Driver Category Research Articles

Motorcycle Police Training and Service Vehicle Development in Hungary


 The history of the police motorcycle service is almost 100 years old, dating back to the Horthy era in the mid-1920s in Hungary. A turbulent history has interrupted his development several times, but he has remained continuous. Staffing levels peaked in the 1990s, and technology has developed rapidly, focused, and strongly since 2017. As a result, effective implementation of the service's mission system will depend on training development that can move at a pace with technical development and deliver systemic results in implementing missions. In this article, the author examined the use of police personnel authorised to drive specialised motorcycles, their main functions and the determination of the seasonal mileage. A questionnaire survey of motorcycle police officers enrolled in the Basic Motorcycle Training and License Renewal Training Programme of the Police Education and Training Centre in 2022. According to aggregated data, the average annual trip of the country's total of 218 service vehicles is 3,599 km. The main patrol category 104 (officer, patrol leader, patrol commander, team commander) is significantly better with 6589 km/year, while the secondary patrol category 114 (event scene and investigation, district officer, patrol commander, driver category) is 2266 km on average in 2022. The results of the survey highlight the low average driving of motorcycle police. This is mainly because more than 50 per cent of trained officers do not have the major task of carrying out their duties on a service motorcycle. However, due to the high quality of their execution, the training system must be restructured to make it more effective.

#6634 PATIENTS' PERSPECTIVES ON HAEMODIALYSIS ACCESS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract Background and Aims There is high quality evidence that favours the use of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) over central venous catheters (CVCs) for haemodialysis access, based on the association with lowest mortality and fewest complications [1]. However, less is known regarding patient and nurse preferences concerning access choices and the drivers underlying these preferences. One previous study [2] identified physical concerns regarding fistulas as the predominant barrier preventing patients with a CVC from switching to an AVF. Here we provide an expansion on these barriers, alongside novel exploration of nursing opinion on access choice. Methods Data was collected through individually administered patient surveys across 4 regional dialysis sites in East Anglia (n = 380), and anonymised online survey requests to nursing staff at the sites. Deductive and inductive strategies were employed for analysis of the qualitative data. The aim of the thematic analysis of the data was to determine the preferred access modality of patients and nurses, and the drivers for the preferences. Results 63% (n = 238) of patients responded to the questionnaire. Patient responses fell into one of four categories; drivers toward, or barriers against AVFs or CVCs. The largest of these categories was the barriers for AVFs, within which four main themes were identified: ‘Fear’, ‘difficult AVF surgery’, ‘patient preference for lines’ or ‘patients awaiting AVF surgery or transplant’. A smaller theme of ‘insufficient information’ regarding access choice was also identified. ‘Fear’ was the largest theme, within which five subthemes were identified: fear of needles, pain, bleeding, fistula appearance, or fear of complications heard from other patients on the dialysis unit. ‘Difficult AVF surgery’ encompassed two subthemes; those who have had previous failed traumatic attempts or those whose current vascular architecture was not amenable to fistula surgery. The other three categories received far fewer responses. The AVF driver category focussed on fistulas being preferred medically with reduced infection risk, whilst drivers for lines included it being ‘comfortable’ and patients saying that the line works for them. The one comment in the CVC barrier category cited difficulties experienced with lines like blockages and infections. 13 responses were received from dialysis nurses. All respondents were aware of the medical preference for patients to have a fistula, and the reasons why. Nurses themselves also preferred their patients to have fistulas, referencing the same reasons. However, most nurses thought patients preferred CVCs, and were able to cite the same reasons as the patients themselves. Lastly, nurses reported that they convey the benefits and risks of different access types correctly when asked by patients at the dialysis units. Conclusion These findings highlight that, whilst doctors and nurses focus on long-term health benefits of AVF when discussing vascular access choices, patients are focussed on the immediate potential risks of an AVF. We hypothesise that, whilst dialysing, patients share stories of fistula-related complications that drive short-term fear of AVFs, with such impact that the messages conveyed by health professionals are often negated. This difference in agendas is essential to acknowledge. The relationship between clinician, nurse and patient in the haemodialysis setting is unique given its longevity, frequency of contact, and holistic nature. Implementing a strategy to bridge this agenda gap could strengthen this relationship and provide a basis for optimum, evidence-based treatment. We therefore suggest the use of positive patient AVF experiences, delivered via peer education sessions, as a tool to introduce drivers for, and uptake of, AVF for dialysis patients in the future.

