Road Safety Regulations Research Articles

Tramways in Urban Areas: An Overview on Safety at Road Intersections

Although the accident number involving trams is comparatively very limited to the total road accident number, the consequences of tram crashes are very serious, especially when pedestrians are run over. The new power supply technologies (e.g. catenary-free systems) allow to build tram networks, even in old town centres and pedestrian areas, with additional increased risk of pedestrian casualties. This will require specific design solutions and traffic regulations for road safety as described in this paper, with particular regard to vulnerable users (i.e. pedestrians and cyclists), especially near intersections and pedestrian crossings. Therefore, the research analyses the road accident rate and its evolution in the last 10 years with specific focus on Italian tramways. The main risk conditions and the strategies used worldwide to improve the safety of tramway system in the urban context are described. The main countermeasures to reduce accident risks are aimed at better warning road users of specific risk conditions. Other countermeasures are designed to install suitable facilities on road platforms for better informing users of tramway system, for limiting or temporarily prohibiting turning movements or manoeuvrings and for properly channelling pedestrian and vehicle flows with the purpose to avoid or reduce interference with trams.

Research on construction and application of an evaluation system for regional road traffic safety

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct a novel grey incidence evaluation model to investigate a scientific and effective evaluation system of regional road traffic safety.Design/methodology/approachTo provide a method for the evaluation of regional road traffic safety, the grey incidence feature vector method is employed to construct the evaluation index system for regional road traffic safety and then the index weights are calculated with Shannon entropy method. In this paper, the grey incidence feature vector method and grey incidence analysis are utilised to construct evaluation index systems for regional road traffic safety and determine the index weights. Then a grey incidence-ideal point method is used to establish a novel evaluation model for regional road traffic safety. To thoroughly investigate the road traffic safety in one region, the data of 13 cities in Jiangsu province is gathered, using the grey clustering and grey incidence-ideal point method to obtain the ranking results of the 13 cities.FindingsThe results provide a basic analysis of the present situation and show the differences for these regions based on the proposed model, according to which several solutions are proposed, aiming to improve regional road traffic safety situation.Practical implicationsThe method exposed in the paper can be used to deal with the problems of the evaluation of regional road traffic safety.Originality/valueThe paper succeeds in understanding the status quo and implementing effective road traffic safety management based on the proposed model.

Knowledge and Practice of Road Safety Rules and Regulations among Secondary School Students

Road traffic accidents are increasing in alarming ways. During adolescence period driving for curiosity, careless driving, and peer pressure are most common resulting high road traffic accidents. The main objective of the study was to explore the knowledge and practice of road safety rules and regulations. A descriptive cross sectional study design was used to conduct the study. Non-probability quota sampling technique was used to select 240 respondents from 800 students of class 11 and 12 from Pokhara Secondary School. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the information from respondents. The obtained data was entered on SPSS 16 version program and analyzed and interpreted by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that more than half (59.2%) of the respondents had moderately adequate knowledge. Nearly three-forth (70.4%) of the respondents had average practice as a pedestrian and 75.7 percent of the respondents as a driver had average practice. Only 7.5 percent of the respondents were exposed to road traffic accident and high speed was the main cause of accident. More than three quarter (75.7%) had always driven vehicles without license. There was significant association (p=0.034) between the faculty of respondents (science and management) and level of knowledge of respondents on road safety rules and regulations. The study concluded that there was moderate level of knowledge and average level of practice of both drivers and pedestrians on road safety rules and regulations among secondary school students. It therefore suggests awareness programs on road safety rules and regulations are significant or school students to promote safety.

