Road Safety Strategies Research Articles

Road safety strategies necessary in the second Decade of Road Safety.

While transport is integral to mobility and the economy, the hidden social costs of rapid motorisation are tremendous. As of 2019, there were around 1.3 million traffic fatalities, accounting for 2.3% of the total deaths and ranked 12th of the causes of mortality worldwide [1]. Road injuries also led to 79 million disability-adjusted life year […]

Heavy vehicle crashes in Addis Ababa: Relationship between contributing factors and severity of outcomes

Random parameter logit regression is used to analyze police-reported data on 8,253 heavy vehicle-related crashes in Addis Ababa between July 2014 and June 2017. The analysis shows that fatal crashes are more likely to occur during the day and on weekdays, particularly when the circulation of trucks is high. It also shows the disproportionately high involvement of young drivers in heavy vehicle crashes in the city. However, the likelihood of crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries increases slightly compared to those resulting only in property damage as the age of drivers increases. Low levels of drivers' education, the fact that drivers are often not the owners of vehicles, ownership of vehicles by companies and government organizations, and inappropriate road medians' inappropriate design are also significant contributors to fatal crashes. Curbing deaths and injuries from heavy vehicle crashes in Addis Ababa requires strict enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, particularly speed limits; reforms in driver's training and certification; improved safety culture of vehicle owners and design of road infrastructure. Ethiopia's national road safety strategy launched in July 2022 addresses these issues. Hence the government is taking steps in the right direction.

The association between beverage-specific alcohol consumption and mortality among road users in Russia, 1965–2019

A vast body of literature suggests a relationship between alcohol consumption and road traffic fatalities. Despite an impressive downward trend in road traffic fatalities in Russia, the death rate is still unacceptably high. Far fewer studies have differentiated the association by road users and types of alcoholic beverages. This population-based study aims to estimate the associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol per capita (15+) consumption (APC) based on official alcohol sales statistics and road traffic mortality using police data on the number of deaths by road users. The study covers the period 1965–2019. We employed a first-order difference linear regression model with robust and autocorrelation consistent standard errors, controlling for a level of motorisation. To examine the possible evolution of the phenomenon, we repeated models separately for three consecutive periods (1965–1984, 1985–2002, 2003–2019). The findings suggest that an annual 1-litre increase in APC (in litres of pure alcohol) associated with a corresponding increase in the death rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) of both unprotected road users and motor vehicle occupants by about 0.3 (p < 0.01) and 0.4 (p < 0.05), respectively. A beverage-specific analysis for 1965–2019 revealed a positive and significant association between mortality of pedestrians and cyclists and the consumption of strong alcoholic beverages (p < 0.05) as well as mortality of drivers and passengers and the consumption of weaker alcoholic beverages, primarily beer (p < 0.01). Various road safety strategies should be applied to prevent road traffic fatalities of road users.

Road Markings and Signs in Road Safety

Due to the dynamic nature and complexity of road traffic, road safety is one of the most demanding social challenges. Therefore, contemporary road safety strategies incorporate a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approaches to address this problem and improve the safety of each individual element, i.e., the human, vehicle, and road. Traffic control devices are an important part of road infrastructure, among which road markings and road signs play a significant role. In general, road markings and signs represent basic means of communication between the road authorities and road users and, as such, provide road users with necessary information about the rules, warnings, obligations, and other information related to the upcoming situations and road alignment. The aim of this entry is to briefly present the main functions and characteristics of road markings and signs, and their role in road safety. In addition, practical issues and future trends and directions regarding road markings and signs are discussed.

Prioritization Road Safety Strategies Towards Zero Road Traffic Injury Using Ordinal Priority Approach

Road traffic safety has emerged as an urban mobility and development issue for African cities throughout time. To establish a comprehensive road safety reform within cities, one needed to be familiar with the political and legal environment, institutional responsibilities, and stakeholders. Road safety reform, though, is not without its issues. This study aims to prioritize Nairobi's road safety strategies to achieve zero traffic injuries. Four road safety reform challenges were examined based on the opinions of three experts. The Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) was used to calculate the weights and ranks of experts, alternatives, and criteria, simultaneously. The findings of the study indicated that lack of political priority given to road safety reform is the most significant challenge, while the lack of coordination among different government agencies is the least challenge. The findings of the study also indicated that the top three strategies for successfully enacting a road safety reform are to take advantage of broad institutional and governance reform, reframe the road safety in political and public debate, and bundle the road safety with other important public issues.

