid police officers in the identification of unpaired drivers, particularly at sobriety checkpoints. Data from a 1996 nationwide survey, in which 5,392 drivers were evaluated for alcohol using both the PAS III (a passive sensor housed in a flashlight) and evidential breath test devices, have allowed the determination of appropriate criteria at various blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) for detecting impaired drivers in the field. Using the appropriate criteria, the PAS III can identify about 75% of the drivers with BACs at or above 0.10%, and 70% at or above 0.08%. This is a vast improvement over the 40-50% detection rate currently achieved by police officers at checkpoints not using sensors. Using the PAS III few drivers would be identified inappropriately. At the criterion recommended for detecting BACs at or above 0.08%, about 14% of drivers with BACs of 0.02-0.05% would be incorrectly identified as having a higher BAC. Field studies have shown that when police officers rely on observation alone about 20% of drivers with low BACs are detained for further evaluation. More widespread use of passive sensors by police officers would aid in the detection of drinking drivers. Sensors also could provide an additional deterrent to the general public if they believe that when stopped by the police after drinking they will be detained for further evaluation.     

Age Dependence of Female to Male Fatality Risk in the Same Crash: An Independent Reexamination

A 1988 study reported that females are more likely than males to be killed by the same physical insult. This was determined by analyzing 1975–1983 data. The present study revisits this question using 123,678 fatalities from 1984–1996 data. As none of these data contributed to the earlier study, the present investigation is therefore independent of the earlier one. Female to male fatality risk ratios are calculated for 14 categories of vehicle occupants, including six light truck occupants (belted and unbelted drivers and right front passengers, and unbelted left and right rear passengers). The earlier study did not include light trucks. Close agreement is found between the results of the present and prior studies, thus solidifying the interpretation that findings are of a general nature and not dependent on specific data sets. Except at ages less than about 10 years, or older than about 55, females are more likely to be killed than males. While obtained using traffic data, the results are interpreted to reflect fundamental differences in human physiological response to blunt trauma in general, and are expected to apply to blunt trauma from falls, being struck by objects, etc.     

The effectiveness of reducing illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for driving: evidence for lowering the limit to .05 BAC

PURPOSE: This scientific review provides a summary of the evidence regarding the benefits of reducing the illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving and providing a case for enacting a .05 BAC limit. RESULTS: Fourteen independent studies in the United States indicate that lowering the illegal BAC limit from .10 to .08 has resulted in 5-16% reductions in alcohol-related crashes, fatalities, or injuries. However, the illegal limit is .05 BAC in numerous countries around the world. Several studies indicate that lowering the illegal per se limit from .08 to .05 BAC also reduces alcohol-related fatalities. Laboratory studies indicate that impairment in critical driving functions begins at low BACs and that most subjects are significantly impaired at .05 BAC. The relative risk of being involved in a fatal crash as a driver is 4 to 10 times greater for drivers with BACs between .05 and .07 compared to drivers with .00 BACs. SUMMARY: There is strong evidence in the literature that lowering the BAC limit from .10 to .08 is effective, that lowering the BAC limit from .08 to .05 is effective, and that lowering the BAC limit for youth to .02 or lower is effective. These law changes serve as a general deterrent to drinking and driving and ultimately save lives. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This critical review supports the adoption of lower illegal BAC limits for driving.     

缓控释肥侧深施对稻田氨挥发排放的控制效果

以减少氨挥发损失为目的,以无机化肥分次施用为对照,选用树脂包膜尿素(RCU)、硫包衣尿素(SCU)和掺混控释肥(RBB)3种不同类型缓控释肥料,采用一次性施肥(B)和一基一穗(BF)2种施肥方式,研究了插秧施肥一体化条件下不同类型缓控释肥侧深施及施用方式对稻田田面水氮浓度及氨挥发损失的影响.结果表明,除SCU处理基肥期田面水总氮和铵态氮质量浓度均高于常规分次施肥处理CN,RCU和RBB处理均低于CN处理.不同缓控释肥料稻田氨挥发损失差异较大,损失量占施肥量的3.84%~28.17%.与CN处理相比,不同类型缓控释肥料均有减少稻田氨挥发损失的效应,处理间氨挥发损失量表现为:CN、B-SCUBF-SCU、BF-RBB、BF-RCU、B-RBB、B-RCU.一次性基施下,B-SCU处理的氨挥发总量显著高于B-RCU和B-RBB处理,一基一穗下3种处理间氨挥发总量差异不显著.不同肥料在2种施肥方式下氨挥发损失量差异不显著,但表现不一致.BF-SCU处理的氨挥发损失量低于B-SCU处理,BF-RCU和BF-RBB处理的氨挥发损失量分别高于B-RCU和B-RBB处理.阶段氨挥发损失来看,施用SCU处理的基肥-蘖肥(7.54%)和蘖肥-穗肥阶段(16.04%)的损失较高,RBB处理的基肥-蘖肥阶段氨挥发损失(2.91%)明显增加,而RCU处理的穗肥后阶段(2.75%)是氨挥发损失的集中时期.追施穗肥尿素增加了穗肥后阶段的氨挥发排放损失,穗肥后阶段氨挥发量与田面水铵态氮质量浓度在不同类型肥料间无明显相关关系.     