A cross sectional study to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards road traffic safety among adolescent students of a selected Pre-University college in Raichur city

Background: Globally, road traffic injuries are estimated to be the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years, and second leading cause of death in 10–14 years and 20–24 years age groups. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards road traffic safety among adolescent students of a selected Pre-University college in Raichur city.Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among (372) adolescent students of a selected Pre-University college in Raichur city by using pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using Epi-Info software. Chi-Square test was applied and level of significance was kept at P value of <0.05.Results: Mean age of the participants was 16.68±0.75. 196 participants (52.8%) had adequate knowledge on the road safety rules and regulations. Only 25 participants (7.7%) were driving with a valid driving license. The most common reason for motor vehicle accidents was high speed. Knowledge adequacy about road safety rules and regulations had statistically significant association with age and gender.Conclusions: Mere knowledge does not necessarily translate into improved traffic behavior as was seen in this study. School/college is the basic institution where we can formulate interventions. Continuous reinforcement and education reminding them of traffic rules can bring about a positive change and motivate them to strictly adhere to the traffic norms and help reduce the morbidity and mortality regarding road traffic accidents.

Exploring the temporal stability of global road safety statistics

Given the importance of rigorous quantitative reasoning in supporting national, regional or global road safety policies, data quality, reliability, and stability are of the upmost importance. This study focuses on macroscopic properties of road safety statistics and the temporal stability of these statistics at a global level. A thorough investigation of two years of measurements was conducted to identify any unexpected gaps that could highlight the existence of inconsistent measurements. The database used in this research includes 121 member countries of the United Nation (UN-121) with a population of at least one million (smaller country data shows higher instability) and includes road safety and socioeconomic variables collected from a number of international databases (e.g. WHO and World Bank) for the years 2010 and 2013. For the fulfillment of the earlier stated goal, a number of data visualization and exploratory analyses (Hierarchical Clustering and Principal Component Analysis) were conducted. Furthermore, in order to provide a richer analysis of the data, we developed and compared the specification of a number of Structural Equation Models for the years 2010 and 2013. Different scenarios have been developed, with different endogenous variables (indicators of mortality rate and fatality risk) and structural forms. The findings of the current research indicate inconsistency phenomena in global statistics of different instances/years. Finally, the results of this research provide evidence on the importance of careful and systematic data collection for developing advanced statistical and econometric techniques and furthermore for developing road safety policies.

Разработка методики решения задач предупреждения причин складывания седельного автопоезда и обоснования допустимого по БДД технического состояния по факторам для пневмопривода каждого колеса седельного автопоезда

Разработка методики решения задач предупреждения причин складывания седельного автопоезда и обоснования допустимого по БДД технического состояния по факторам для пневмопривода каждого колеса седельного автопоезда

Crash Characteristics and Pattern of Motorcycle Related Facial Bone Fractures in a Sub-Urban Nigerian Teaching Hospital.

Context:Recent studies indicated that significant proportion of facial fractures attributed to road traffic mishaps in the middle- and low-income countries are caused by motorcycle (MC) crashes. However, there is limited information on crash characteristics of such injuries. This study was designed to examine the crash characteristics, pattern of fracture, and sociodemographics of patients with facial bone fractures due to MC crashes in our institution.Subjects and Methods:Data on patients’ sociodemographics, pattern of presentation, type(s) of fracture, patient status, crash characteristics, level of consciousness, and treatment offered were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 151 patients, aged 7–59 years were reviewed during the study period. A male preponderance was observed (M:F = 4:1) and the patients were predominantly motorcyclists (64.8%, n = 98). The most common mechanism of crash was collision with another MC (51.6%, n = 78). A total of 194 fractures were reviewed and the mandible (58.8%, n = 114) was more commonly affected than the midface (41.2%, n = 80). The predominant site on the mandible was the body (31.6%) while zygoma (32.5%) was the most affected part of the midface. Patient status was found to have a statistically significant relationship with loss of consciousness (P = 0.02). Eighty-two fracture sites (42.3%) were managed with open reduction and internal fixation.Conclusions:Facial bone fractures occur in a significant proportion of MC crashes and riders are predominantly affected. In addition, a larger proportion of commuters rarely wear crash helmet which could have offered protection. Continual advocacy on preventive measures and enforcement of road safety regulations is hereby advised.

