Reduce Motor Vehicle Research Articles

Primary Enforcement of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws and Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths

Policies that allow directly citing motorists for seat belt non-use (primary enforcement) have been shown to reduce motor vehicle crash deaths relative to secondary enforcement, but the evidence base is dated and does not account for recent improvements in vehicle designs and road safety. The purpose of this study was to test whether recent upgrades to primary enforcement still reduce motor vehicle crash deaths. In 2016, researchers used motor vehicle crash death data from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System for 2000-2014 and calculated rates using both person- and exposure-based denominators. Researchers used a difference-in-differences design to estimate the effect of primary enforcement on death rates, and estimated negative binomial regression models, controlling for age, substance use involvement, fixed state characteristics, secular trends, state median household income, and other state-level traffic safety policies. Models adjusted only for crash characteristics and state-level covariates models showed a protective effect of primary enforcement (rate ratio, 0.88, 95% CI=0.77, 0.98; rate difference, -1.47 deaths per 100,000 population, 95% CI= -2.75, -0.19). After adjustment for fixed state characteristics and secular trends, there was no evidence of an effect of upgrading from secondary to primary enforcement in the whole population (rate ratio, 0.98, 95% CI=0.92, 1.04; rate difference, -0.22, 95% CI= -0.90, 0.46) or for any age group. Upgrading to primary enforcement no longer appears protective for motor vehicle crash death rates.

Trends in Automobile Travel, Motor Vehicle Fatalities, and Physical Activity: 2003-2015.

Annual per-capita automobile travel declined by 600 miles from 2003 to 2014 with decreases greatest among young adults. This article tests whether the decline has been accompanied by public health co-benefits of increased physical activity and decreased motor vehicle fatalities. Minutes of auto travel and physical activity derived from active travel, sports, and exercise were obtained from the American Time Use Survey. Fatalities were measured using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Longitudinal change was assessed for adults aged 20-59 years by age group and sex. Significance of changes was assessed by absolute differences and unadjusted and adjusted linear trends. Analyses were conducted in 2016. Daily auto travel decreased by 9.2 minutes from 2003 to 2014 for all ages (p<0.001) with the largest decrease among men aged 20-29 years (Δ= -21.7, p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in total minutes of physical activity. Motor vehicle occupant fatalities per 100,000 population showed significant declines for all ages (Δ=-5.8, p<0.001) with the largest for young men (Δ= -15.3, p<0.001). Fatalities per million minutes of auto travel showed only modest declines across age groups and, for men aged 20-29 years, varied from 10.9 (95% CI=10.0, 11.7) in 2003 to 9.7 (95% CI=8.7, 10.8) in 2014. Reduced motor vehicle fatalities are a public health co-benefit of decreased driving, especially for male millennials. Despite suggestions to the contrary, individuals did not switch from cars to active modes nor spend more time in sports and exercise. Maintenance of the safety benefits requires additional attention to road safety efforts, particularly as auto travel increases.

An evaluation of the effect of Ohio's graduated driver licensing law on motor vehicle crashes and crash outcomes involving drivers 16 to 20 years of age

ABSTRACTObjective: Nationally, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among youth ages 16 to 20 years. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have been implemented to reduce motor vehicle crashes among teen drivers. Studies have shown decreases in teen crash rates and crash-related fatality rates following enactment of GDL laws. However, GDL laws typically apply to teens only until their 18th birthday; therefore, the effect, if any, that GDL laws have on youth drivers ages 18 to 20 years and whether these programs should be extended to include these older youth warrant further study. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Ohio's 2007 revised GDL law on motor vehicle crashes and crash-related injuries for crashes involving teen drivers ages 16 to 20 years, with a focus on the effects on crashes involving drivers ages 18 to 20 years.Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers ages 16 to 20 years in Ohio in the pre-GDL (2004–2006) and post-GDL (2008–2010) periods was performed. Descriptive statistics and population-based crash rates for drivers and occupants ages 16 to 20 years were calculated, as well as rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing crashes in the pre-GDL and post-GDL periods.Results: Compared with the pre-GDL period, the post-GDL period was associated with lower crash rates for drivers age 16 years (relative risk [RR] = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90–0.98), age 17 years (RR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.88–0.93), age 18 years (RR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92–0.97), and ages 16–17 years combined (RR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90–0.95). Crash rate was higher for the post-GDL period for drivers age 19 years (RR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07), age 20 years (RR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05–1.13), and ages 18–20 years combined (RR = 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.03).Conclusions: Unlike previous studies, this investigation used linked data to evaluate the outcomes of all occupants in crashes involving drivers ages 16–20 years. The post-GDL period was associated with lower crash, injury crash, and fatal crash involvement among drivers and occupants ages 16–17 years but higher overall crash involvement for drivers and occupants ages 19 years, 20 years, and 18–20 years combined. These findings support extending GDL restrictions to novice drivers ages 18 through 20 years to reduce crashes in that group.