农村摩托车驾驶员驾驶行为调查分析——以山东莒南为例

为探究农村摩托车驾驶员常见的不安全驾驶行为及农村摩托车事故多发的原因,采用问卷调查的方法,从人、车、交通管理等几个角度对我国山东农村地区的480名摩托车驾驶员进行了入户问卷调查.通过SPSS17.0软件对收集的数据进行处理,重点对驾驶员的驾驶行为进行分析,结果显示在403名驾驶员中仅有60(14.9%)人拥有驾照、74...     

半密闭罩在酸雾治理中的应用

阐述酸洗工艺线酸雾的产生原因及其危害，通过对2种集气罩：槽边吹—吸式集气罩和半密闭(加罩裙)罩的设计比较，说明采用合适的集气罩形式对酸雾治理的效果影响是巨大的，同时也可降低一定的初期投资和设备运行费用。     

湿陷性黄土层桩基侧摩阻力的试验研究

本文依托西安市东北二环立交工程实际,通过现场黄土层浸水试验以及桩基静载试验,研究在湿陷性黄土层中桩基侧摩阻力和桩端阻力的发挥情况、桩基负摩阻力取值问题及桩周土的沉降变化情况,并分析了其实验结果.在总结国内工程界多次试验结果的基础上,给出了湿陷性黄土层负摩阻取值的科学合理方法及应考虑的因素,并分析了影响负摩阻大小取值的因...     

Residual road departure crashes after full deployment of LDW and LDP systems

Abstract

Objective: Road departures are one of the most severe crash modes in the United States. To help reduce this risk, vehicles are being introduced in the United States with lane departure warning (LDW) systems, which warn the driver of a departure, and lane departure prevention (LDP) systems, which assist the driver in steering back to the roadway. Previous studies have estimated that LDW/LDP systems may prevent one third of drift-out-of-lane road departure crashes. This study investigates the crashes that were not prevented, to potentially set research priorities for next-generation road departure prevention systems.

Methods: The event data recorder (EDR) data from 128 road departure crashes in the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) from 2011 to 2015 were mapped onto the vehicle trajectory and simulated with LDW/LDP to assess the potential for crash avoidance. The model predicted that 63–83% of single-vehicle road departure crashes may not be prevented by an LDW system and 49% may not be prevented by an LDP system.

Results and Conclusions: For LDP systems, which were assumed to have zero latency, no crashes were avoided if the time-to-collision (TTC) from lane crossing to impact was less than 0.55?s. Obstacles such as guardrails and traffic barriers, which tend to be very close to the road, were more common among the remaining crashes. The study shows that LDW/LDP systems are limited by two factors, driver reaction time and TTC to the roadside object. Thus, earlier driver response and longer TTC may help in these situations.     

Trends in motor vehicle crash mortality in Europe, 1980-2007

Recent trends (1980-2007) in mortality from road traffic crashes in European countries, and, for comparative purposes, in the USA and Japan were reviewed. Data came from the World Health Organisation database. Age-standardised rates, at all ages and at 15-24, 25-64, ?65 years, were computed. Joinpoint regression analyses to evaluate significant changes in trends were performed. In the European Union as a whole rates declined from 20.2 in 1987 to 13.5/100,000 in 2007 in men, and from 6.3 to 3.7/100,000 in women; European Union rates remained lower than USA, but higher than Japanese ones. In 2007, the highest male rates were in Lithuania (36.7/100,000), the Russian Federation (35.2), Ukraine (29.8), and Latvia (28.5), and the lowest ones in the Netherlands (6.2) and Sweden (6.9); the highest female rates were in the Russian Federation (11.3), Lithuania (9.7), Belarus, Latvia, and Ukraine (around 8), and the lowest ones in Switzerland (1.7), the UK, and Nordic countries (around 2). Mortality from motor vehicle crashes declined in northern and western European countries and - though to a lesser extent - in southern European countries, too. Mortality trends were also favourable in the Czech Republic and Poland since the mid 1990’s, whereas they were still upwards in Romania and the Russian Federation. No trend was observed in Hungary and Ukraine. Trends were consistent in various age groups considered. Thus, additional urgent and integrated intervention is required to prevent avoidable deaths from motor vehicle crashes, particularly in selected central and eastern European countries.