Rate Of Road Accidents Research Articles

Accident involvement among Iranian lorry drivers: Direct and indirect effects of background variables and aberrant driving behaviour

Road accident rates among Iranian lorry drivers are considerably high and, according to empirical evidence, aberrant driving behaviours, summed to certain demographic, psycho-social and work-related factors, may explain their accident involvement. Consequently, the main aim of the study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of background variables (i.e. annual mileage, lorry driving experience, demographic and socioeconomic factors) on accident involvement mediated through aberrant driving behaviour among Iranian lorry drivers. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012 among 914 lorry drivers in 10 selected provinces in Iran. The 27-item Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) was used to measure aberrant driving behaviour. Results from valid observations (n = 785) confirmed a four-factor solution (including ordinary violations, aggressive violations, errors, and lapses) of the DBQ. Errors, ordinary violations and aggressive violations were positively associated with accident involvement. However, lapses were not significantly associated with accident involvement. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) further showed that, in addition to direct effects of background variables on accident involvement, several variables had indirect effects mediated by three-DBQ factors; ordinary violations, aggressive violations, and errors. Higher age, having more lorry driving experience, having higher educational attainment, and married drivers were indirectly related to less accident involvement. Annual driving mileage and the resting rate of drivers was both directly and indirectly related to accident involvement. Higher income and car ownership were directly related to fewer accidents. Interventions could aim to decrease ordinary violations, aggressive violations and errors among younger, less educated and single lorry drivers. Initiatives targeted to increase the scheduled resting frequency of lorry drivers may also hold promise.

Change of Road Integrated Design Consistency due to Antiskid Transverse Rumble Strips on High-Speed Federal Road FT050

Abstract Malaysia is one of many developing countries that have a high rate of road accidents. Most accidents happen to motorcyclists and car users, and motorcycles are deemed 17 times more dangerous than passenger cars. One of the most common accident types are collisions between motorcycles and passenger cars due to a lack of geometric design consistency on roads, wherein drivers make errors because of geometric features. Therefore, this study is conducted to develop a consistency model for motorcycle-car collisions based on the characteristics of the geometric design on the roads and vehicle continuous speed profiles. The study was conducted on the FT050 federal road in Malaysia, from km 31 to km 35. Use of a DG-200 global positioning system (GlobalSat, New Taipei City, Taiwan), the continuous speed profile was extracted to develop road design consistency profiles based on the following parameters: the bounded area between the profile, the average speed, and the standard deviation of speed along the road. Furthermore, the study investigated the effects of antiskid transverse rumble strip treatment along the section of km 34 to km 35 after the rumble strip treatment. The installation of antiskid transverse rumble strips generally produced a significant reduction in vehicle speeds on the Federal Road FT050, which has posted speed limits of 60 km/h. The mean speed along the sections with antiskid rumble strips declined by 3.4 km/h on federal roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h. The 85th percentile speed declined to 3.8 km/h with a speed limit of 60 km/h. The profiles show that the influence area of antiskid rumble strips would be generally less than 0.5 km. The km 34 to km 35 road section, which is justified based on the design consistency of the area and on the integrated design consistency model between car and motorcycle, is found to be acceptable.

Towards Improving Road Safety using Advanced Vehicular Networks

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) are advanced network technologies applied to improve safety on roads and to offer suitable solutions for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The goal of VANETs is to assistdrivers and to act as a smart co-pilot that can alret about accidents and help avoiding them while prodivding high-end infotainment systems for both the driver and passengers. Consequently, VANETs can save millions of lives around the world, especially in Saudi Arabia, which has a very high rate of road accidents annualy. In this paper, we introduce and discuss VANETs, related routing protocols, challenging problems, and the existing solutions. This work is a part of a bigger project that aims to enhance VANETs technologies and to updapteITS to significantly promote road safety in general and Saudi Arabia’s roads in particular.