Eye-tracking technology, visual preference surveys, and urban design: preliminary evidence of an effective methodology

Urban planners and designers use visual preference surveys to gather public opinion on potential designs for developments. Using eye-tracking technology, we administered a visual preference survey to a convenience sample to evaluate quantitatively the ways in which individuals process and rank images used in public settings for urban planning. We combined both a subjective qualitative analysis with quantitative evaluation of the eye-tracking data. The analysis largely confirms that various new urbanist components of the images, namely people, pedestrian features, and greenery, lead to higher rankings. Images with cars and parking receive negative rankings. Buildings, which are a key component of architectural design, had mixed results. The analysis demonstrates the efficacy of visual preference surveys. We show a way for transportation and urban planners to extract greater value from visual preference surveys, consistent with efforts to increase pedestrian activity while reducing motor vehicle traffic in cities.

The Pattern of Road Traffic Crashes in South East Iran.

Background:In the present study, the epidemiologic aspects of road traffic crashes in South East of Iran are described.Methods:This cross-sectional study included the profile of 2398 motor vehicle crashes recorded in the police office in one Year in South East of Iran. Data collected included: demographics, the type of crash, type of involved vehicle, location of crash and factors contributing to the crash. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Results:Collisions with other vehicles or objects contributed the highest proportion (62.4%) of motor vehicle crashes. Human factors including careless driving, violating traffic laws, speeding, and sleep deprivation/fatigue were the most important causal factors accounting for 90% of road crashes. Data shows that 41% of drivers were not using a seat belt at the time of crash. One- third of the crashes resulted in injury (25%) or death (5%).Conclusions:Reckless driving such as speeding and violation of traffic laws are major risk factors for crashes in the South East of Iran. This highlights the need for education along with traffic law enforcement to reduce motor vehicle crashes in future.

P12 Law Enforcement Involvement and Traffic Safety Effectiveness: Findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration׳s (NHTSA)׳s 2013 Countermeasures That Work

BackgroundRoad traffic injuries are the eighth-leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 29 years. Conventional approaches to traffic safety interventions in the United States are based on the three pillars of engineering, enforcement, and education. Law enforcement has gained popularity in traffic safety as a result of high-visibility enforcement campaigns. However, there is mixed evidence for the effectiveness of law enforcement interventions in reducing motor vehicle crashes. This study seeks to evaluate the role of law enforcement in countermeasure effectiveness. MethodsData from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration׳s (NHTSA) 2013 Countermeasures That Work was examined. Countermeasures were coded by an expert reviewer to indicate whether the countermeasure required any law enforcement involvement to implement. NHTSA rated each countermeasure on a one- to five-star scale in terms of effectiveness. The NHTSA-rated effectiveness of countermeasures and involvement of law enforcement were cross-tabulated. Spearman׳s rho was calculated to assess the magnitude of the association between law enforcement involvement in a countermeasure and its rated effectiveness. ResultsThere were a total of 116 countermeasures rated. The expert coder indicated that 43% of total countermeasures required law enforcement involvement to implement. Of the countermeasures with law enforcement involvement, 43% were rated 4 or 5 stars. In contrast, 19% of countermeasures that did not involve law enforcement were rated 4 or 5 stars. The effectiveness ratings of programs tended to be higher for programs that had law enforcement involvement than those that did not, Spearman׳s ⍴=.30, p=.002. ConclusionsActing on traffic safety interventions is part of the larger process of building healthy communities while reducing unnecessary morbidity and mortality. This evaluation of the evidence suggests that countermeasures that involve law enforcement tend to be more effective than those that do not. Further analyses will be conducted to examine associations between the type of road safety issue addressed by the countermeasure, the rated effectiveness of the countermeasure, the role of legislation in countermeasure implementation, and possible interactions between legislation and enforcement on program-rated effectiveness.

The impact of policy, environmental, and educational interventions: a synthesis of the evidence from two public health success stories.

