Traffic Hazards Research Articles

Dangerous Driving Behavior Recognition Based on Hand Trajectory

Dangerous driving behaviors in the process of driving will produce road traffic safety hazards, and even cause traffic accidents. Common dangerous driving behavior includes: eating, smoking, fetching items, using a handheld phone, and touching a control monitor. In order to accurately identify the dangerous driving behaviors, this study first uses the hand trajectory data to construct the dangerous driving behavior recognition model based on the dynamic time warping algorithm (DTW) and the longest common sub-sequence algorithm (LCS). Secondly, 45 subjects’ hand trajectory data were obtained by driving simulation test, and 30 subjects’ hand trajectory data were used to determine the dangerous driving behavior label. The matching degree of hand trajectory data of 15 subjects was calculated based on the dangerous driving behavior recognition model, and the threshold of dangerous driving behavior recognition was determined according to the calculation results. Finally, the dangerous driving behavior recognition algorithm and neural network algorithm are compared and analyzed. The dangerous driving behavior recognition algorithm has a fast calculation speed, small memory consumption, and simple program structure. The research results can be applied to dangerous driving behavior recognition and driving distraction warning based on wrist wearable devices.

Driving State Discrimination Algorithm Based on Lightweight Network and Contrast Learning

Driver misbehavior is one of the major traffic safety hazards as car ownership increases year by year. So, it is important to have driver fatigue detection and behavior recognition. Initially, given the fatigue detection problem that the images captured by the visible light camera cannot capture the eyes of a driver wearing sunglasses or eye glasses. As a solution, this paper introduces a DCT-HSV preprocessing algorithm for infrared images, which is believed to enhance the target characteristics of infrared images. The paper also introduces a more efficient lightweight SSD detection model, which achieves a better balance in terms of model size and detection performance. It also shows a better performance in self-built datasets and basic vehicle operation datasets. Secondly, aiming at the problems of high complexity and poor accuracy of the existing driving behavior detection model, this paper designs a driver abnormal behavior discrimination model based on the comparison twin, which has good performance on the Kaggle public dataset. The relevant experimental detection results show that the method constructed in this paper has high detection accuracy, low warning delay, and good practical use value.

Can Complete-Novice E-Bike Riders Be Trained to Detect Unmaterialized Traffic Hazards in the Urban Environment? An Exploratory Study

Although hazard perception is an important skill found to be crucial for negotiating traffic among various types of road users, few studies have systematically investigated e-bike riders’ ability to perceive potential unmaterialized hazardous situations or aimed to enhance these abilities through training. The present study explored the formation of two hazard perception training interventions based upon exposing young complete-novice e-bike riders to a vast array of materialized traffic hazards, with the aim of evaluating their effectiveness in enriching the ability to anticipate unmaterialized hazards. Young complete-novice e-bike riders were allocated into one of two intervention modes (‘Act and Anticipate Training’ or ‘Predictive and Commentary Training’) or a control group (ten in each group). AAT members underwent a theoretical tutorial, then observed clips depicting real-time hazardous situations footage taken from an e-bike rider’s perspective and were asked to perform a hazard detection task. PCT members underwent a theoretical tutorial, then a ‘what might happen next?’ task, followed by observation of video footage with expert commentary. A week later, participants were requested to complete a hazard perception test, during which they viewed ten videos and pressed a response button whenever they identified a hazardous situation. Overall, participants in both interventions were more aware of potential unmaterialized hazards compared to the control in both their response sensitivity and verbal descriptions. Trainees were responsive to the developed training interventions. Thus, actively detecting materialized hazards may produce effective training that enriches these road users’ hazard perception skills and allows them to safely negotiate traffic. Advantages of each of the training methodologies along with implications for intervention strategies, licensing, and policy development are discussed.

Risks of Accidents Caused by the Use of Smartphone by Pedestrians Are Task- and Environment-Dependent.