Road Infrastructure Safety Management in Poland

The objective of road safety infrastructure management is to ensure that when roads are planned, designed, built and used road risks can be identified, assessed and mitigated. Road transport safety is significantly less developed than that of rail, water and air transport. The average individual risk of being a fatality in relation to the distance covered is thirty times higher in road transport that in the other modes. This is mainly because the different modes have a different approach to safety management and to the use of risk management methods and tools. In recent years Poland has had one of the European Union’s highest road death numbers. In 2016 there were 3026 fatalities on Polish roads with 40,766 injuries. Protecting road users from the risk of injury and death should be given top priority. While Poland’s national and regional road safety programmes address this problem and are instrumental in systematically reducing the number of casualties, the effects are far from the expectations. Modern approaches to safety focus on three integrated elements: infrastructure measures, safety management and safety culture. Due to its complexity, the process of road safety management requires modern tools to help with identifying road user risks, assess and evaluate the safety of road infrastructure and select effective measures to improve road safety. One possible tool for tackling this problem is the risk-based method for road infrastructure safety management. European Union Directive 2008/96/EC regulates and proposes a list of tools for managing road infrastructure safety. Road safety tools look at two criteria: the life cycle of a road structure and the process of risk management. Risk can be minimized through the application of the proposed interventions during design process as reasonable. The proposed methods of risk management bring together two stages: risk assessment and risk response occurring within the analyzed road structure (road network, road stretch, road section, junction, etc.). The objective of the methods is to help road authorities to take rational decisions in the area of road safety and road infrastructure safety and understand the consequences occurring in the particular phases of road life cycle. To help with assessing the impact of a road project on the safety of related roads, a method was developed for long-term forecasts of accidents and accident cost estimation as well as a risk classification to identify risks that are not acceptable risks. With regard to road safety audits and road safety inspection, a set of principles was developed to identify risks and the basic classification of mistakes and omissions. This work has added to the Polish experience of preparing and implementing such tools within the competent road authorities.

Zastosowanie modeli panelowych do badania bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego w Polsce w latach 2001–2012

Przedmiotem artykułu jest scharakteryzowanie poziomu bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego w poszczególnych regionach Polski w latach 2001–2012 przy wykorzystaniu modeli ekonometrycznych. W opracowaniu zostanie podjęta próba wyznaczenia społeczno-ekonomicznych determinantów bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego. Na podstawie literatury przedmiotu oraz raportów instytucji zajmujących się badanym zagadnieniem, a także uwzględniając dostępność danych liczbowych, za zmienne takie uznano: wydatki jednostek samorządowych w Dziale 600 – Transport i łączność, jakość dróg, wskaźnik zmotoryzowania społeczeństwa, długość sieci drogowej oraz udział pojazdów ciężkich w ogóle pojazdów. Badaniu zostały poddane trzy wskaźniki zagrożenia: liczba ofiar śmiertelnych na 1 mln mieszkańców, liczba ofiar śmiertelnych na 1 mln pojazdów oraz liczba ofiar śmiertelnych na 100 wypadków drogowych. Do estymacji parametrów równania wykorzystano modele panelowe – modele z efektami stałymi (fixed effect model, FEM) oraz modele z efektami losowymi (random effect model, REM).

Zero roadworker harm: ethical and legal challenges

Governments are required to make difficult decisions, requiring policymakers to strike a balance between equity for individuals and the collective good. Specifically with regard to road safety at roadworks, policymakers must find an acceptable balance between cost, mobility and the safety of both road users and workers. Discussion of the ethical and legislative challenges associated with finding such a balance is largely absent from the Australian road safety context. By means of review and reflection relating to literature, policy and legislation, this paper explores aspects of governmental intervention and management of risk through the general lens of road safety ethics and regulation of the road network. More specifically, this paper presents a discussion of the ethical, legislative and economic challenges confronting practitioners required to select positive protection for roadside work zones in Queensland, Australia. The ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’ principle is explored for consistency both with legislation governing the management of road infrastructure and with governmental commitments to achieve zero harm. This paper concludes that disconnects exist between requirements for practitioners to manage the road efficiently and requirements for practitioners to provide a workplace that is ‘safe’.

