Motorists' knowledge,attitudes and practices toward alcohol-impaired driving/riding in Ghana

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to establish the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward drink driving/riding as a risk factor for road traffic crashes in 3 regional capitals in Ghana.

Methods: The study used a face-to-face approach to randomly sample motorists who were accessing various services at fuel/gas stations, garages, and lorry terminals in 3 cities in Ghana.

Results: Over the previous 12 months, 24% of all motorists and 55% of motorists who were current alcohol users reported driving or riding a vehicle within an hour of alcohol intake. On average, motorists/riders who were current alcohol users consumed 4 standard drinks per drinking occasion. Generally, 83% of motorists who currently use alcohol walked, rode, or drove home after consuming alcohol away from their homes. Motorists/riders who reported drink driving were 4 times more likely to have had previous traffic violation arrests compared to those who reported no drink driving/riding (P =.001). Respondents were of the opinion that speeding was the major cause of traffic crashes, followed by driver carelessness, poor road conditions, inexperienced driving, and drink driving, in that order. Thirty-six percent of motorists who use alcohol had the perception that consuming between 6 and 15 standard drinks was the volume of alcohol that will take them to the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08%. Compared to females, male motorists/riders were more likely to report drink driving (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.31 to 11.47). Private motorists also reported a higher likelihood of drink driving compared to commercial drivers (AOR = 3.36; 95% CI, 1.88 to 6.02). Only 4% of motorists knew the legal BAC limit of Ghana and only 2% had ever been tested for drink driving/riding.

Conclusion: The volumes of alcohol that motorists typically consume per drinking occasion were very high and their estimates of the number of drinks required to reach the legal BAC limit was also very high. Provision of authoritative information advising motorists about safe, responsible, or low-risk levels of alcohol consumption is imperative. Many traffic violations including drink driving were reported, thus suggesting a need for enhanced policing and enforcement. However, given the low level of knowledge of the legal BAC limit, educating motorists about how many drinks will approximate the legal BAC should be intensified prior to an increase in enforcement; otherwise, the desired outcome of enforcement may not be achieved.     

Using negative emotional feedback to modify risky behavior of young moped riders

Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate whether the use of messages with negative emotional content is effective in promoting safe behavior of moped riders and how exactly these messages modulate rider behavior.

Methods: Participants received negative feedback when performing risky behaviors using a computer task. The effectiveness of this treatment was subsequently tested in a riding simulator.

Results: The results demonstrated how riders receiving negative feedback had a lower number of traffic accidents than a control group. The reduction in accidents was accompanied by a set of changes in the riding behavior. We observed a lower average speed and greater respect for speed limits. Furthermore, analysis of the steering wheel variance, throttle variance, and average braking force provided evidence for a more even and homogenous riding style. This greater abidance of traffic regulations and friendlier riding style could explain some of the causes behind the reduction in accidents.

Conclusions: The use of negative emotional feedback in driving schools or advanced rider assistance systems could enhance riding performance, making riders aware of unsafe practices and helping them to establish more accurate riding habits. Moreover, the combination of riding simulators and feedback—for example, in the training of novice riders and traffic offenders—could be an efficient tool to improve their hazard perception skills and promote safer behaviors.     

The psychological impact of traffic injuries sustained in a road crash by bicyclists: A prospective study

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the psychological impact of traffic injuries in bicyclists (cyclists) in comparison to car occupants who also sustained traffic injuries. Factors predictive of elevated psychological distress were also investigated.

Methods: An inception cohort prospective design was used. Participants included cyclists aged ≥17 years (mean age 41.7 years) who sustained a physical injury (n = 238) assessed within 28 days of the crash, following medical examination by a registered health care practitioner. Injury included musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries and minor/moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI), excluding severe TBI, spinal cord injury, and severe multiple fractures. Assessment also occurred 6 months postinjury. Telephone-administered interviews assessed a suite of measures including sociodemographic, preinjury health and injury factors. Psychological impact was measured by pain catastrophization, trauma-related distress, and general psychological distress. The psychological health of the cyclists was compared to that of the car occupants (n = 234; mean age 43.1 years). A mixed model repeated measures analysis, adjusted for confounding factors, was used to determine differences between groups and regression analyses were used to determine contributors to psychological health in the cyclists 6 months postinjury.