Using smartphones during a task that requires an upright posture can be detrimental for the overall motor performance. The aim of this study was to determine the risks of accidents caused by the use of smartphones by pedestrians while walking in a controlled (laboratory) and a non-controlled (public street) environment. Two hundred and one participants, 100 men and 101 women, all young adults, were submitted to walking activities while texting messages and talking on the phone. The risk of accident was measured by the time and the number of steps necessary to walk a 20 ft distance. Assessments were performed with no external distractors (laboratory) and on a public street with vehicles, pedestrians, lights, and noises. Multivariate analysis of variance tests provided the main effect of task (using × not using smartphone), environment (laboratory × street), sex (men × women), and interactions. Significance was set at 5%. The results showed that using a smartphone while walking demanded a greater number of steps and time to perform the task (main effect of task: 0.84; p = 0.001). The risk of accident was higher on the streets where, due to traffic hazards, pedestrians performed the task faster and with a lower number of steps (the main effect of environment: 0.82; p = 0.001). There was no difference of risks between men and women (main effect of sex: 0.01; p = 0.225), whether in the laboratory or on the street (main effect of sex × environment: 0.01; p = 0.905). The task × environment interaction showed that using a smartphone on the street potentiates risks of accidents of pedestrians (main effect of task × environment: 0.41; p = 0.001). In conclusion, using a smartphone while walking can be risky for pedestrians, especially in a traffic environment. People should avoid using their smartphone while crossing streets.

Automatic Detection and Assessment of Pavement Marking Defects with Street View Imagery at the City Scale

Pavement markings could wear out before their expected service life expires, causing traffic safety hazards. However, assessing pavement-marking conditions at the city scale was a great challenge in previous studies. In this article, we advance the method of detecting and evaluating pavement-marking defects at the city scale with Baidu Street View (BSV) images, using a case study in Nanjing. Specifically, we employ inverse perspective mapping (IPM) and a deep learning-based approach to pavement-marking extraction to make efficient use of street-view imageries. In addition, we propose an evaluation system to assess three types of pavement-marking defects, with quantitative and qualitative results provided for each image. Factors causing pavement-marking defects are discussed by mapping the spatial distribution of pavement-marking defects at the city scale. Our proposed methods are conducive to pavement-marking repair operations. Beyond this, this article can contribute to smart urbanism development by creating a new road maintenance solution and ensuring the large-scale realization of intelligent decision-making in urban infrastructure management.

Research on the transition marking between the broken line and solid line of expressway

Drivers often cross the solid line unintentionally during the lane-changing, when the sight distance is blocked by the vehicle ahead. There are significant potential risks to change lanes in solid line area, which would cause traffic flow disruption and traffic safety hazards. If the drivers with limited sight distance can be reminded in advance that the lane marking ahead is a solid line, many drivers will refrain from changing lanes in the restricted area, therefore, it is important to help the drivers with limited sight distance to obtain the information of lane marking ahead. There is limited research on this specific issue presently, nor any relevant regulations or manuals available in China. This paper puts forward a novel concept of transition marking, and a creative approach by adding the transition marking between the broken line and the solid line. The transition marking is considered an information carrier to predict the pass-through right of the road ahead. We have studied the form and length of the transition marking and evaluated its effectiveness through the driving simulation experiment. The form analysis shows that the white mutation broken line has better visibility and legibility. The transition marking length is shown to be closely related to the vehicle speed and distance. The simulation results indicate that the transition marking length is negatively correlated with vehicle distance and positively correlated with speed. Based on the simulation results and detailed statistical analysis, the reference value of transition marking length is proposed. The effectiveness evaluation demonstrates that the transition marking reduces the probability of solid-line crossing during lane-changing dramatically by 92%.

Risk of deaths due to injuries in travellers: a systematic review.

Annual global travel reached an all-time high of 1.4 billion international tourist visits in 2019. It is estimated that injury accounts for close to 25% of deaths in travellers, most of which are theoretically preventable. However, there are limited data available on injury occurrence and outcomes in travellers. Our objective was to better understand the relative risk of dying from injury that arises from the novel environments and behavioural changes associated with foreign travel. A systematic literature review was conducted (PubMed, Embase and Scopus) according to PRISMA guidelines that included studies published in English since 1990 that reported injury deaths in tourists per 100 000-person years or as a proportion of total tourist deaths in comparison to a non-traveller population. We also included studies that reported data allowing calculation of these rates. Relative rates or proportions of overall injury mortality, mortality due to traffic accidents, drowning and homicide were summarized. In total, 1847 articles were identified, 105 underwent full-text review, and 10 articles were suitable for data extraction. There was great variability of relative risk reported, but overall, travellers appear to have a higher risk of injury mortality than domestic populations, with relative rates of injury death ranging from 1.04 to 16.7 and proportionate mortality ratios ranging from 1.43 to 3. Tourists should be aware of the increased risk of dying from road traffic hazards, drowning and homicide while traveling abroad. Specific geographies and activities associated with higher risk should be emphasized. Travel medicine practitioners and organizations that send people abroad should counsel travellers regarding these risks and seek ways to reduce them, including encouraging potential risk-mitigating behaviours. There is a need to improve systems of data collection and reporting on injury deaths in travellers and to study the impact of pre-travel and institutional interventions aimed at reducing this risk.