Directly observed road safety compliance by Motor Cycle Riders after a 5- Year Road Safety Campaign in Naivasha, Kenya

Objective : To assess the extent of compliance with road safety regulations by motorcycle riders following a five year road safety campaign in Naivasha town, Kenya. Design : A cross sectional study. Setting : Naivasha town, Nakuru county, Kenya. Results : A total of 9,280 MCs ferrying 13,733 people were observed. Less than 1% complied with all the four road safety requirements. The overall helmet wearing compliance was 31%. MC driver helmet compliance was 42% which was five times higher than passenger helmet compliance. Female passengers were twice less likely to wear helmet than males. Conclusion : Despite the five-year road safety campaign, compliance among MC users remains low particularly among the passengers and more so female passengers. Does Kenya need to rethink the motor cycle road safety policy?

Road safety data and information availability and priorities in South-East European regions

Abstract While road deaths have been reduced by 53% in the European Union (EU) between 2001 and 2013, in South East European (SEE) members reductions vary from 64% (Slovakia) to 24% (Romania) indicating a significant diversity in the road safety level in the region and the need for urgent improvements. Moreover, the poor performance in the SEE countries is slowing down overall progress at EU level. ROSEE- ROad safety in South-East European regions is an EU co-funded project undertaken in Italy, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia and Bulgaria. ROSEE aimed at improving coordination in planning and operation of national and regional road networks with an emphasis on improving accessibility and road safety. The objective of this paper is to present the results of a survey conducted among a large panel of road safety stakeholders in SEE countries, aiming at assessing what they considered to be priorities and necessities in terms of scientific data, information, and tools to conduct their road safety activities. A questionnaire comprising of the following sections was used for the assessment:(a) background information;(b) data and resources for fact finding and diagnosis of road safety issues; (c) data and resources for the development of road safety related programmes; (d) data and resources for the implementation of road safety related measures; (e) data and resources for the monitoring and evaluation of road safety measures. In sections (b) to (d), the respondents evaluated each listed item on two dimensions: the perceived priority for their personal work, and the perceived availability at the level of their country (i.e. the extent to which, according to their knowledge, the item in question was available would they want to use it). In total, 112 questionnaires were analysed. Combined priority and availability ratings as well as ranking of priorities and identification of highest priorities per country was achieved. Furthermore, policy makers’ priorities were analysed separately. The analysis of the collected responses revealed that stakeholders expressed significant demand for data and knowledge in road safety-related decision making. They also expressed discontent about the current poor availability of such information. Groupings of the road safety needs and priorities of the different stakeholders were also performed.

Modelling fatalities on regional road networks

During the last decade Poland’s road fatalities went down by 44%. The trend differs from region to region. Effective road safety management in regions requires tools for forecasting road safety measures and identifying factors influencing road fatality numbers. Mathematical models can provide such tools. They take into account local characteristics such as: demography, economy, infrastructure and motorization. Such models could be used for better regional road safety management. This paper presents an attempt to build such models used for forecasting road fatalities in EU regions and Polish voivodships.

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PENYELENGGARAAN JALAN BERKESELAMATAN DI DINAS PEKERJAAN UMUM BINA MARGA PROVINSI JAWA TIMUR

The high number of traffic accidents on the road caused by the low quality of the roads we need an regulations governing road safety, in particular the rules to minimize accidents caused by the quality of roads that do not fit the standard. importance of road safety regulation jatim due according to the data, the number of accidents in java is very high, even increasing. with the passing of The East Java provincial regulation no. 1 year 2014 on the implementation of road safety, with the purpose of (1) the establishment of roads that meet the standards roadworthy in accordance with the legislation in force; and (2) the realization of the road safety services that are safe, comfortable, orderly and smooth to drive the regional economy of East Java.
 This study aims to determine how the implementation of the policy of east java provincial regulation no. 1 of 2014 on the implementation of road safety and how obstacles in the implementation of these policies. The research used descriptive qualitative methods with observations, deep interview and documentation in collecting datas. results of research on implementation of east java provincial regulation no. 1 year 2014 on the implementation of road safety is DPU Bina Marga East Java Province, has implemented a policy of East Java Provincial Regulation 1 of 2014 on the implementation of road safety, it is reflected through a reduction in the number of accidents along jl. mastrip surabaya. obstacles that must be faced by the dpu bina marga in realizing the implementation of the road safety is in terms of finance, infrastructure, and the attitude of people who are less active in terms of complaints to the dpu bina marga east java province.