Interaction strategies with advanced driver assistance systems

When using advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) drivers need to calibrate their level of trust and interaction strategy to changes in the driving context and possible consequent reduction of system reliability (e.g. in harsh weather conditions). By investigating and identifying categories of drivers who choose inadequate interaction strategies, it is possible to address unsafe usage with e.g. tutoring lessons tailored to the respective driver category. This paper presents two studies investigating categories of drivers who apply different interaction strategies when using ADAS. Study I was designed as an exploratory field study with 37 participants interacting with a SAE level 2 system. For the exploratory study, it was important to observe and understand the interaction strategies in a driving context which entails the real complexity of the driving task. The experimental set-up of study II (simulator study), however, allowed to clearly interpret the interaction strategies as either calibrated or un-calibrated by varying the situational risk. Participants (N = 33) were driving in a situation where the system was either working reliably (low-risk condition) or in a situation where the system displayed repeatedly errors under harsh weather conditions (high-risk condition). Cluster analyses with the variables trust, monitoring behavior towards the system and usage behavior were performed to analyze potential categories of drivers. Extreme driver categories with interaction strategies indicative for both misuse and disuse were observed in both studies. In study I, drivers were categorized as either highly trusting attentive, moderately trusting attentive, moderately inattentive, inattentive or skeptical. In study II, drivers were categorized as either un-calibrated, calibrated, inconsistent or skeptical. Taken together, results underline the need of tutoring systems that are tailored for different driver categories.

The effects of a change in permissible blood alcohol concentration limit on involving drink-driving in road accidents

The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit has an effect not only on the prevalence of drivers under the influence of alcohol (DUI), but also on the occurrence and severity of road accidents. Most researchers in this field agree that reducing the alcohol limit leads to a decreased number of alcohol-related road accidents. Alcohol limit is a consequence of various political and legal factors. Depending on the driver category and country, the limit of alcohol concentration amounts up to 0.8 mg/ml. Alcohol affects drivers differently depending on their age, driving experience, etc. Thus, each alteration of alcohol concentration limit raises the issue of effects resulting from such a change. In 2009, in Serbia the alcohol concentration limit was reduced from 0.5 mg/ml to 0.3 mg/ml, as well as to 0 mg/ml for novice drivers, professional drivers and motorcyclists. After several years of application of more stringent alcohol limits, a research was conducted in order to identify the effects of reduced alcohol limit on involving DUI drivers in road accidents. The studies dealt with the influences of zero tolerance on novice drivers and motorcycle riders, as well as with the effects of reduced alcohol limits on other drivers and their involvement in road crashes. In order to study the influence of alcohol limits thus reduced, the researchers considered the relationship between the involvement of DUI drivers in road accidents in the years before and after the change in the permissible alcohol limit. The results of this study can be valuable for further development of the legislation related to alcohol concentration limits.

Impact of driving on blood pressure: Example of drivers of a large company of hydraulic works

The aim of our study was to: – etablish the prevalence of High blood pressure in a group of professional drivers from a large company of hydraulic works; – determine the epidemiological profile of hypertensives. A descriptive study was carried out during 06 months (2016), The study population included 128 male drivers working for more than 5 years. All subjects answered medical questionnaire and responded a clinical examination (cardiovascular examination, taking blood pressure, MAPA) and additional tests (capillary blood glucose, lipids and kidney checkup. The work situations were analyzed according to a professional grid. We opted for the XL STAT 2016 software. Results The prevalence of HTA among drivers 8%. Mean age of hypertensive workers was 49 ± 5.4 with a predominance of the truck driver category (44%). Prevalence of Hypertension increased with longer duration of employment as driver. Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are the most important cardiovascular risk factors 40% of hypertensives are obese with a body mass index greater than 30. Hypertension is associated to diabetes in 80% of hypertensive drivers. Occupational risk factors were stress, atypical working hours, noise and workload. HTA prevalence among drivers is higher than the national health survey and its association with risk factors, necessary education programme to raise the awareness has to be conducted.

