Health burden of serious road injuries in the Netherlands

Background: The consequences of injuries in terms of disabilities and health burden are relevant for policy making. This article provides an overview of the current knowledge on this topic and discusses the health burden of serious road injuries in The Netherlands.

Methods: The overview of current knowledge on disabilities following a road crash is based on a literature review. The health burden of serious road injuries is quantified in terms of years lived with disability (YLD), by combining incidence data from the Dutch hospital discharge register with information about temporary and lifelong disability.

Results: Literature shows that road traffic injuries can have a major impact on victims' physical and psychological well-being and functioning. Reported proportions of people with disability vary between 11 and 80% depending on the type of casualties, time elapsed since the crash, and the health impacts considered. Together, all casualties involving serious injuries in The Netherlands in 2009 account for about 38,000 YLD, compared to 25,000 years of life lost (YLL) of fatalities. Ninety percent of the burden of injury is due to lifelong consequences that are experienced by 20% of all those seriously injured in road accidents. Lower leg injuries and head injuries represent a high share in the total burden of injury as have cyclists that are injured in a crash without a motorized vehicle. Pedestrians and powered 2-wheeler users show the highest burden of injury per casualty.

Conclusion: Given their major impacts and contribution to health burden, road policy making should also be aimed at reducing the number of serious road injuries and limiting the resulting health impacts.     

Identification methods of key contributing factors in crashes with high numbers of fatalities and injuries in China

Objectives: In China, serious road traffic crashes (SRTCs) are those in which there are 10–30 fatalities, 50–100 serious injuries, or a total cost of 50–100 million RMB (U.S.$8–16 M), and particularly serious road traffic crashes (PSRTCs) are those that are more severe or costly. Due to the large number of fatalities and injuries as well as the negative public reaction they elicit, SRTCs and PSRTCs have become of great concern to China during recent years. The aim of this study is to identify the main factors contributing to these road traffic crashes and to propose preventive measures to reduce their number.

Methods: 49 contributing factors of the SRTCs and PSRTCs that occurred from 2007 to 2013 were collected from the database “In-depth investigation and analysis system for major road traffic crashes” (IIASMRTC) and were analyzed through the integrated use of principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering to determine the primary and secondary groups of contributing factors.

Results: Speeding and overloading of passengers were the primary contributing factors, featuring in up to 66.3 and 32.6% of accidents, respectively. Two secondary contributing factors were road related: lack of or nonstandard roadside safety infrastructure and slippery roads due to rain, snow, or ice.

Conclusions: The current approach to SRTCs and PSRTCs is focused on the attribution of responsibility and the enforcement of regulations considered relevant to particular SRTCs and PSRTCs. It would be more effective to investigate contributing factors and characteristics of SRTCs and PSRTCs as a whole to provide adequate information for safety interventions in regions where SRTCs and PSRTCs are more common. In addition to mandating a driver training program and publicization of the hazards associated with traffic violations, implementation of speed cameras, speed signs, markings, and vehicle-mounted Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are suggested to reduce speeding of passenger vehicles, while increasing regular checks by traffic police and passenger station staff and improving transportation management to increase income of contractors and drivers are feasible measures to prevent overloading of people. Other promising measures include regular inspection of roadside safety infrastructure and improving skid resistance on dangerous road sections in mountainous areas.     

高温气冷堆新燃料运输事故频率分析

商用高温气冷堆核电站是中国未来可能发展的第四代核电站,其新燃料元件和运输容器有显著的特点.探索了将概率安全评价(PSA)方法引入放射性物品运输的辐射风险评价中,首先用故障树方法分析了高温气冷堆新燃料元件公路运输的潜在事故频率,经过事故情景分析、力学分析和临界分析,选择了货包辐射水平升高和临界两种潜在事故予以分析.结果表明,货包辐射水平升高的事故频率很低;临界事故的频率极低,在后续的风险评价中可忽略.     

从道路设计角度改善交通空气质量的可行性分析

道路交通是重要大气污染源之一,随着机动车数量的增加,其排放污染物对环境空气质量和人体健康的影响日益严重。影响道路环境空气质量的主要因素包括机动车排放、扩散状况和受体分布。道路设计能够从道路线形、道路设施及配置等方面影响到机动车运行排放水平并改变污染物扩散,从而影响到公众的污染物暴露水平。从道路线形、地形位置、路边设施(声屏障、树木绿化)等方面综述了道路设计要素对路边空气质量影响的研究现状,表明了从量化道路设计指标角度改善交通空气质量的可行性;在美国道路建设和环境符合性方面的政策分析基础上,分析了我国道路建设总流程中环境考虑要素,以期为进一步完善我国道路设计导则提供参考。     