Role of Environment on Physical Activity Patterns of Older Adults Living With HIV in New York City.

The purpose of this study was to survey the physical activity (PA) patterns of older adults with HIV and investigate the relationship between environmental factors and PA in this population. This study was a secondary data analysis from 100 adults, ages 50 years and older, living with HIV in New York City. Descriptive statistics assessed PA patterns. Linear regression assessed the association between environmental factors and time spent in PA. All participants had been living with HIV for 21 years on average, were on antiretroviral therapy, ranged in age from 50 to 71 years, and were 50% female. Participants performed at 75% of their functional capacity ( p < .0001), and females walked less than males ( p < .05). Traffic hazards were the sole environmental predictor of PA participation. Targeted interventions are needed to increase PA in this growing population. Interventions at the policy level should reduce traffic hazards to support PA.

Decentralized management of ephemeral traffic incidents

AbstractEphemeral traffic incidents, such as a fallen tree on a road, pose traffic safety hazards, and impact locally on traffic. While these incidents are neither predictable nor persistent, their existence is relevant for all vehicles planning to pass by while the impact continues. This article develops a novel communication strategy for vehicular ad hoc networks aiming to inform all the affected vehicles, while involving only the minimum number of non‐affected vehicles. This strategy exploits time geography as a spatial and temporal filter, ensuring also that the information broadcasting timely terminates when the incident is over. Agent‐based traffic simulations show that, when a road is temporarily blocked due to an ephemeral incident, the proposed decentralized information management model achieves significant improvement in travel efficiency and automatically updates outdated incident information in time.

Challenges and solutions in the 21st-century law enforcement

Studying the history of policing, we can conclude that the police have faced different challenges from time to time. There are ancient hazards such as fire, flood, or epidemic, and there are hazards that have been created through development, such as traffic hazards after motorisation has become widespread. Technical progress has accelerated over the past two hundred years, leading to a dramatic increase in risks. In the Middle Ages, a wanderer walking on the country road did not expect to be hit by a speeding mail car. By now, it has become natural that countless dangers are lurking in all areas of life that may have to do with policing. The above motivated us to examine what dangers threaten us in the age of globalisation and what answers can be given to the challenges of police in the 21st-century.

The effect of the degree and location of danger in traffic hazard perception: an ERP study

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of the degree and location of the danger of traffic hazards on the neural reaction process. 26 automobile drivers were asked to look at the pictures and press buttons on the pictures unrelated to traffic. Electroencephalography responses to traffic-related images were recorded and analyzed. It was found that danger in the central visual region induced a larger amplitude of the N100 component than in the peripheral visual region and the trend of different hazard levels was consistent. The danger in the central visual area also induced a larger amplitude of the P200 component than in the peripheral vision area. In addition, when the danger appeared in the central visual area (0°), the P200 amplitude induced by the low-hazard situation was smaller than that of the high-hazard situation. When the danger appeared in the peripheral visual area (7°), the P200 amplitude induced by the low-hazard situation was larger than that of the high-hazard situation. Finally, the presence of danger evoked a larger amplitude of the P300 component in the peripheral visual area than in the central visual area and the P300 amplitude was larger in the low-hazard situation than in the high-hazard situation. The results suggest that hazards are more easily processed in the central visual area during the early stage of automatic perception. In the later hazard evaluation stage, the hazard in the central visual area and the high-hazard situation were more easily processed.