Cross Sectional Crash Severity Analysis among Various Vehicle Driver Characteristics

The current study evaluated road crashes in three categories of drivers: passenger car drivers, heavy vehicle drivers and pickup truck drivers. The crash data of road crashes that occurred from 2009 to 2012 in Iranian suburban roads were analyzed. The crashes involved 194,041 damage, 9,677 injury and 1,303 fatality crashes. Because of the ordinal nature of crash severity, ordered logit model was selected for each vehicle driver category. In the passenger car driver category, the independent variables of driver’s gender, driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, less than high school diploma, high school diploma) were obtained for modeling; in the heavy vehicle driver category, the independent variables of driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, less than high school diploma) were obtained for modeling, and in the pickup truck driver category, the independent variables of driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, high school diploma) were obtained for modeling. The variable of driver’s gender with respect to passenger cars shows that crashes by female drivers are more severe than those involving male drivers in suburban roads. Regarding the variable of driver’s age, if the driver’s age increases in each vehicle driver category, the probability of occurrence of a severe crash will decrease. The variable of driver’s educational level shows that the severity of crashes involving a driver that has a low level of education is more compared with a driver that has a high level of education.

Logistic Regression Analysis of Drivers’ Behaviour in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria

The paper applied the driver behaviour questionnaire with closed-ended questions on drivers in locations purposively sampled to reflect different landuse categories. Socio-economic characteristics of drivers and travel behaviour were contained in the DBQ. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict the behaviour of drivers for 347 household heads (90.4% success rate) using reasons for violation traffic, gender, age, education ownership of valid driver license and driver category as predictors. A test of the full model against a constant only model was statistically significant, indicating that the predictors as a set reliably distinguished between traffic violators and non-traffic violators (chi square = 89.113, p < .001 with df = 8). Prediction success overall was 94.2% (91.3% for non-violation and 96.2% for traffic violation. The Wald criterion demonstrated that impatience, emergency, weak law, and other factors made a significant contribution to prediction in model 1 (p = .000), while only ignorance did not (p = .999). The study in line with reviewed literature has shown that when traditional cities increase in population and level of commercial activities, there is bound to be mobility conflicts if not properly managed. Enforcement of traffic laws, strategies directed at improving the safety management system, road safety awareness campaigns, among others were recommended.

On Developing a Driver Identification Methodology Using In-Vehicle Data Recorders

Recently, cutting edge technologies to facilitate data collection have emerged on a large scale. One of the most prominent is the in-vehicle data recorder (IVDR). There are multiple ways to assign the IVDR’s data to the different drivers who share the same vehicle. Irrespective of the level of sophistication, all of these technologies still suffer considerable limitations in their accuracy. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology, which can identify the driver of a given trip using historical trip-based data. To do so, an advanced machine learning pipeline is proposed. The main goal is to take advantage of highly available data—such as driver-labeled floating car data collected by a IVDR—to build a pattern-based algorithm able to identify the trip’s driver category when its true identity is unknown. This stepwise process includes feature generation/selection, multiple heterogeneous explanatory models, and an ensemble approach (i.e., stacked generalization) to reduce their generalization error. Our goal is to provide an inexpensive alternative to existing driver identification technologies, which can serve as their complement and/or validation purposes. Experiments conducted over a real-world case study from Israel uncover the potential of this idea: it obtained an accuracy of ~88% and Cohen’s Kappa agreement score of ~74%.