RESULTS OF STUDYING ROAD CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS' CONDITION

A system for the accounting of road infrastructure facilities' parameters specified during design and construction of motor roads. A study of parameters' condition was performed. Analysis of road accident rate statistics and identification of parameters to assess the efficiency of the proposed road construction activities aimed at the reduction in the number of road accidents were carried out. Actual data on condition parameters with the use of modern automated multi-functional diagnostic equipment were obtained. Actions aimed at the improvement of road infrastructure parameters through traffic safety enhancement, as well as actions aimed at the reconstruction of the motor road or project-supported construction of road segments were developed. Efficiency of the proposed actions was assessed.

The differentiated assessment of damage to economy of subjects of the Siberian Federal District from road and transport accident rate

The results of assessment of damage from the road accident rate in subjects of the Siberian Federal District (SFD) of the Russian Federation are presented in the article. The thesis about spatial differentiation of the Gross Regional Product (GRP) losses in different regions of the country because of people’s death and injuries in the road accidents (RA) and due to formations of property and ecological damage was chosen as a working hypothesis. The calculations, carried out for 12 subjects of the SFD, confirmed this idea. The range of calculated values of economic damage from road accident rate (in % of GRP) was from 1.3 (Tomsk region) to 12.6 (Republic of Tyva) in 2015. In article the attempt to explain the received result by heterogeneous development of economics in various Russian regions is made. The consequence of it is a heterogeneous quality of people’s life and quite various perception of life value by inhabitants of different regions that influences their life safety level.

Prospects of scientific research in the field of active and passive safety of vehicles

Road traffic injuries cause colossal socio-economic damage to the society as a whole and irreplaceable losses for injured persons and their relatives. Huge amount of road and transport accidents are caused by human error. The paper studies statistics of road accident rate and influence of human factor on safety. In connection with revealed direct dependence of accident rate and the severity of its consequences on the driver errors, the evolutional path from vehicles without automation of any functions to entirely autonomous vehicles is considered in the paper. In continuation of the dynamic evolution of vehicles, the perspectives for the development of active and passive safety of vehicles are proposed. Reducing the need for full or partial control of a car by the driver provides ample opportunities for people with disabilities to use them, which is an additional incentive to the development of autonomous vehicles. Due to the existing difficulties caused by the unavailability of either road users or legislative or regulatory authorities for switching to autonomous vehicles, there may be scientific and related problems in their implementation in the Russian transport system.

Model of the strategy for reducing the road accident rate in the city

A conceptual model of strategy for reducing accident rate on urban roads has been developed. It is based on modified method of accident rate coefficients. A multiplicative function is used to estimate the effect of partial accident rate coefficients on the resulting coefficient. The strategy suggests actions aimed at achieving the main purpose, which is the reduction of traffic accident rate under conditions of limited resources as the process of transition in the phase space from the initial point along the trajectory li. The number of trajectories can be infinite. Visualization of the accident rate reduction strategy is carried out on the 3D-surface where the isoquants are represented by the curves connecting the points with the same values of the resulting accident rate coefficient. Then an optimal control strategy is represented by a straight line perpendicular to the underlying isoquant (at a point on the tangent line to the isoquant). The mutual position of the isoquant indirectly reflects the quantitative characteristics of the amount of work related to the reduction of accident rate. Visualization allows to see and select the direction and content of the planning process that contribute to reduction of accident rate in real conditions. The model proposed by the authors underwent verification with regard to management of activities aimed at traffic safety improvement in Volgograd. A sample included data on 50 indicative black spots for three years, with daily discretization.

Accident rates and the impact of daylight saving time transitions

One-third of nations have adopted some form of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Associated costs and benefits include impacts on accident rates. Using data from 12.6 million accident claims in New Zealand during 2005–2016, we model accident rates as a function of various date-based predictors including days before/after the start and end of DST, holidays, day of week, and month of year. This is the first study to consider multiple accident categories (Road, Work, Falls and Home & Community), and the first in the southern hemisphere. The start of DST is associated with significantly higher rates of road accidents (first day +16% and second day +12%). Evidence that accident rates for Falls and Home & Community decline (increase) prior to the start (end) of DST suggest potential behavioural adaption from anticipating the change. While Work accidents show limited impact from DST changes, they exhibit a significant decline over the course of the week (Friday 13% lower than Monday), whereas Road accidents exhibit a significant increase (Friday 19% higher than Monday). Our results have implications for both DST implementation and policy.