“一带一路”倡议下跨境流域生态补偿——国际经验与中国对策

跨境流域生态补偿机制的构建,是实现"一带一路"倡议目标的重要基础,有助于化解资源冲突、协调区域发展、增进利益协同,进而增强政治互信,加快经济融合,提升文化包容,推进命运共同体构建。本文基于对西方国家跨境流域生态补偿研究与实践的梳理,总结归纳出西方跨境流域生态补偿中强调流域生态系统分析、注重不同付费原则相互配搭、重视双/多边协商、建立多层次综合管理体系等经验。在此基础上,针对现阶段中国跨境流域生态补偿所面临的挑战,提出加强跨境协商合作平台建设、重视对跨境流域生态系统研究以及构建多层次协同管理体系等应对措施。     

Objective exposure to road traffic noise,noise annoyance and self-rated poor health – framing the relationship between noise and health as a matter of multiple stressors and resources in urban neighbourhoods

Borrowing from concepts of socio-environmental epidemiology and psychology, we conceived self-rated health as a function of multiple physical and psychosocial stressors and resources at the residential neighbourhood and individual level. In this model of multiple stressors, objective exposure to road traffic noise was specified as a physical stressor whose effect on health may be mediated and modified by residents’ subjective response to noise (serious noise annoyance). Self-reported hearing disability, recreational coping in green areas and residential neighbourhood satisfaction were examined as additional psychosocial stressors or resources, independently of socio-demographic and -economic factors. Results from our empirical analysis based on two studies and multivariable logistic regressions might support the idea that environmental planning should overcome sectoral boundaries and adopt an integrative approach including objective exposures, residents’ subjective responses, and perceived resources.     

雨水的混凝处理实验研究

通过烧杯混凝实验,考察了聚合氯化铝(PAC)对模拟雨水及实际的天然降雨、屋面径流雨水和道路径流雨水中各污染物的去除效果,确定了最优的药剂投加量;同时对实际雨水进行三维荧光光谱分析.实验结果表明,雨水中主要荧光物质为类蛋白质类.对于模拟雨水,PAC对TP去除效果较好,但对于COD的去除效果并不理想.对于实际雨水,PAC对于各污染物去除效果均较好,天然降雨、屋面径流雨水和道路径流雨水的PAC最佳投加量分别为:3～5 mg/L、10～20 mg/L和25～25 mg/L.这样不仅能节省药剂、降低工程费用,而且还能在很大程度上提高水的混凝沉淀处理效果.     

河流污染治理任务路线图制定方法及其在海河流域的应用

针对河流水污染治理的长期性、复杂性和系统性要求,参考技术路线图的制定原则和一般步骤,吸纳制定重要领域科技路线图的系统方法,从需求分析、任务布局、特征目标界定、实施阶段和技术重点等方面,建立了制定河流治理路线图的一般方法,并在海河流域开展应用研究,分析了海河流域河流水污染治理的问题和需求、确定了治理的战略任务,确立了水污染治理的特征目标,提出了海河流域河流水污染治理的路线图,为流域河流污染治理和生态修复提供前瞻性的战略指导和支撑.     

城市道路交通噪声的预测模型验证

《环境影响评价技术导则声环境》(HJ2.4-2009)对于公路道路交通噪声预测模式中的单车辐射声级没有给出固定的计算方式,本文对某两条城市道路采用实际环境影响评价中常用的各种预测模型计算并与实测值进行分析比较,结果发现,单车辐射声级采用2006版规范进行计算,同时结合2009新导则的预测模型得到的预测值与实测值较为相符。     

Validity of the Prey‐Trap Hypothesis for Carnivore‐Ungulate Interactions at Wildlife‐Crossing Structures

Abstract: Wildlife‐exclusion fencing and wildlife‐crossing structures (e.g., underpasses and overpasses) are becoming increasingly common features of highway projects around the world. The prey‐trap hypothesis posits that predators exploit crossing structures to detect and capture prey. The hypothesis predicts that predation events occur closer to a highway after the construction of fences and crossing structures and that prey species’ use of crossings increases the probability that predators will attack prey. We examined interactions between ungulates and large carnivores at 28 wildlife crossing structures along 45 km of the Trans‐Canada Highway in Banff National Park, Alberta. We obtained long‐term records of locations where ungulates were killed (kill sites) before and after crossing structures were built. We also placed remote, motion‐triggered cameras at two crossing structures to monitor predator behavior following ungulate passage through the structure. The proximity of ungulate kill sites to the highway was similar before and after construction of fencing and crossing structures. We found only five kill sites near crossing structures after more than 32,000 visits over 13 years. We found no evidence that predator behavior at crossing structures is affected by prey movement. Our results suggest that interactions between large mammals and their prey at wildlife‐crossing structures in Banff National Park are not explained by the prey‐trap hypothesis.