Road safety in China: Analysis of current challenges

Introduction

China has the world's largest population, and is the second largest automobile market. China's economy is booming, resulting in a rapid increase in both the road infrastructure and access to private vehicles. Along with economic growth, the ownership of motorized vehicles has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years, from 42.2 million in 1997 to 159.7 million in 2007. However, at the same time, China also has a very high number of road fatalities compared to other countries, with about 100,000 reported fatalities each year.

Method

This study analyzes the Chinese road-fatality situation to identify areas in which the total harm caused by crashes can be substantially and readily reduced. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the current road-fatality situation in China using conventional indices and the likely future trends.

Results

Four areas were identified in which countermeasures have the most potential to substantially reduce fatalities in China: pedestrians and other non-motorists, nighttime driving, vehicle passengers, and motorcycles.

Conclusion

While China faces unprecedented road safety issues, this report identifies major areas in which there are opportunities to greatly reduce total harm.     

用物理—事理—人理的方法研究运输安全系统

安全是交通运输发展的根本保障 ,用系统工程的方法研究运输安全 ,会使交通运输安全系统工程问题得到更好的解决 ,并会促进交通运输业的发展。笔者采用系统工程的物理 -事理 -人理 (WSR)的方法对交通运输安全进行了综合研究 ,给出了具体方法和步骤     

Transportation energy in global cities: sustainable transportation comes in from the cold?

The energy, environmental and social benefits of sustainable transportation, i.e. public transit, biking and walking, have long been recognized but are now mainstream in global and local transportation policy debates. However, the economic value of sustainable transportation has always been seen as secondary, unless many external costs were included. The results of a new global study show that cities with significant sustainable transportation systems have reduced costs on road construction and maintenance; better operating cost recovery and fuel-efficiency; fewer road accidents and less air pollution. In overall terms, the percentage of city funds going to transportation is reduced. The data show that cities with the most roads have the highest transportation costs and the most rail-oriented cities have the lowest. Further, the most sprawling cities have the highest direct and indirect costs for transportation. Thus, strategies to contain sprawl, to reurbanize, to build new rail systems into car-dependent suburbs with focussed sub-centers, and to facilitate biking and walking, not only will improve energy efficiency but will reduce costs to the economy of a city. Strategies that build freeways and add to sprawl will do the opposite. Trends indicate that moves toward sustainable urban patterns are beginning. The need to operationalize sustainable transportation strategies in planning and engineering practice and in the politics of infrastructure funding remains a major challenge. Some cities are showing how this can be done.     

集装箱中心站的安全检查防护

在全球“反恐”和维护国家经济安全的背景下 ,分析了在集装箱运输中违禁物品、走私物品等的偷运对国家安全构成的威胁以及有关国家对此采取的应对措施 ;结合中国铁路集装箱运输的发展要求 ,根据集装箱中心站作为铁路集装箱运输主要集散地和铁路口岸站的特点 ,提出了中心站安全防护建设工作应与海关等相关部门密切合作共同建设 ;配置有关高新技术设备强化对集装箱运输的安全检查 ,以便有效地查堵涉及危害国家安全和铁路运输安全的集装箱物品。     

我国交通运输气候灾害的初步研究

利用收集的资料,从我国实际国情出发,在分析我国气候特点、交通运输发展特点的基础上,综合研究了我国交通运输气候灾害的特点、类型、分布及其影响,为进一步开展气候异常对交通运输的影响研究打下了基础．     

Analysis of factors that influence hazardous material transportation accidents based on Bayesian networks: A case study in China

In this study, we applied Bayesian networks to prioritize the factors that influence hazardous material (Hazmat) transportation accidents. The Bayesian network structure was built based on expert knowledge using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, and the structure was modified based on a test for conditional independence. We collected and analyzed 94 cases of Chinese Hazmat transportation accidents to compute the posterior probability of each factor using the expectation-maximization learning algorithm. We found that the three most influential factors in Hazmat transportation accidents were human factors, the transport vehicle and facilities, and packing and loading of the Hazmat. These findings provide an empirically supported theoretical basis for Hazmat transportation corporations to take corrective and preventative measures to reduce the risk of accidents.     