Heterogeneity of road traffic accident rate in the Russian cities and the need of usage various methods of transport safety management

The article considers one of the topical problems of road safety management at the federal level - the problem of the heterogeneity of road traffic accident rate in Russian cities. The article analyzes actual statistical data on road traffic accident rate in the administrative centers of Russia. The histograms of the distribution of the values of two most important road accidents characteristics - Social Risk HR and Severity Rate of Road Accidents - formed in 2016 in administrative centers of Russia are presented. On the basis of the regression model of the statistical connection between Severity Rate of Road Accidents and Social Risk HR, a classification of the Russian cities based on the level of actual road traffic accident rate was developed. On the basis of this classification a differentiated system of priority methods for organizing the safe functioning of transport systems in the cities of Russia is proposed.

The effect of billboard design specifications on driving: A pilot study

Decades of research on the effects of advertising billboards on road accident rates, driver performance, and driver visual scanning behavior, has produced no conclusive findings. We suggest that road safety researchers should shift their focus and attempt to identify the billboard characteristics that are most distracting to drivers. This line of research may produce concrete guidelines for permissible billboards that would be likely to reduce the influence of the billboards on road safety. The current study is a first step towards this end. A pool of 161 photos of real advertising billboards was used as stimuli within a triple task paradigm designed to simulate certain components of driving. Each trial consisted of one ongoing tracking task accompanied by two additional concurrent tasks: (1) billboard observation task; and (2) circle color change identification task. Five clusters of billboards, identified by conducting a cluster analysis of their graphic content, were used as a within variable in one-way ANOVAs conducted on performance level data collected from the multiple tasks. Cluster 5, labeled Loaded Billboards, yielded significantly deteriorated performance on the tracking task. Cluster 4, labeled Graphical Billboards, yielded deteriorated performance primarily on the color change identification task. Cluster 3, labeled Minimal Billboards, had no effect on any of these tasks. We strongly recommend that these clusters be systematically explored in experiments involving additional real driving settings, such as driving simulators and field studies. This will enable validation of the current results and help incorporate them into real driving situations.

Play streets: women, children and the problem of urban traffic, 1930–1970

ABSTRACTThis article explores women’s participation in campaigns for urban play streets in England c.1930–1970. Concentrating on activities in ‘traditional’ terraced streets, it argues that working-class street sociability was strongly connected to children’s play and that rising levels of traffic were beginning to threaten this before the Second World War, feeding growing anxieties over the high rate of road accidents to children. One response to this from the 1930s was a series of local experiments aimed at separating traffic from children (a radical alternative to the more usual response of keeping children away from traffic) through the creation of ‘play streets’, closed to traffic for much of the day. The idea was taken up by national government and became popular in post-war decades, often due to the efforts of local women to defend the public life of their communities. The growing controversy over the introduction and maintenance of play streets from the 1960s shows women struggling to maintain traditional street sociability against the gathering power of business interests and rising car ownership in the period.