Determinants and Drivers of Infectious Disease Threat Events in Europe

Abstract Infectious disease threat events (IDTEs) are increasing in frequency worldwide. We analyzed underlying drivers of 116 IDTEs detected in Europe during 2008–2013 by epidemic intelligence at the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control. Seventeen drivers were identified and categorized into 3 groups: globalization and environment, sociodemographic, and public health systems. A combination of >2 drivers was responsible for most IDTEs. The driver category globalization and environment contributed to 61% of individual IDTEs, and the top 5 individual drivers of all IDTEs were travel and tourism, food and water quality, natural environment, global trade, and climate. Hierarchical cluster analysis of all drivers identified travel and tourism as a distinctly separate driver. Monitoring and modeling such disease drivers can help anticipate future IDTEs and strengthen control measures. More important, intervening directly on these underlying drivers can diminish the likelihood of the occurrence of an IDTE and reduce the associated human and economic costs.

Determinants and Drivers of Infectious Disease Threat Events in Europe.

Infectious disease threat events (IDTEs) are increasing in frequency worldwide. We analyzed underlying drivers of 116 IDTEs detected in Europe during 2008-2013 by epidemic intelligence at the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control. Seventeen drivers were identified and categorized into 3 groups: globalization and environment, sociodemographic, and public health systems. A combination of >2 drivers was responsible for most IDTEs. The driver category globalization and environment contributed to 61% of individual IDTEs, and the top 5 individual drivers of all IDTEs were travel and tourism, food and water quality, natural environment, global trade, and climate. Hierarchical cluster analysis of all drivers identified travel and tourism as a distinctly separate driver. Monitoring and modeling such disease drivers can help anticipate future IDTEs and strengthen control measures. More important, intervening directly on these underlying drivers can diminish the likelihood of the occurrence of an IDTE and reduce the associated human and economic costs.

Health plan paid cost of epilepsy in 2009 in the U.S.

Our objectives were to estimate the health plan paid cost of epilepsy and to show major cost driver(s) of these costs. The health insurance claims and membership data from six U.S. health plans were analyzed. To prepare two comparison groups, individuals with epilepsy (n=5810) were match-paired with individuals without epilepsy (n=5810) using propensity scores derived from logistic regression using gender, age group, health plan product, and length of enrollment in the health plans. Total health plan paid cost per member per year (PMPY) was $11,232 for the epilepsy group and $3026 for the controls (p<0.001). The estimated cost PMPY for treatment of epilepsy was $8206. Relative distribution (%) of health plan paid costs ($) by cost driver category based on place of service (POS) indicated that the treatment of epilepsy places a larger cost burden in inpatient POS than in outpatient hospital or MD office POS compared to controls.

Influence of street characteristics, driver category and car performance on urban driving patterns

Driving patterns (i.e., speed, acceleration and choice of gears) influence exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. The aim here is to obtain a better understanding of the variables that affect driving patterns, by determining the extent they are influenced by street characteristics and/or driver-car categories. A data set of over 14,000 driving patterns registered in actual traffic is used. The relationship between driving patterns and recorded variables is analysed. The most complete effect is found for the variables describing the street environment: occurrence and density of junctions controlled by traffic lights, speed limit, street function and type of neighbourhood. A fairly large effect is found for car performance, expressed in terms of the power-to-mass ratio. For elderly drivers, the average speed systematically decreases for all street types and stop time systematically increases on arterials. The results have implications for the assessment of environmental effects through appropriate street categorisation in emission models, as well as the possible reduction of environmental effects through better traffic planning and management, driver education and car design.

User Information Requirements for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems as a Function of Driver Category

Advanced Traveler Information Systems/Commercial Vehicle Operations (ATIS/CVO) are segments of IVHS currently being researched as a means of decreasing road congestion and increasing safety. Due to the complex information requirements for these systems, three surveys have been designed by University of Washington researchers and distributed nationwide to collect these requirements from the users: commercial drivers, dispatchers and private vehicle drivers This paper discusses the methodology used to design the surveys and the effort to ensure that a representative sample was included on a nationwide basis. Approximately 8,300 surveys were distributed in person and 10,000 dispatcher surveys were distributed in a newsletter. Data estimation procedures will include modeling the influence of an in-vehicle system for route guidance and determining the significant impacts of an ATIS/CVO in terms of age, gender, income, and other socioeconomic characteristics.