Motor vehicle safety and tobacco control are among the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the number of miles traveled in the United States multiplied 10 times from the 1920s to the 1990s, the annual motor vehicle crash death rate per vehicle mile traveled decreased by 90%. Similarly, tobacco-related deaths from heart disease, stroke, and cancer were rapidly mounting over the first two thirds of the 20th century. Then, in the last third of the century, tobacco consumption decreased by more than 50%, and rates of heart disease and stroke deaths, and later cancer deaths, declined similarly. This analysis addresses the central question of what lessons can be learned from these success stories that will help public health professionals successfully tackle new and emerging health behavior problems of today and tomorrow? Surveillance, research, multilevel interventions, environmental modifications, and strong policies were key to reducing motor vehicle- and tobacco-related health problems. Generating public support and advocacy, and changing social norms also played critical roles in promoting the safer and smoke-free behaviors. Lessons learned include the need for evidence-based practices and interventions that are ecologically comprehensive with an emphasis on changing environmental determinants and capitalizing on the concept of reciprocal determinism. The analysis concludes with a description of how the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning framework can be used to apply the lessons from motor vehicle safety and tobacco control to other public health threats.

Rumble Strip Gaps for High-Speed Bicycles

Shoulder rumble strips (SRSs) are a proven safety countermeasure that reduces motor vehicle lane departures; however, they may be seen as an impediment to bicycle travel because they decrease comfort for bicyclists and can affect riders' control while bicycling. Existing literature provides recommendations for the placement of regular gaps in SRSs, but the supporting research is limited to low and moderate bicycle speeds. Roads with SRSs along long, steep grades present a unique set of risks for cyclists because of the possibility of higher bicycle speeds. This study evaluated how variations in SRS gap lengths and shoulder widths affected bicyclists' ability to maneuver through these gaps when riding at higher than average speeds. The findings suggest that as gap length increases, bicyclists may increase downhill speed while reporting fewer instances of discomfort when attempting to cross larger gaps. The likelihood of a bicyclist hitting a simulated rumble strip while crossing a gap decreases modestly as the gap size increases. Shoulder widths in excess of 4 ft do not appear to significantly influence bicyclists' capability of maneuvering across different gap lengths and had only a minor effect on bicyclists' speeds.

Effects of Increasing Child Restraint Use in Reducing Occupant Injuries Among Children Aged 0–5 Years in Japan

Objectives: In Japan, child restraint use among preschool children started to increase before compulsory child restraint use for children aged 0–5 years was introduced by legislation in April 2000. This study determined the effects of increased child restraint use in reducing motor vehicle occupant injuries among children aged 0–5 years.Methods: We obtained monthly police data of child vehicle occupant injuries from 1990 to 2009. We calculated monthly ratios of morbidity rates per population of children aged 0–5 years to those of children aged 6–9 years. Time trends of the morbidity rate ratios were analyzed using a joinpoint regression model to determine whether there were trend changes in child occupant injuries and when they occurred if there were trend changes.Results: The morbidity rate ratios showed a slightly increasing trend of 0.03% per month (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.02% to 0.09%) until the change-point in December 1997 (95% CI, July 1996 to January 1999), which then changed to a decreasing trend of −0.14% per month (95% CI, −0.16 to −0.11), with an overall trend change of −0.17% (95% CI, −0.23 to −0.11). No change-point was identified in or around April 2000 when compulsory restraint use was introduced.Conclusions: The present study used comparative indicators relative to age groups that were not covered by the legislation and showed that a decreasing trend of occupant morbidity among children aged 0–5 years started before the introduction of compulsory restraint use. This change probably reflects the prelegislative voluntary increase in child restraint use.

Do Traffic Tickets Reduce Motor Vehicle Accidents? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

This paper analyzes the effect of traffic tickets on motor vehicle accidents. Ordinary least squares (OLS) estimate may be upward biased because police officers tend to focus on areas where and periods when there is heavy traffic and thus higher rates of accidents. This paper exploits the dramatic increase in tickets during the Click-it-or-Ticket campaign to identify the causal impact of tickets on accidents using data from Massachusetts. I find that tickets significantly reduce accidents and nonfatal injuries. I provide suggestive evidence that tickets have a larger impact at night and on female drivers.

Share of mass transit miles traveled and reduced motor vehicle fatalities in major cities of the United States.