English

INTRODUCTION: Tibia is most frequent site of an open fracture, with incidence ranging from 49.4% to 63.2%. India has the highest road accident rates in the world one of every forty two vehicle in country had met with an accident in 1986. A large proportion of vehicles involved were two wheelers. The lower Limbs are involved in 49.6 % of motor cycle accidents. By its very location the tibia is prone to frequent injuries. Furthermore, the blood supply of the tibia is more precarious, high-energy tibial fractures are associated with compartment syndrome or neural or vascular injuries(27,28). Open fractures have a higher infection rate than closed fractures(21,29) and the rate increases with the increasing severity of the soft tissue injury(25,26).The risk of delayed union and nonunion in closed, and open treatment is increased with comminution. Their treatment, prognosis, and outcome are mainly determined by the mechanism of injury, degree of comminution, soft tissue injury and displacement. AIM OF STUDY: Aim of our study is to highlight the important role of Ilizarov technique in the management of Grossly Comminuted Compound Tibial fracture. Aim of our study is to analyze the result of 20 cases of these complex grossly comminuted compound tibial fractures with Ilizarov technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Material consists of 20 cases of compound comminuted tibia using Ilizarov technique at Govt. Royapettah Hospital, Chennai between June 2005 to September 2007. The following types of cases were included 1. Compound diaphyseal fracture comminuted 2. Compound periarticular fracture. 3. Compound tibial plateau fracture 4. Compound metaphyseal fracture with shaft extension. 5. Compound segmental fracture. 6. Compound diaphyseal fracture with bone loss. Over the past 28 months we analyzed the treatment of 20 cases of compound tibial comminuted fracture using Ilizarov technique. METHODS: Frame Construction. Two half rings are selected that are 2-3 cm larger than the major diameter of the injured limb. The rings are positioned in the same plane and a bolt and nut anchor together at both ends of the half rings. Typically, a 4 ring assembly is required with 2 rings proximal and distal to fracture site. Two rings are used on large fragments. Ring & drop post used for smaller fragments. Two proximal & distal rings are connected via two rods of appropriate length . RESULTS: In our study, 20 cases were followed up until union and for further period till date. Patients were assessed for pain and functional limitations, and examined for angular and rotational mal-alignment and range of motion. Leg lengths were measured clinically. Pin tract infection occurred in 4 (20%) of cases. 2 resolved by systemic antibiotics for 5 days, in another one, soft tissue release around the offending wire was done and in one the wires had to be completely removed and reapplied. 2 (10%) patients had an angulation of 10° at the fracture site, and 4 (20%) had shortening between 1-2 cms of the fractured leg. Knee and ankle range of motion was satisfactory in almost all cases. There were no cases of osteomyelitis or neurologic or vascular complications among these patients. CONCLUSION: From our study of 20 cases of management of compound comminuted fracture tibia with Ilizarov technique, we conclude that Ilizarov technique has a definite role in the management of fracture tibia like 1. Open comminuted fracture: Open segmental fracture, Open fracture with bone loss, Open complex fracture. 2. It reduces hospital stay, 3. Full functional recovery, 4. Early weight bearing, 5. Gives definite union. To date we have not had any significant complication with Ilizarov method. Pain during treatment and acceptance of apparatus were two important subjective problems encountered in our experiences. The usage of Ilizarov apparatus provides definitive fixation for highenergy tibial fractures. Early weight bearing even in severely comminuted fractures is the key factor that separates it from other methods of fixation. It promotes early functional recovery, eliminating fracture disease. Dynamisation and correction of deformities in any plane is easily accomplished. Frame constructs could be modified to facilitate wound cover and access. Therefore it lends the much-needed flexibility in complex fractures

Factors Affecting Accidents Risks among Truck Drivers In Egypt

Egypt is ranked among the countries with the highest rates of road accidents. According to the American Chamber of Commerce more than 96% of Egypt's goods are transported by trucks and due to their large volume and excessive weight, the severity and number of truck accident fatalities are much higher than other vehicles in Egypt. The present study aims at identifying truck driver's behavior and its influence on crash involvement. Due to the shortage in recording accident data and the inaccurate road accident audit, data was collected from several governorates in Egypt through questionnaire. Questionnaire forms were filled out through personal interviews with truck drivers. The total number of respondents was 643. The final analysis was made on the 615 questionnaires with complete answers. The data was analyzed and logistic regression was applied to accident related data to examine the contributing factors affecting accident occurrence of truck drivers. Results showed that fatigue in terms of driving hours (continuous and total) and lack of sleep, drug use during driving, and driver obesity are the most influencing factors on the occurrence of truck accidents in Egypt. The findings of this research highlight the important role human factors have on the risk of crash involvement amongst Egypt's truck drivers and the need to improve their work conditions.

A Wi-Fi based Electronic Road Sign for Enhancing the Awareness of Vehicle Driver

Reducing the road accident rate is one of the city goal in the area of transportation. One of the effort to reach that goal is done by deploying various signs across the road. However, the role of those road signs can be diminished once the vehicle drivers intentionally or unintentionally disobey the rule indicated on those signs. In order to increase the awareness of the driver, we can employ the vehicular network concept in which a vehicle can communicate with another vehicles or with the infrastructure installed along the road. For realizing that idea, we propose the implementation of communication equipped road sign system which consists of two components: Road Side Unit (RSU) module deployed at road sign and On Board Unit (OBU) module deployed at each vehicle. In our proposed scheme, both of the devices communicate each other through the widely-used Wi-Fi protocol (IEEE 802.11n) operating in ad-hoc mode. While a OBU equipped vehicle is moving towards the communication range of RSU, it will make an association to a predefined wireless ad-hoc network. Once it is associated, the OBU can receive message broadcast by the RSU. Upon reception, OBU display alert message indicating that the vehicle is approaching a road sign. From performance testing we observe that the proposed system can give relatively good service the vehicle moving as fast as speed 90km/h with the distance as far as 90m.