Research on drivers' hazard perception in plateau environment based on visual characteristics

A good visual search mode is an important prerequisite for a driver to perceive the hazard in the traffic environment timely and accurately. However, hypoxia conditions in the plateau environment might affect drivers' cognitive and judgment ability, posing potential threats to safe driving. This study analyzed the eye movement behaviors of drivers when faced with traffic hazards in the plateau environment, to examine the impact level of altitude on drivers’ perception and reaction. Nine typical traffic hazard scenarios were investigated at four locations with four different altitudes, including Linzhi, Lhasa, Naqu, and Yanghu Scenic Area based on UC-WIN / ROAD driving simulation software. Then, drivers’ visual search modes were analyzed according to drivers’ eye movement data collected by ASL Mobile Eye monocular eye tracker. As the altitude increased, the drivers’ first fixation time and the average saccade amplitude decreased, while the fixation duration percentage increased. Drivers with fewer years of driving experience had a larger percentage of fixation duration and a smaller saccade amplitude. In addition, a shorter acclimation period also negatively influenced the percentage of fixation time. The increase of altitude would weaken the drivers' visual sensitivity and cognitive processing ability of hazard information, which would reduce drivers' hazard perception skills, and the increase of driving experience might help alleviate such negative impacts to some extent. Based on the visual characteristics of traffic hazard scenarios obtained in this paper, the training of highly accident-prone drivers can be guided specifically to improve their visual search strategies, thereby improving driving safety.

Geospatial assessment of urban ecosystem disservices: An example of poisonous urban trees in Berlin, Germany

Urban trees play an important role in green infrastructure planning for the ecosystem services they provide. These services include carbon sequestration, the provision of clean air through oxygen production and filtering of airborne pollutants, and the offsetting of the urban heat island effect by providing shade and cooling. In addition to the well-studied positive effects of urban trees, under specific conditions, there are some unwanted side effects that need to be considered. Such negative side effects, such as allergies caused by tree pollen, traffic hazards from falling trees or tree parts or damage from roots or branches in resource supply or waste disposal infrastructures, are termed ecosystem disservices. An ecosystem disservice that is not very often illuminated in the urban context is the presence of poisonous urban trees. This paper provides a spatially explicit view of the distribution of poisonous urban trees in the city of Berlin, relating the spatial distribution of the hazard from this urban ecosystem disservice with the conditions under which it can have the most damaging effect by considering nearby playgrounds and areas with a high population density of children under 5 years old, the most vulnerable group within the urban population.

Kewenangan Pemerintah Kota Denpasar dalam Penerapan Jalur Khusus Sepeda

Realizing an environmentally friendly city of Denpasar is one of the balancing concepts in the development of an environmentally friendly city. Changing the mode of transportation to environmentally friendly transportation, such as the use of bicycles, can prevent congestion. One of the government's real actions is the government's authority on bicycle lanes as a necessity for the community. The purposes of this study are to reveal the form of authority of the Denpasar City Government in Streamlining the Application of Bicycle Paths and forms of legal protection for bicycle lane users based on Law Number 22 Year 2009 in Denpasar City. The type of legal research used in this research is empirical legal research with a statutory approach. The data collection techniques were carried out by reading, recording, quoting, summarizing and analyzing the data and information obtained from the relevant agencies, namely the Denpasar City Transportation Service. After obtaining primary legal materials and secondary legal materials which are then processed and analyzed systematically, data is obtained that the authority of the Denpasar City government in making the use of bicycle lanes effective is to provide bicycle lane facilities at several points scattered in the Denpasar City area, such as on Jalan Sudirman , Jalan Letda Made Putra, Jalan Letda Tantular and at several other points. Meanwhile, legal protection for bicycle lane users contains the rights of bicycle lane users, such as the mandatory provision of bicycle lane facilities by the government to ensure the safety and comfort of cyclists, freedom from fear in traffic, and avoidance of traffic hazards.

Heterogeneous traffic flow model under connected vehicles environment considering cyberattacks

Under the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) environment, connected vehicles (CVs) can share the traveling information with each other to keep the traffic flow stable. However, the open network cooperation environment makes CVs vulnerable to cyberattacks, which leads to changes in driving behavior. The existing theories divide cyberattacks into three types: bogus information, replay/delay and collusion cyberattacks. In addition, the mixed flow consisting of truck and car is a common form of road traffic. In order to clarify the potential impact of cyberattacks on mixed traffic flow, this paper proposes an extended car-following model considering cyberattacks under CVs environment. Subsequently, the stability of the model is analyzed theoretically, and the stability condition of the model is obtained. The numerical simulation is carried out and the result shows that the cyberattacks lead to different degrees of traffic behavior hazards such as queue time extension, congestion and even rear end collision. Among them, cooperative attack is the most serious.

