Drivers of illegal resource extraction: An analysis of Bardia National Park,Nepal

While park-people conflicts have received worldwide attention, the extent of illegal resource extraction and the relationship with communities’ livelihoods has gained little attention in the literature. Thus this paper investigates the impact of socio-economic factors involved in illegal fuel wood and fodder extraction at Bardia National Park in Nepal. Household questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus groups were conducted to identify different plant species used by households and explore the causes and mode of resource extraction in three buffer zone villages in the park. Altogether 50 different plants were identified by villagers that were used regularly for different livelihood purposes. Almost half of the respondents met their needs by illegally and regularly extracting resources from the park. Incentive schemes in the form of development projects were important but not sufficient in meeting the basic needs of households’ especially for such daily items such as fuel wood and fodder. The results described in this paper showed that proximity and access to resources either in the national park, the buffer zone community forest or the government forest, and impact on the livelihoods significantly influenced the likelihood of illegal resource extraction activities. Villages that differed in terms of their location to the resource base, the provision of alternative resources and influence of these on their livelihoods showed significant differences in terms of their patterns of resource extraction and use of these resources. As resource use options, resource interest, and resource extraction patterns were different between villages and dependent on circumstances specific to villages, site-specific management strategies were necessary and more influential than the enforcement of ‘one-size fits all’ policies. It is suggested that park management plans should be flexible and adaptive enough to meet site-specific contexts and to endear wider support from local communities.     

Driver licensing,motor-vehicle crashes,and moving violations among older adults

IntroductionDriving is important for well-being among older adults, but age-related conditions are associated with driving reduction or cessation and increased crash risk for older drivers. Our objectives were to describe population-based rates of older drivers’ licensing and per-driver rates of crashes and moving violations.Methods: We examined individual-level statewide driver licensing, crash, and traffic citation data among all New Jersey drivers aged ≥ 65 and a 35- to 54-year-old comparison group during 2010–2014. Rate ratios (RR) of crashes and moving violations were estimated using Poisson regression.Results: Overall, 86% of males and 71% of females aged ≥ 65 held a valid driver’s license. Older drivers had 27% lower per-driver crash rates than middle-aged drivers (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.74)—with appreciable differences by sex—but 40% higher fatal crash rates (RR: 1.40 [1.24, 1.58]). Moving violation rates among older drivers were 72% lower than middle-aged drivers (RR: 0.28 [0.28, 0.28]).Conclusion: The majority of older adults are licensed, with substantial variation by age and sex. Older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes but lower rates of moving violations compared with middle-aged drivers.Practical applications: Future research is needed to understand the extent to which older adults drive and to identify opportunities to further reduce risk of crashes and resultant injuries among older adults.     

女性驾驶人特性与行为机制研究现状及展望

为系统地认识女性驾驶人的驾驶特性,分析其驾驶行为,从女性驾驶人交通事故数据统计、致因和心理、生理、“药驾”等因素,梳理国内外女性驾驶人驾驶特性及行为机制的研究成果,总结主流研究角度、方法和内容,并展望其未来研究趋势。对文献的梳理和分析表明:导致女性驾驶人交通事故的因素主要包括人格、认知等心理特征和视觉能力、应激反应等生理特征,同时“药驾”也影响着驾驶特性与行为。剖析了女性驾驶人特性及行为机制研究目前存在的不足之处,对未来的研究提出了建议。并针对女性驾驶人群体在各种道路交通环境中开展有效的模拟驾驶培训和教育,进而全面提升中国女性驾驶人的交通安全水平。     

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.     

An evaluation of the implementation of ignition interlock in California

Problem: This study evaluates the degree to which courts have implemented California's ignition interlock program, and surveys judges and district/city attorneys to identify barriers to implementing a successful interlock program. Method: There are three parts to the evaluation. In the first, a sample of drivers arrested for driving on a driving under the influence (DUI)-suspended driver license was examined to calculate the rate at which courts order interlocks for DUI-suspended drivers, as required by California law. The second part of the study used Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) records to count the statewide rate of court-ignition interlock device (IID) orders across time and jurisdictions. The final part surveyed judges, district/city attorneys, and offenders installing an interlock to obtain information about their use of interlock, barriers to implementing an interlock program, and the effectiveness of the devices in preventing drinking and driving. Results: It was found that conviction rates for driving while suspended are low; that judges order interlocks for only a fraction of the convicted driving-while-suspended (DWS) offenders who should receive such an order; and that the majority of offenders who are ordered by the court to install an ignition interlock in their vehicle do not do so. Impact on Industry: Any successful interlock program will need to find a way to balance the inability of many offenders to pay for the devices, with the need for the industry to remain economically viable.     