Smart Rash Driver System via Internet of Things (IoT)

Nearly half a million accidents on Malaysians road occur in 2015. The aim of this research is to detect car speed, capture the photo of the speeding car and then transfer the data like car speed, date and time, location and lane number to an online database. A distance sensor is used to measure the distance range between two points on the road. The ESP8266 NodeMCU will be the control unit to process the data and calculate the speed with the formula of speed equal to distance over time. The ESP8266 NodeMCU is also a Wi-Fi module to help in transferring data via IoT to an online database. The Google spreadsheet acted as an online database and will receive all the data if detected a speeding car. In conclusion, the Smart Rash Driver System is successfully invented and able to detect vehicle speed, capture the photo of over speed vehicle and save it to the SD card and lastly transfer all data via IoT to the Google Spreadsheet. This invention will be able to help to decrease the road accident rate efficiently.

A reduced feature set for driver head pose estimation

Evaluation of driving performance is of utmost importance in order to reduce road accident rate. Since driving ability includes visual-spatial and operational attention, among others, head pose estimation of the driver is a crucial indicator of driving performance. This paper proposes a new automatic method for coarse and fine head's yaw angle estimation of the driver. We rely on a set of geometric features computed from just three representative facial keypoints, namely the center of the eyes and the nose tip. With these geometric features, our method combines two manifold embedding methods and a linear regression one. In addition, the method has a confidence mechanism to decide if the classification of a sample is not reliable. The approach has been tested using the CMU-PIE dataset and our own driver dataset. Despite the very few facial keypoints required, the results are comparable to the state-of-the-art techniques. The low computational cost of the method and its robustness makes feasible to integrate it in massive consume devices as a real time application.

Road Accident Analysis: A Case Study of Federal Route FT024 Yong Peng- Parit Sulong

Traffic accidents are considered as an unplanned and unfortunate event which is a serious concern to the community as well as the authority. An accident-counter measure can reduce the rate of road accidents by initially identifying critical locations. The total of road accidents along FT 024 between 2009 and 2012 is 907 cases. Road accidents during the same period range between 24 % and 26 % each year. These accidents killed 34 people and injuring another 101 people. This research aims to identify factors that may contribute to the cause of accidents and to study the effects of speed, volume and road geometry on road accidents. In this study, the locations labelled as km 1, km 2, km 4, km 8, km 5 and km 14 of Federal Route FT 024 Yong Peng - Parit Sulong were selected as the study-case sections based on Accident Point Weightage of ranking, in which each location has different road characteristics. Speed study was carried out at selected road sections to evaluate the influence of speed upon road accidents; and traffic volume count was conducted at the same selected road sections to determine the existing condition of the route. Besides, road geometry observations and measurements were also conducted at selected sections, they were also studied to evaluate influence of road designs upon road accidents. The extracted data were analyzed by using regression analysis on different variables to evaluate the relationship between accident Weightage point and other dependent variables that were considered to have considerable effects upon road accidents such as mean speed, volume, shoulder width, lane width and access point. P value below 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. After conducting data analysis, this study showed that the number of road accidents increases with the increment of speed and access point. On the other hand, volume has no strong relationship to road accidents which means that it may not have an effect on accidents. Moreover, based on the assumptions made by the researchers and project supervisors, road safety index development is important for the selected road sections along FT 024 to improve the road conditions in terms of safety and also to propose improvements at the selected locations in order to reduce accident rate. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2016 Language: en

Peculiarities of the train driver’s work in modern conditions: a view from inside