The USA leads the developed world in motor vehicle fatalities, presenting a critical public health threat. We examined whether an increasing share of mass transit use, relative to vehicle miles traveled on public roads, was associated with reduced motor vehicle fatalities. We used annual city-level data for the USA from 1982-2010 provided by the Fatality Accident Reporting System, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Census Bureau, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to estimate a structural equation model of the factors associated with mass transit miles and motor vehicle fatalities. The final analytic data included 2,900 observations from 100 cities over 29years. After accounting for climate, year, and the economic costs of driving, an increasing share of mass transit miles traveled per capita was associated with reduced motor vehicle fatalities. The costs of congestion to the average commuter and gas prices were positively associated with increasing the share of mass transit miles traveled. The economic costs of driving increased over time, while both the fatality rate and the share of mass transit miles traveled decreased over time. Increasing the share of mass transit miles traveled may be associated with fewer motor vehicle miles traveled. Increasing mass transit uptake may be an effective public health intervention to reduce motor vehicle fatalities in cities.

0254 Commuting Accident in Malaysia: Are we doing enough?

ObjectivesCommuting accidents are accidents occurring while travelling to and from work, and in the course of work. Effort to reducing commuting accidents is important in managing occupational accidents. In Malaysia,...

Effectiveness of an improved road safety policy in Ethiopia: an interrupted time series study.

BackgroundIn recent years, there has been an increasing interest in implementing road safety policy by different low income countries. However; the evidence is scarce on its success in the reduction of crashes, injuries and deaths. This study was conducted to assess whether road crashes, injuries and fatalities was reduced following the road safety regulation introduced as of September 2007 by Oromia Regional State Transport Bureau.MethodsRoutine road traffic accident data for the year 2002-2011were collected from sixteen traffic police offices. Data on average daily vehicle flow was obtained from the Ethiopian Road Authority. Interrupted time series design using segmented linear regression model was applied to estimate the effect of an improved road safety policy.ResultsA total of 4,053 crashes occurred on Addis Ababa - Adama/Hawassa main road. Of these crashes, almost half 46.4% (1,880) were property damage, 29.4% (1,193) were fatal and 24.2% (980) injury crashes, resulting 1,392 fatalities and 1,749 injuries. There were statistically significant reductions in non-injury crashes and deaths. Non-injury crash was reduced by 19% and fatality by 12.4% in the first year of implementing the revised transport safety regulation.ConclusionAlthough revised road safety policy helped in reducing motor vehicle crashes and associated fatalities, the overall incidence rate is still very high. Further action is required to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

Engaging worksite bystanders to reduce risky driving

Many workplace fatalities in both the United States and Canada involve motor vehicles. In order to address these high percentages of fatalities, a growing trend of research addressing workplace efforts to reduce motor vehicle incidents has emerged. In this study, a survey of 399 workers from 19 worksites among six different organizations (three for-profit businesses, two private utilities, and two public agencies or forms of government) in Ontario, Canada revealed that most employees agreed they should try and prevent coworkers from engaging in six different risky driving behaviors: not wearing a seat belt, texting while driving, using a cell phone while driving, aggressive driving or speeding, fatigued driving, and driving after drinking alcohol. The Positive Community Norms framework (Linkenbach, Keller, Otto, Swinford, & Ward, 2012) was utilized to inform an intervention using the theory of planned behavior to predict bystander engagement by workers to prevent these six risky driving behaviors. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the beliefs most associated with intervening intentions and behaviors. The study revealed that an individual’s perception of the norm regarding intention to intervene was most predictive of the individual’s own self-reported intention to intervene. Recommendations for interventions and further research are presented.

Measuring Traffic Reduction from Bicycle Commuting

Increased bicycle commuting is said to reduce motor vehicle traffic, but can this reduction be measured? To address one aspect of this question, Bike to Work Day events are used to explore how the volume of motor vehicle traffic changes when the volume of bicycle traffic doubles. In many communities, Bike to Work Day is an annual 1-day event that encourages commuting by bicycle. Because event participation rates were high in Boulder, Colorado, the city was chosen as an example to investigate this issue. Bicycle and motor vehicle traffic volumes measured by continuous counters on Bike to Work Day were compared with volumes from comparable workdays. Bicycle volume on Bike to Work Day was roughly double that on comparable workdays; motor vehicle volume on Bike to Work Day was lower than on comparable Wednesdays in 88% of the 16 cases studied and significantly lower at the 80% confidence level in 31% of the cases. The observed decrease in motor vehicle volume is of the order of magnitude expected for the observed increase in bicycle volume. Results of a one-tailed t-test for paired samples indicate that the decreased traffic counts on Bike to Work Day are significant at the 95% confidence level versus counts on other summer Wednesdays. These results suggest that bicycling can be a practical alternative to commuting by motor vehicle for some people and demonstrate that corresponding decreases in the volume of motor vehicle traffic can be measured.