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.     

Do the designated drivers of college students stay sober?

PROBLEM: By numerous accounts, alcohol abuse is considered the number one drug problem facing young people today. Alcohol consumption and its negative consequences, especially those due to drinking and driving, continue to have devastating effects on the college student population. METHOD: This field study examined the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of male and female designated drivers (DD), non-DD, and their respective passengers as they were leaving drinking establishments in a university town. Also investigated were the effects of group size and gender on DD use. RESULTS: A 2 Gender x 2 Driver type (DD vs. non-DD) analysis of variance (ANOVA) for BAC indicated significant main effects for Gender and Driver type, with higher BAC for men and non-DD (p's<.001). A significant Gender x Driver type interaction (p<.05) was primarily due to female DD having lower BAC than male DD. In addition, larger groups were more likely to have a DD. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Results indicate that the success of DD programs may be influenced by group size and a DD's gender. While larger groups are more likely to have a DD, students riding home with a male DD may still be at risk for the negative consequences of drunk driving.     

机车双司机驾驶行为可靠性研究

在人机系统可靠性理论与机车驾驶行为链的基础上,结合双司机作业特点,构建了基于感知、判断、操作元件及模块组的单司机及双司机驾驶行为模型。基于该模型,在确定单项器官元件可靠度测试与计算方法后,运用可靠性理论给出了功能模块可靠度、单司机驾驶行为可靠度、双司机驾驶行为可靠度模型,并对信息感知差系数、正副司机主次差系数等参数进行了分析和讨论,从而构建了一套较为完善的驾驶行为可靠性测试分析方法。最后对4组16名机车司机按事故与非事故组进行分时段连续测试与可靠度计算,其结果表明,双司机驾驶行为可靠性不仅决定于单司机驾驶行为可靠性,并且正副司机间的协调性密切相关,同时与作业时间呈凹函数分布。     

基于认知心理学的驾驶员信息加工模式研究

道路交通系统是一个有人参与的复杂系统,人,特别是驾驶员的行为决定了相当一部分系统的性能。而驾驶行为是一个不断往复进行的信息处理过程,对驾驶员的信息加工模式进行研究是道路交通安全与汽车安全设计的核心基础。随着认知工效研究的深入和人工智能的发展,传统的基于刺激(S)-机体(O)-反应(R)的驾驶员信息加工模式,难以满足技术发展的要求。笔者在对交通系统建模与分析的基础上,应用现代认知心理学理论,对驾驶员的信息获取和处理机制进行了研究,建立了驾驶员对某一确定认知对象的信息处理结构模型,并对模型的作用和特点进行了简单的分析。分析结果为驾驶员认知过程研究和相关系统开发设计提供了依据。     

第二阶梯湖泊富营养化自然地理因素及效应

为了明晰影响我国地形地貌第二级阶梯湖泊富营养化的主要自然地理驱动因素,为湖泊富营养化的有效治理提供参考,采用曲线回归方法分析了位于我国第二级阶梯的云南和新疆湖泊中Chl-a以及营养状态综合指数(TLI)与自然地理特征的相关性.结果表明,平均水深、海拔以及年均温与TLI指数具有较好的相关性,拟合模型分别符合三次/对数模型、二次模型和三次模型.Chl-a与年平均日照时数具有较好的相关性,拟合模型符合二次/三次模型.分析富营养化效应,藻类生长对透明度的影响以及营养物质对浮游藻类的生态效应(Chl-a/TP),结果发现,新疆湖泊中Chl-a与透明度呈倒数关系,云南湖泊中Chl-a与透明度呈幂函数关系;Chl-a与总磷的线性方程的斜率分别为177.595(云南)和222.758(新疆).影响我国第二级阶梯湖泊富营养化的主要自然地理驱动因素是湖泊的平均水深、海拔、年均温度及年平均日照时数,透明度与Chl-a含量的相关性以及营养物质TP对浮游藻类的生态效应存在区域差异.