The study focuses on peculiar features of the professional activities of the train driver in the present conditions, when the rate of road accidents remains high and the existing traction rolling stock is rapidly “aging”, i.e. deteriorating. We have identified new factors affecting the “train driver––locomotive––rail transport infrastructure” system and new trends in the operation of locomotive crews, such as a significant increase in the volume of radio and mobile communication and regular changes in regulatory, reference and official documents, which result in additional duties laid on locomotive crews. The findings allow working out measures that would improve the rate of the railway traffic safety with an account for the current state of the system in which the key role belongs to the train driver. We have identified the current challenges and promising ways to improve the reliability of the human factor in ensuring the railway traffic safety, such as: (1) the necessity to consider individual characteristics of the driver, (2) optimizing the verbal interaction of the locomotive crew members, and (3) working out criteria for the feasibility of the driver’s activities. The study findings are particularly important in the context of an increasing moral and psychological load on the human operator in the system.

The importance of child car seat safety

Provoking the loss of a productive workforce and the waste of economic resources, through death or disability, the social and economic ramifications of road accidents attract the attention of researchers and stakeholders alike. Accidents have detrimental social, health and psychological consequences for families and cause them financial burdens. One of the means of protection against road accidents lies in taking preventive safety measures and educating children about them in order to reduce the risk of exposing children to accidents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Excluding non-communicable diseases, road accidents are the leading cause of death in the Kingdom. The safety belt in the vehicle is the first means of safety while driving. The 1998 Saudi Law on the use of safety belts defines the device as that part which holds the user's body firmly on the seat. On account of the exponential increase in the rate of road accidents and casualties, the need for the use of seatbelts cannot be overemphasized. This does not exclusively concern adults but also children who should be provided with the necessary means of protection and safety. We all learn how to protect our children at home, prevent them from playing with fire and sharp and harmful objects; we cover electric plugs and keep electric appliances away from them, and moderate the temperature of the heater in order to protect our children from being burned. We also learn the basics of first aid to rescue our children in case they are exposed to danger. However, have we ever thought of protecting our children when they are outdoors? Have we ever taught them how to cross the road and how important it is to use the safety belt in the car? Do we actually use it ourselves? Do we use the safety child seat for our children from birth? Have we ever shown them the importance of the car seat? The answer to all these questions is mostly in the negative. In our hectic daily life, and in our desire to reach places quickly, we forget or ignore the importance of safety in the car, and also forget or pretend to have forgotten the basic Islamic principle which urges Muslims to be cautious and, after entrusting our fate to Allah, to make use of all means. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said: “Trust in Allah but tether your camel.” The Holy Koran forbids exposing oneself to harm. Allah, the Almighty, says: “and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction.” This paper examines the importance of the child car seat and its role in safeguarding children. Some of the relevant issues this paper intends to raise include: What are the best types of children's car seats and seatbelts? How should safety seats be used? Can a child use a seatbelt and dispense with the safety seat? What happens when the child safety seat is not available in the vehicle? In addition to other relevant issues, this paper discusses the psychological impact of traffic accidents and the importance of reckoning with the Islamic principle of making use of all.

Road accident rates: strategies and programmes for improving road traffic safety.

Nowadays, the problem of road accident rates is one of the most important health and social policy issues concerning the countries in all continents. Each year, nearly 1.3 million people worldwide lose their life on roads, and 20-50 million sustain severe injuries, the majority of which require long-term treatment. The objective of the study was to identify the most frequent, constantly occurring causes of road accidents, as well as outline actions constituting a basis for the strategies and programmes aiming at improving traffic safety on local and global levels. Comparative analysis of literature concerning road safety was performed, confirming that although road accidents had a varied and frequently complex background, their causes have changed only to a small degree over the years. The causes include: lack of control and enforcement concerning implementation of traffic regulation (primarily driving at excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol, and not respecting the rights of other road users (mainly pedestrians and cyclists), lack of appropriate infrastructure and unroadworthy vehicles. The number of fatal accidents and severe injuries, resulting from road accidents, may be reduced through applying an integrated approach to safety on roads. The strategies and programmes for improving road traffic should include the following measures: reducing the risk of exposure to an accident, prevention of accidents, reduction in bodily injuries sustained in accidents, and reduction of the effects of injuries by improvement of post-accident medical care.