Medical interventions to reduce motor vehicle collisions

Trauma caused by motor vehicle collisions is a common cause of death, accounting for more than 3000 deaths each day worldwide (about 7 of which occur in Canada).[1][1] For each person who dies, an additional 80 people sustain injuries and 300 suffer financial losses.[2][2] Trauma from motor vehicle

Travel Behaviour and Landuse Planning: The Planning of Mosque in Shah Alam, Selangor

Mosque is an important place for the Muslim to perform religious activities and as a place for social gathering. Several studies by M. Yilmaz, 2012 and A.Kahera et al., 2009 provided with the design criteria for the optimal siting of mosque. In Malaysia, the criteria to provide mosque in any locality is based on the Guideline for Planning Mosque and Surau. Several studies have shown that a higher density and mixed-use neighbourhood yield less vehicle trips compared to lower density development. This has resulted in ideas to apply new approach in landuse planning to reduce motor vehicle trips. This paper intends to investigate the travel behavior of respondents to reach the mosque from their house to demonstrate the travel behavior of people in different type of neighbourhood.

Driving assessment for maintaining mobility and safety in drivers with dementia.

Demographic changes are leading to an increase in the number of older drivers: as dementia is an age-related disease, there is also an increase in the numbers of drivers with dementia. Dementia can impact on both the mobility and safety of drivers, and the impact of formal assessment of driving is unknown in terms of either mobility or safety. Those involved in assessment of older drivers need to be aware of the evidence of positive and negative effects of driving assessment. Cognitive tests are felt by some authors to have poor face and construct validity for assessing driving performance; extrapolating from values in one large-scale prospective cohort study, the cognitive test that most strongly predicted future crashes would, if used as a screening tool, potentially prevent six crashes per 1000 people over 65 years of age screened, but at the price of stopping the driving of 121 people who would not have had a crash. 1. to assess whether driving assessment facilitates continued driving in people with dementia;2. to assess whether driving assessment reduces accidents in people with dementia. 1. to assess the quality of research on assessment of drivers with dementia. ALOIS, the Cochrane Dementia Group's Specialized Register was searched on 13 September 2012 using the terms: driving or driver* or "motor vehicle*" or "car accident*" or "traffic accident*" or automobile* or traffic. This register contains records from major healthcare databases, ongoing trial databases and grey literature sources and is updated regularly. We sought randomised controlled trials prospectively evaluating drivers with dementia for outcomes such as transport mobility, driving cessation or motor vehicle accidents following driving assessment. Each review author retrieved studies and assessed for primary and secondary outcomes, study design and study quality. No studies were found that met the inclusion criteria. A description and discussion of the driving literature relating to assessment of drivers with dementia relating to the primary objectives is presented. In an area with considerable public health impact for drivers with dementia and other road users, the available literature fails to demonstrate the benefit of driver assessment for either preserving transport mobility or reducing motor vehicle accidents. Driving legislation and recommendations from medical practitioners requires further research that addresses these outcomes in order to provide the best outcomes for both drivers with dementia and the general public.

Keeping baby safe: A randomized trial of a parent training program for infant and toddler motor vehicle injury prevention

Motor vehicle crashes are responsible for much death and disability among infants and toddlers. This study evaluated Keeping Baby Safe In and Around the Car, a multimedia DVD designed to improve knowledge about car seat installation among parents of infants and toddlers. The randomized controlled trial was conducted with 195 parents of children aged 0–24 months. Effective car seat use was evaluated via a written knowledge quiz and car seat simulation. Results from analyses of covariance models show that posttest scores for the intervention condition were significantly higher than those of the control condition on both knowledge and car seat simulation measures. The results, consistent across outcome measures and regardless of child age, suggest that viewing the Keeping Baby Safe In and Around the Car DVD resulted in significant gains in parents’ car seat knowledge and their ability to discriminate the critical elements of correct car seat installation. Dissemination of engaging multimedia DVDs such as this program might reduce motor vehicle crash-related injuries to infants and toddlers.

Comparing the effects of infrastructure on bicycling injury at intersections and non-intersections using a case–crossover design

BackgroundThis study examined the impact of transportation infrastructure at intersection and non-intersection locations on bicycling injury risk.MethodsIn Vancouver and Toronto, we studied adult cyclists who were injured and treated at...