武汉市道路交通业CO_2排放与减排潜力分析

为了促进武汉市低碳经济发展,减少交通出行带来的碳排放压力,核算了武汉市道路交通出行的CO2排放量,并采用低度、中度和强化3种减排情景模式对武汉道路交通出行的碳减排潜力进行了测算,计算出了不同情景下武汉市道路交通出行的碳减排强度。结果表明,2005年以来道路交通业CO2排放总量呈显著增长趋势。私家轿车的CO2排放量增加速度最快,大货车的CO2排放量在各类交通工具排放量中占比最大,公交车和出租车的CO2排放量所占比例较小。对3种不同情景的模拟结果表明,在低度减排情景减排效果有限,强化低碳情景下才能达到减排效果。建议采取以下减排措施:改进基础设施,创建良好的出行环境;推进技术创新,降低机动车能耗污染;提升公民素质,加大碳减排的宣传力度;优化道路运输的能效和经营效率管理等。     

Ride-hailing with kids: Who’s got their back?

Introduction: As transportation network companies (TNC) are on the rise, assessing the safety of children traveling in these vehicles is imperative. For this reason, this study developed and adopted a scoring system to assess states’ safety standards for children traveling in TNC vehicles. Methods: The scoring was based on two parameters pertaining to child car seat laws for TNCs: clarity and stringency. For each parameter, three criteria that could impact child safety in TNC vehicles were formulated. If a state met a certain criterion it got 1 point and 0 otherwise. The authors gathered all the necessary information by reviewing state statutes in Nexus Uni, a legal research database. These reviews took place between December 2019 and October 2020, and this study evaluated state laws in effect on October 28, 2020. Results: During this assessment, the authors observed a lack of clarity in state child car seat laws, which could compromise safety of children traveling in TNC vehicles. For clarity of laws, Georgia and Indiana received the highest scores (3 out of 3 points), while 16 states scored only 1 point, which was the lowest score in this category. In terms of stringency of laws, Pennsylvania received the highest score (3 out of 3 points), while Indiana scored the least (0 points). Conclusions: Besides one state (Oregon), all other states defined TNCs in their state laws. All states except for Indiana and Washington required child car seats in TNC vehicles. The responsibility for child car seat use was clearly defined in 35 states. The fine for child car seat violation was $50 or more in 28 states. Practical Application: This study will help TNCs, policymakers, and stakeholders identify states that need to improve their standards for child safety in TNC vehicles, and comprehensively address the issue.     

Small-scale fire performance assessment of intumescent coatings on metal tubes containing ammonium nitrate. A stepping-stone towards their application as a fire safety measure on road transportation tanks?

Ammonium nitrate is used in vast amounts globally, first and foremost as a component of fertilizers and explosive formulations. This usage necessitates its transportation which, as for most hazardous materials, involves certain risks. For oxidizing materials such as ammonium nitrate, the ultimate consequence of road transportation incidents is usually considered to be fire followed by explosion. Even though the probability in general is low, substantial reduction in its risk is a great gain for public safety. Thus, identifying novel and improving current safety measures for risk reduction, is an important aspect in the field of hazardous materials. Herein, a series of experiments are reported, which demonstrate the fire protection performance of two state-of-the-art intumescent passive fire protection materials on small-scale metal test tubes containing ammonium nitrate. Albeit being initial experiments on laboratory-scale, these results provide a promising starting point for further investigations on the potential of these materials for the fire protection of ammonium nitrate when carried in metal tanks. At its best, a prominent protection of ammonium nitrate from heat exposure was observed, as the temperature was kept well below its boiling point for more than 2.5 h. Successively, it resulted in a complete recovery of the sample material. This was in large contrast to the observed results for the unprotected test tubes, which led to complete decomposition of the sample after 11 min.     

道路交通噪声最佳测量时间和时段研究

对典型城市主干道进行长期噪声监测,对监测结果进行误差分析,得出城市主干道交通噪声短时间测量最佳时间及时段,提高工作效率的同时提高数据准确度。