Characteristics of Pedestrians in Bangladesh Who Did Not Receive Public Education on Road Safety

The safety of pedestrians, such as workers who largely walk to and from work, has not been given sufficient attention, especially in the area of traffic safety in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Although the National Road Safety Strategy has a very strong emphasis on road safety education and publicity campaigns, the road safety knowledge may not have reached these vulnerable road users who most needed them. Moreover, little is known about the penetration rate of these campaigns and who have benefited or not benefited from them. On the other hand, the developing country, like Bangladesh, is heavily dependent on its Readymade Garment (RMG) workers for earning foreign currency, and walking is one of the major mode of transports of those workers. The objective of this study is to identify those who are not reach by the safety education. Results from a survey of 1020 RMG workers around Dhaka identified several socioeconomic, demographic, travel characteristics and accident experience that affect the most vulnerable segments who are left out of the system. The findings of this study would help the policy makers to arrange necessary road safety education for the most vulnerable cohorts of pedestrians to encourage the continued use of this sustainable mode of commute.

EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF NIGERIA ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY ON ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES IN THE SIX GEO-POLITICAL ZONES USING 3k FACTORIAL DESIGN

Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) has become a major challenge and threat to human health and safety. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) on RTCs in the six geo-political zones of the country. The dataset used was obtained from the annual records of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) over a five year period (2016 – 2020).The dataset was subjected to Bartlett’s test of Homogeneity assumption which was not violated. Duncan Multiple Range Test was carried out to evaluate the differences in the groups. Three levels of road traffic crashes (no of cases, total casualties, and number of people involved) in the two regions of the Northern (North-Central, North-East and North-West) and Southern (South-West, South - South and South - East) Nigeria with six geo-political zones were modeled by linear regression analysis, and further subjected to 32 Factorial Designs with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), using R-statistical package. Results of the study shows that total cases and the corresponding number of people involved in RTCs in the two regions are significant. 97% and 96% of the total variations in RTCs were explained by the variations in geo-political zones in both regions respectively. This affirms the fact that the models for the two regions were different with the rate of RTCs higher in the northern region than in the southern region

Road safety in Nigeria: unravelling the challenges, measures, and strategies for improvement

Stakeholders play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth design and implementation of policies worldwide. This research presents the results of three focus groups carried out with stakeholders from different transport ministries and agencies involved in road safety in Nigeria. It aimed to understand their perception of road safety in Nigeria through discussing the road safety situation, measures, and strategies for improvement. Results showed that poor road design, organisation and implementation of road safety legislation, road user behaviour and inadequate research were impeding the improvement of road safety in Nigeria. Amongst the road safety measures discussed, public education and information campaigns were rated by each stakeholder group as very effective and easy to implement despite this not being supported by the wider literature. However, there were some variations in perception regarding the effectiveness of measures such as traffic control, road design and maintenance. Improving the road safety situation in Nigeria would require more concerted effort and an overall system-based policy reform involving both government and road users. The results of this study will contribute to and provide research evidence-based recommendations needed to design and develop integrated road safety policies and sustainable implementation strategies in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Study on Red Signal Violations and Development of Prototype for Automated Enforcement System

Abstract: The violation of red signal are the major reasons for the occurrence of numerous accidents at intersections. An effort has been made to study the current rate of red signal violation in different road networks in Chennai which accounted for 18.27% and also to provide profile of red signal violation with various parameters. Road inventory survey was done at four selected intersections. The primary survey was conducted and 29743 samples were collected and analysed. The result of study provided scalable indicators for monitoring and evaluating road safety strategies to prevent red light violation in the country. The present research work also made an attempt to introduce an automatic traffic control system based on RFID technology and digital image processing. Then developed a prototype to identify red signal violation automatically with penalty system. These findings represent some useful reactions to improving road safety of urban functions in India and other developing countries. Keywords: Red signal violation, Traffic volume count, RFID, Road safety, Automatic traffic control system.