English

English

Diabetes and collision risk. A meta-analysis and meta-regression.

The main objective of this study was to see whether diabetes is associated with an increased collision risk and to test the effect of age and gender on the overall collision risk for diabetes drivers. Twenty-eight studies were included in meta-analysis, using mean age, gender, continent and the prevalence of fatal road incidents as covariates. The collision risk for diabetes drivers was small and not statistically significant - RR=1.11 (1.01-1.23) with a prediction interval (PI) or 0.77-1.65. Age and gender were not associated with an increased overall risk. Insulin-dependent diabetes patients had a slightly increased effect size compared with the overall diabetes population, but the effect was not statistically significant. European diabetes drivers had a lower collision risk compared with their North American counterparts, the main cause being the difference of collision risk in the countries in which the studies were performed. Overall, diabetes patients do not have a statistically significant increased risk for unfavourable traffic events. Old age and insulin-dependent patients tend to have a higher risk. Advances in diabetes care, associated with advances in road safety regulations, and automotive industry have not decreased significantly the collision risk in the last 50years for drivers with diabetes.

PREVALENCE OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

To see the percentage, the different groups affected and pattern of injury by roadtraffic accidents among patients attending a unit of surgery in a teaching hospital. Objectives: Tosee the percentage of trauma among patients admitted in one surgical unit of a tertiary hospitalin one year and to compare this with the patients admitted in all surgical units of same tertiaryunit. To evaluate the pattern of trauma, male to female ratio, affected age groups, mechanismof injury, the organs affected, and the mortality rate in one surgical unit of a tertiary hospital of3rd most populated city of Pakistan during one year. Study Design: Prospective study. Setting:Surgical Unit II at Allied Hospital Faisalabad. Period: January 2009 to February 2010. Materialsand Methods: Patients admitted during this period for road traffic accidents in surgical unit IIof Allied Hospital Faisalabad were 94 (4.8 %) out of total 1956 patients presented and admittedin surgical unit II during this year. Total number of patients admitted in all surgical units of thishospital were 7388 while 21,400, patients received and admitted by all other specialties throughemergency units of Allied Hospital Faisalabad. Patients with road traffic accidents admitted insurgical unit II through emergency unit of this hospital were part of this study. Among these94 patients 78 patients (82.97%) were adults and 18 children (19.14%). Patients with all otheremergencies modalities and minor injuries treated and discharged from emergency wereexcluded from this study. Results: Out of 1956 patients admitted in Surgical Unit II from total 7388of all surgical admissions and 21400 all emergencies ward patients, 94 patients (4.8%, 1.27%,and 0.439% respectively) were injured by road traffic accidents. Out of these 94 patients, 78patients (82.97%) were adults and 18 children (19.14%) patients. 58 patients (61.70%) were malesand 36 patients (38.29%) were females. 43 patients (45.74%) were pedestrians, 10 patients were(10.63%) on bicycles, 26 patients were (27.65%) on motorcycle while 15 patients (15.95%) werein other vehicles. 52 patients (55.31%) developed head injuries, 10 patients (10.93%) blunt traumaabdomen, 5 patients (5.31%) blunt trauma chest and 26 patients (27.65%) skeletal injuries ( 10patients forearm bones fracture, 6 patients with fracture mid-shaft of tibia, another 5 patients withfracture lower 1/3rd of femur and 5 patients with hand bones fracture ). All patients were treated bycombined specialty trauma surgeons. 3 patients (3.19%) died out of which 2 patients (2.12%) withsevere head trauma and one pedestrian (1.06%) with blunt trauma abdomen and lower chest. Allother patients survived and recovered with some morbidity. Conclusion: Road traffic trauma isone of major dilemma of our society. 94 road traffic accidents causalities were admitted duringone year in one surgical unit of a tertiary care center and 3 patients died. It is an alarming signto properly protect people, educate general population, employ dedicated road safety staff andfollow rules and regulation of traffic authorities.

ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ ДОРОЖНОГО ДВИЖЕНИЯ НА ПЕШЕХОДНЫХ ПЕРЕХОДАХ

This article examines the principal methods of the road safety improvement at pedestrian crossings. It also contains the analysis of road safety in different regions of Russian Federation. The conclusion about pedestrian crossings safety is made by the example of Saratov. Possible ways of improvement the road safety in the city are also provided in the article.

Analysis of trauma admission data at an urban hospital in Maputo, Mozambique.

BackgroundTrauma is a major public health concern. Worldwide, injuries resulted in 4.8 million deaths in 2013, an increase of 11 % since 1990. The majority of deaths from trauma in low-and middle-income countries occur in a pre-hospital setting. Morbidity from trauma contributes significantly to disability in these countries. Mozambique has experienced a rise in injury-related morbidity and mortality. Efforts are underway to prioritize surgical and anesthesiology care in the post-2015 Global Surgery agenda that will build on momentum of the Millennium Development Goals. Injury surveillance remains vital to defining priorities and implementing policy changes.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study between June and September, 2010 at the Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM). Data were collected on all patients admitted to the HCM emergency surgical services with a diagnosis of trauma. We describe patient characteristics and mechanism of traumatic injury by calculating simple proportions (for dichotomous or categorical variables) or medians with interquartile ranges (IQR) for continuous variables. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the mechanisms of trauma most associated with alcohol consumption.ResultsA total of 517 patients were approached for inclusion in this study. Of these, 441 (91.5 %) participants were followed from admission until discharge. Three hundred twenty-four participants (73.5 %) were male. The most common age group was 20–29 years old. The three principal mechanisms of injury were road traffic injury, fighting, and falls, accounting for 74 % of injuries recorded. Traumatic injury involving alcohol consumption was nine times more likely to occur at a recreation/sporting event (OR 9.0, 95 % CI 3.01–27.13, p ≤ 0.0001).ConclusionsAs Mozambique prepares to respond to the post-2015 international development agenda, urgent action is required to scale-up its national injury surveillance networks. Injury prevention efforts in Mozambique should focus attention on improving road safety regulations and their implementation, as well as on interventions targeting violence reduction and the reduction of alcohol consumption at sporting events.

Road Safety Investments and Interventions in South East Europe

Countries of South-East Europe show relatively low road safety performance among the EU Members. The objective of this paper is the exploration of a number of potential investments and interventions for the improvement of road safety in South-East European regions with regard to relative legislation, policy and institutional capacity. For the identification of the most appropriate road safety investments and interventions, a three step methodology was followed. Firstly, results of the, EU co-funded, ROSEE project concerning several aspects of road safety legislation, policy and institutional capacity in South-East European regions were exploited to identify the particular issues on which the proposed investments and interventions should focus. Then, relevant proposals and recommendations from the international bibliography were taken into account. Finally, original work was carried out by assessing and ranking selected road safety measures, programs, and policies. Specific road safety interventions were assessed and ranked based on three criteria, the estimated safety benefit related to the measure, the implementation cost and the implementation time needed for benefit. The overall results show that road safety legislation, policy and institutional capacity related investments and interventions are generally considered very effective for the improvement of road safety. On the other hand, it seems that most such investment proposals are considered relatively expensive to implement and effective on the long-term. These results were expected and are meaningful given that, based on international literature, the legislation, policy and institutional capacity are strategic aspects of road safety which, if taken into account at national level and in long-term, are considered highly effective. Specifically, the overall results show that investments and interventions considered to provide high safety benefit at low cost, in most partner countries, are the legislation for infrastructure safety management and the legislation for efficient enforcement. However, both types of investments need time to show their effect on the improvement of road safety. The analysis of the assessment results per country revealed important differences among South-East European regions that may be attributed to particular local characteristics and conditions.