Results: Cyclists had significantly better psychological health (e.g., lower pain catastrophizing, lower rates of probable posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and lower general distress levels) compared to car occupants at baseline and 6 months postinjury. Factors predictive of cyclists' psychological distress included younger age, greater perceived danger of death, poorer preinjury health, and greater amount of time in hospital after the injury.

Conclusions: These data provide insight into how cyclists perceive and adjust to their traffic injuries compared to drivers and passengers who sustain traffic injuries, as well as direction for preventing the development of severe psychological injury. Future research should examine the utility of predictors of psychological health to improve recovery.     

Fatal and serious collisions involving pedal cyclists and trucks in London between 2007 and 2011

Objective: Increased numbers of people riding pedal cycles have led to a greater focus on pedal cycle safety. The aim of this article is to explore factors that are associated with fatal and a small number of serious-injury pedal cyclist crashes involving trucks that occurred in London between 2007 and 2011.

Methods: Data were collected from police collision files for 53 crashes, 27 of which involved a truck (≥3.5 tonnes) and a pedal cycle. A systematic case review approach was used to identify the infrastructure, vehicle road user, and management factors that contributed to these crashes and injuries and how these factors interacted.

Results: Trucks turning left conflicting with pedal cyclists traveling straight ahead was a common crash scenario. Key contributory factors identified included the pedal cyclists not being visible to the truck drivers, road narrowing, and inappropriate positioning of pedal cyclists.

Conclusions: Crashes involving trucks and pedal cyclists are complex events that are caused by multiple interacting factors; therefore, multiple measures are required to prevent them from occurring.     

有色冶炼园区道路扬尘中重金属污染特征及健康风险评价

为研究有色冶炼工业园区周边道路扬尘中重金属污染特征及其健康风险,在云南省蒙自地区采集了城市道路、有色冶炼工业园区道路以及隧道尘样品,通过再悬浮设备将尘样悬浮至Teflon滤膜上获得PM_(2.5)和PM_(10)样品,并利用ICP-MS分析了Cr、Mn、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Cd和Pb这8种重金属的含量.结果表明,在PM_(2.5)中重金属的平均含量高于PM_(10).Pb、Cd、As和Zn在3种道路扬尘中平均含量最高,且在不同道路扬尘中平均含量差异表现为:隧道工业园区道路城市道路.隧道扬尘中Pb和As的平均含量高于其它重金属,在PM_(2.5)中达到92 338.3 mg·kg~(-1)和12 457.7 mg·kg~(-1);工业园区道路扬尘中Pb和Zn的平均含量最高,在PM_(2.5)中分别是4 381.7 mg·kg~(-1)和4 685.0 mg·kg~(-1);城市道路平均含量最高的重金属是Zn和Pb,在PM_(2.5)中为1 952.6 mg·kg~(-1)和1 944.8 mg·kg~(-1), 3种道路扬尘中Cu、Zn、As、Cd和Pb平均含量均高于云南省土壤背景值.富集因子分析和主成分分析结果显示:Cu、Zn、As、Cd和Pb在3种道路上均有明显富集,受到有色冶炼工业和交通源的显著影响;而Cr、Mn和Ni在3种道路上富集不明显,未受到明显的人为源影响.健康风险评价结果表明,摄食是主要的暴露途径;儿童的非致癌风险高于成人.在PM_(2.5)道路扬尘中所含有的As、Cd和Pb都会对成人和儿童造成非致癌风险,在PM_(10)工业园区道路和隧道扬尘中的As、Cd和Pb对人体有非致癌风险,城市道路中的As仅对儿童有非致癌风险.此外,隧道中的As具有致癌风险.     

基于样方法的天津市春季道路扬尘PM2.5中水溶性离子特征及来源解析

为研究天津市道路扬尘PM_(2.5)中水溶性无机离子组分特征及其来源,于2015年4月采集天津市道路扬尘样品,利用再悬浮采样器将采集的样品悬浮到滤膜上,用离子色谱仪分析其水溶性无机离子组分,利用相关分析和比值分析及主成分法对其污染特征和来源进行探讨.结果表明,天津市8种水溶性无机离子占道路扬尘PM_(2.5)的6.13%±2.32%;不同道路类型道路扬尘PM_(2.5)中水溶性无机离子总量差异较大.相关性分析表明Na~+、K~+、Mg~(2+)和Ca~(2+)这4种离子同源性较高.NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-)比值显示固定源对天津市春季道路扬尘PM_(2.5)的影响更为显著.通过主成分分析法可知,天津市春季道路扬尘PM_(2.5)主要来源于燃煤源、移动源、生物质燃烧源和建筑施工扬尘.     