Road traffic fatalities in rural and remote Australia from 2006 to 2017: The need for targeted action.

ObjectiveTo explore rural motor vehicle collision (MVC) fatalities by trends over time, mode of transport, age, state, sex, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status.DesignA retrospective total population‐based time series was conducted using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) death registration data.SettingAll statistical local area (SLA) within Australia from 2006 to 2017.ParticipantsAustralian residents whose deaths were registered with the ABS between 01 January 2006 and 31 December 2017 where the underlying cause of death was related to unintentional transport accidents.Main outcome measuresFatality rates were determined using population data collected from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 census. Trends over time by rurality were analysed by financial year. Rates of transport deaths by vehicle type were determined by rurality. Risk ratios were calculated to compare demographic groups based on sex, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status and age. A 3‐year scorecard was organised by state and rurality using 99.7% confidence intervals.ResultsMotor vehicle collision fatalities increase with increasing remoteness. Females, children from 0 to 14 years, pedestrians, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are at a significantly higher risk of fatal MVCs than their respective metropolitan counterparts. The 3‐year scorecard indicates that road fatality rates in the NT, WA, and all rural and remote areas required immediate attention and targeted action.ConclusionsThere is a need for investment in MVC fatality prevention in rural Australia from inner regional to remote areas in order to meet the road safety targets established by the National Road Safety Strategy.

Mortality due to road traffic injuries in older adults in the Republic of Ecuador between 1990 and 2018: a descriptive study

Mortality due to road traffic injuries in older adults in the Republic of Ecuador between 1990 and 2018: a descriptive study

How effective are police road presence and enforcement in a developing country context?

Traffic enforcement and associated penalties are essential in any successful road safety strategy. Available literature identifies both traditional and automated traffic enforcement. Ghana employs traditional traffic enforcement involving visible police officers enforcing traffic rules and regulations on the roadways. This phenomenological study explores the perceived effectiveness of police road presence as a road safety strategy in the Ghanaian context. Data for the analysis came from in-depth interviews of 42 people recruited as a convenience sample (comprising 25 commercial drivers, 12 private drivers, and five traffic police officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service). The study results suggest widespread driver road tactics to outwit the traffic police officers, police extortion and driver bribery (road traffic corruption), and punishment avoidance. These behaviours undermine deterrence and negate the seriousness and expected general deterrent effect of the police road presence and enforcement. This study provides an initial exploration of the effectiveness (or otherwise) of police road presence and enforcement in the context of a developing country. Additional studies are, however, needed to explore this phenomenon further.

Profiling fatal and serious injury crashes in South Australia according to the Swedish transport administration model

Objectives This article describes a study examining fatal road crashes in South Australia (SA) according to the safety model developed by the Swedish Road Administration (STA). The STA model is based on the biomechanical limits that human beings can tolerate and specifies a number of elements that must be present for “compliance” with the model: driving at or below the speed limit, driver not intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, vehicle occupants wearing a seatbelt, car with a EuroNCAP rating of 5 stars, car equipped with electronic stability control, and a road with an EuroRAP rating of 4 stars. Method The study used a sample of 105 fatal crashes in SA in 2010 and 2011 and a comparison sample of 136 serious injury crashes from 2014 to 2017. Results It was found that there were high levels of noncompliance with all elements of the STA model, with multiple forms of noncompliance in a clear majority of fatal cases. Conclusions Considerable gains in safety could occur with greater penetration into the SA fleet of 5-star cars fitted with ESC and other vehicle safety technology, especially as the majority of both sets of crashes were of a type involving loss of vehicular control. It is also important to note that risky road user behavior was less common in the serious injury crashes and so a road safety strategy focusing on changing road user behavior will be ineffective for addressing the major factors contributing to non-fatal road trauma.