Estimation and validation of PM2.5/PM10 exhaust and non-exhaust emission factors for practical street pollution modelling

In order to carry out efficient traffic and air quality management, validated models and PM emission estimates are needed. This paper compares current available emission factor estimates for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from emission databases and different emission models, and validates these against eight high quality street pollution measurements in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Austria.The data sets show large variation of the PM concentration and emission factors with season and with location. Consistently at all roads the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 emission factors are lower in the summer month than the rest of the year. For example, PM₁₀ emission factors are in average 5–45% lower during the month 6–10 compared to the annual average.The range of observed total emission factors (including non-exhaust emissions) for the different sites during summer conditions are 80–130 mg km⁻¹ for PM₁₀, 30–60 mg km⁻¹ for PM_2.5 and 20–50 mg km⁻¹ for the exhaust emissions.We present two different strategies regarding modelling of PM emissions: (1) For Nordic conditions with strong seasonal variations due to studded tyres and the use of sand/salt as anti-skid treatment a time varying emission model is needed. An empirical model accounting for these Nordic conditions was previously developed in Sweden. (2) For other roads with a less pronounced seasonal variation (e.g. in Denmark, Germany, Austria) methods using a constant emission factor maybe appropriate. Two models are presented here.Further, we apply the different emission models to data sets outside the original countries. For example, we apply the “Swedish” model for two streets without studded tyre usage and the “German” model for Nordic data sets. The “Swedish” empirical model performs best for streets with studded tyre use, but was not able to improve the correlation versus measurements in comparison to using constant emission factors for the Danish side. The “German” method performed well for the streets without clear seasonal variation and reproduces the summer conditions for streets with pronounced seasonal variation. However, the seasonal variation of PM emission factors can be important even for countries not using studded tyres, e.g. in areas with cold weather and snow events using sand and de-icing materials. Here a constant emission factor probably will under-estimate the 90-percentiles and therefore a time varying emission model need to be used or developed for such areas.All emission factor models consistently indicate that a large part (about 50–85% depending on the location) of the total PM₁₀ emissions originates from non-exhaust emissions. This implies that reduction measures for the exhaust part of the vehicle emissions will only have a limited effect on ambient PM₁₀ levels.     

杭州市中心城区主干道交通噪声现状与控制对策

通过对杭州市中心城区主干道体育场路、凤起路和庆春路的交通噪声监测表明，96％的监测点监测值超过昼间70dB限值要求，其中等效声级Leq在70．0dB～75．0dB的路段长度占监测道路总长度的89．8％：三条交通干线交通噪声的平均等效声级值-↑Leq在71.6dB～73．2dB，按交通噪声污染分级，体育场路和凤起路属于中度交通噪声污染水平，庆春路属于轻度交通噪声污染水平。解决交通噪声污染最可行的措施为对道路进行拓宽，采用疏水沥青低噪声路面，优化车道，调整交通信号，加快车辆行驶速度以及加强交通管理等。     

上海南北高架道路设置防噪声屏的探讨

在上海市区南北高架与地面道路建设期间，选择了一些典型的高架路段，开发和设置了弧型与直立型两种可翻转式噪声屏，并作了对比噪声测试，进行了声环境的分析，探讨。     

中国城市道路机动车CO、HC和NOX排放因子的测定

为了测定我国城市道路机动车污染物排放因子，在西安城市交通隧道内设３个空气监测点，对通过隧道的机动车排气形成的污染物浓度、隧道内风速、过往隧道的交通量以及车型进行采样、观测、统计和分类根据测试数据用大气扩散方程求得我国城市道路机动车平均单车 ＣＯ、 ＨＣ和 ＮＯｘ排放因子分别为 ３３．２７９±１２．１５８、 ３．５７７±１．８１６和 ４．６０５±１．９８１ ｍｇ／（ｍ·ｖｅｈ）．与国外的成果相比，我国城市道路机动车ＣＯ、 ＨＣ和ＮＯｘ排放因子分别是发达国家城市道路汽车排放因子的 ７～８倍、 ８～１０倍和 ３～４倍.