A multi-country survey for collecting and analyzing facts related to road traffic safety: Legislation, enforcement, and education for safer drivers

Road traffic safety is a crucial global objective. It is important for every country to review and improve road safety policies and strategies, based on an objective understanding of its own road traffic safety situation in the world. With the aim of contributing to such a review and understanding, this study conducted a multi-country survey to gather information about various facts related to legislation, enforcement, and education, which are designed to achieve safer drivers in nine countries, by using a common format. This paper introduces the results of the survey with a particular focus on legislation and enforcement regarding speed limit violations and red-light-running as well as on education within the driving licensing systems. It highlights variations, in terms of penalty settings and enforcement levels, in different countries; it also examines the training durations necessary for acquiring a driving license and license renewal procedures. In this way, it demonstrates the potential and significance of understanding the relative position of each country in terms of road traffic safety through an international comparison despite its limited information.

The efficacy of road safety education to prevent pedestrian fatalities in Limpopo Province (South Africa)

This paper explores road safety education to prevent pedestrian fatalities in Limpopo Province. Pedestrian safety remains one of the main challenges for road safety authorities as many road users are losing their lives on the road. The inability of both pedestrians and motorists to understand and interpret the rules of the road is a major problem in Limpopo Province. The study utilised quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 195 respondents. Comprises of 15 civil engineering companies, 23 civil society organisations, 52 community members, 51 teachers and 54 traffic police officials. The findings from the study revealed among many others, that 64.1% of respondents agreed that non-involvement of parents in road safety education contribute to pedestrian fatalities; 61% of the respondents agreed that ineffective scholar patrol contribute to pedestrian fatalities; 67.2% of the respondents agreed that lack of professional support in road safety contribute to pedestrian fatalities and 72% of the respondents agreed that limited resources in road safety contribute to pedestrian fatalities. Based on the findings, the author provided, possible recommendations such as; Department of Transport and Education should involve parents/guardians in road safety education; Department of Education should review scholar patrol to ensure that it assist positively in preventing pedestrian fatalities; Traffic authorities should partner with academics to provide road safety policies and strategies; Department of Transport should partner with private sector to provide resources for road safety education in Limpopo Province.

Applying deep learning techniques for the prediction of pedestrian behaviour on crossings with countdown signal timers.

The improvement of road safety is considered as a top priority on the agendas of governments and transport policy making stakeholders worldwide, with the ‘Vision zero’ target being the pinnacle of the European Commission’s road safety strategy. Increased attention has been given to pedestrians, since crashes involving this vulnerable user group, have a higher mortality rate. As a result, research focusing on the behaviour of pedestrians and on the application of Intelligent Transport Systems that will assist pedestrians, is of increased importance. This paper attempts to predict pedestrian behaviour on crossings with a Countdown Signal Timer (CST), through the application of two machine learning algorithms. In the frame of the case study presented, an intersection in the Kalamaria city of Thessaloniki, Greece, where countdown signal timers have been installed on the pedestrian traffic lights, is analysed. For the needs of the analysis two models were implemented, a Deep Neural Network (DNN) and a Logistic Regression model. Results of both models indicated a satisfactory performance. In detail, the DNN model managed to estimate the pedestrians’ crossing speed with a Mean Squared Error value of 0.0647 (km/h)2, while the Logistic Regression model, which classified pedestrians based on their behaviour, achieved an accuracy of 97%. The accurate determination of pedestrians’ crossing behaviour could not only underline the influence of countdown signal timers, but also highlight appropriate countermeasures that can make infrastructure safer for this user group. Findings of this research can prove beneficial for researchers, infrastructure operators and policy makers alike, in their effort to improve the safety level of pedestrians.

Implementation of the Transportation Security Strategy in Higher Educational Institutions of the EMERCOM of Russia

The article discusses the need to improve educational and methodological equipment and the educational process of students of higher educational institutions of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters. The authors of the article studied the design features of typical training simulators for practicing the skills of firefighters and rescuers in conducting emergency rescue operations (ERO) in the elimination of road accidents. The necessity of improving the educational process and modernizing the educational and methodological equipment of educational institutions of the State Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia has been substantiated. The relevance of the article lies in the implementation of the activities of the Road Safety Strategy in the Russian Federation for 2018 - 2024 using an integrated approach to training safety system specialists.

Drink driving among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: What has been done and where to next?

The Australian Government will set the direction for addressing road safety over the next decade with its 2021–2030 National Road Safety Strategy. This road map will detail objectives and goals agreed upon by all Australian states and territories. Similar to previous national strategies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians are a high priority population. Indigenous Australians are over‐represented in serious injury and fatal road crashes, with alcohol a leading factor. Therapeutic and educational programs are a major strategy among the suite of measures designed to reduce and prevent drink driving in Australia. The release of this new strategy provides a timely opportunity to reflect on what is known about drink driving among Indigenous Australians and to consider the suitability of existing therapeutic and educational drink driving programs for Indigenous Australian contexts. Here, we summarise factors that contribute to drink driving in this population and identify outstanding knowledge gaps. Then, we present an overview of drink driving programs available for Indigenous Australians along with suggestions for why tailored programs are needed to suit local contexts. The response to address drink driving among Indigenous Australians has been fragmented Australia‐wide. A coordinated national response, with ongoing monitoring and evaluation, would improve policy effectiveness and inform more efficient allocation of resources. Together this information can help create suitable and effective drink driving programs for Indigenous drivers and communities Australia‐wide.

Low Acceptance of Helmet-Use and Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents in Rawalpindi and Abbottabad, Pakistan

Background: Motorcycle accidents are a major cause of head injuries, and the current study evaluated the beneficial impact and effectiveness of helmet usage among injured motorcycle users. This study has been performed to observe motorcycle collisions within 6 months in Rawalpindi and Abbottabad, Pakistan Objectives: The implications of helmet usage were assessed, and the risk factors for severe injury during motorcycle accidents were identified. Materials and Methods: The impacts of several risk factors on injury severity were calculated using univariate and generalized ordinal logistic regression. Results: The multivariate analysis indicated that riders without a helmet were more likely to experience severe (AOR, 2.216; 95% CI, 2.02 to 10.5) or moderate injury (AOR, 1.215; 95% CI, 0.84 to1.77). Riders who experienced crashes involving multiple vehicles were also significantly more likely to experience severe (AOR, 2.473; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.93) or moderate injury (AOR, 1.192; 95%CI, 0.08 to 0.41). Thus, compared to helmet users, the odds of severe injury are five times higher among motorcyclists with no helmet use when no other factors were controlled for in the analysis. The adjusted odds of severe injuries maybe 2.2 times higher among the riders without helmets vs. riders with helmets. Conclusion: Helmet use levels, injury type, and crash type were identified as risk factors that significantly influenced the risk of severe or moderate injury. Motorcycle riders can reduce their risk of severe injury by adopting preventive measures (helmet use) and by controlling these factors. Road safety strategies to prevent injuries, casualties, and loss of economic resources may benefit from our study findings and the risk of severe injuries can be reduced by proper implementation of Helmet use laws. Keywords: Use; Motorcycle crash; Traumatic brain injury; Disability; Mortality

European NCAP Program Developments to Address Driver Distraction, Drowsiness and Sudden Sickness.

Driver distraction and drowsiness remain significant contributors to death and serious injury on our roads and are long standing issues in road safety strategies around the world. With developments in automotive technology, including driver monitoring, there are now more options available for automotive manufactures to mitigate risks associated with driver state. Such developments in Occupant Status Monitoring (OSM) are being incorporated into the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) Safety Assist protocols. The requirements for OSM technologies are discussed along two dimensions: detection difficulty and behavioral complexity. More capable solutions will be able to provide higher levels of system availability, being the proportion of time a system could provide protection to the driver, and will be able to capture a greater proportion of complex real-word driver behavior. The testing approach could initially propose testing using both a dossier of evidence provided by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) alongside selected use of track testing. More capable systems will not rely only on warning strategies but will also include intervention strategies when a driver is not attentive. The roadmap for future OSM protocol development could consider a range of known and emerging safety risks including driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, cognitive distraction, and the driver engagement requirements for supervision and take-over performance with assisted and automated driving features.