Health impacts of electric micro-mobility transitions in Barcelona: a scenario analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mobility in cities is changing with the appearance of new, electric (e-) micro-mobilities, such as e-scooters, e-motorcycles and e-bikes. The shared use of these vehicles is increasingly becoming popular as it enables users to have easy, individual, short-duration access to transport without the burdens of ownership. Given the foreseen long-term increase in micro-mobilities and the link between transport and health, it is relevant to understand the health implications of these new, often-shared, personal e-mobility vehicles (PMVs). METHODS: We conducted a health impact assessment study, using transport statistics and NewMob data, a project studying the fundamentals of micro-mobility use related to user profile, environmental and social impacts in Barcelona, Spain. We applied the comparative risk assessment framework to study the impacts of these new e-PMVs on health in Barcelona. Specifically, through two scenarios, assuming a long-term 5% and 10% increase in e-PMVs, we modelled the change in exposure to physical activity, air pollution and traffic hazards for users switching from conventional modes of transport and estimated the preventable premature mortality and mental health burden. RESULTS:We found that with the uptake of these new forms of e-PMVs related increases in physical activity resulted in 12 (95% CI: 9-17) and 24 (95% CI: 17-34) premature deaths avoidable each year for the 5% and 10% e-PMV increase scenario, respectively, most likely outweighing risks associated with user exposure to air pollution and traffic hazards. CONCLUSIONS:Long-term increase in uptake of e-PMVs is expected in cities and these forms of mobility can provide considerable health benefits, especially through increases in physical activity. Moreover, e-PMVs can additionally create common good by providing affordable access to all, high maintenance and safety standards, and the overall reduction of car vehicle fleets and associated adverse externalities, such as air and noise pollution and public space uptake. KEYWORDS: air pollution, health impact assessment, mental health, mortality, electric personal mobility vehicle, physical activity

Automatic Vehicle Accident Detection System

The ascent of technology and infrastructure has created our lives easier. the appearance of technology has conjointly enhanced the traffic hazards and therefore the road accidents ensue ofttimes that causes immense loss of life and property owing to the poor emergency facilities. Our project can give AN optimum resolution to the present flinch. AN measuring device may be utilized in a automobile alarm application in order that dangerous driving may be detected. It may be used as a crash or change detector of the vehicle throughout and when crash. With signals from AN measuring device, a severe accident may be recognized. in step with this project once a vehicle meets with AN accident straight off vibration detector can notice the signal or if a automobile rolls over, and small electro system (MEMS) detector can notice the signal and sends it to ARM controller. Microcontroller sends the alert message through the GSM electronic equipment together with the situation to the police room or a rescue team. therefore the police will straight off trace the situation through GPS electronic equipment, when receiving the data. Then when orthodox the situation necessary action are going to be taken. If the person meets with a little accident or if there's no serious threat to any ones life, then the alert message may be terminated by the motive force by a switch provided so as to avoid wasting the dear time of the medical rescue team. This paper is helpful in police work the accident exactly by suggests that of each vibration detector and small electro system (MEMS) or measuring device. As there's a scope for future implementation we will add a wireless net cam for capturing the photographs which can facilitate in providing drivers help.

Sandstorm animations on rural expressways: The impact of variable message sign strategies on driver behavior in low visibility conditions

Problem: Evolving sandstorms on rural expressways in desert countries impair drivers' contrast vision and increase the risk of serious crashes due to delayed speed adjustments. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) such as Variable Message Signs (VMS) conveying warnings can be activated to address drivers’ speed adaptation before entering a low visibility zone. To improve drivers’ understanding of the hazard, a sandstorm animation visualizing turbulent sand and its consequences was designed and compared with a general warning pictogram, which is applied if no specific weather pictogram is available. Moreover, minimum warning distances of the VMS to the low visibility zone were tested (e.g., 300 m or 500 m). MethodSixty-three participants from the State of Qatar drove in a driving simulator through clear, transition, and low visibility conditions on a rural expressway. A repeated analysis of variances was conducted to examine the impact of the two on-road warning displays on driving behavior. ResultsThe results showed that the sandstorm animation was similarly effective as a generic warning pictogram in reducing driving speeds before entering the transition and low visibility zone, irrespective of being displayed 500 m or 300 m away. However, the sandstorm animation resulted in consistent similar speed reductions within the low visibility zone, whereas the generic warning pictogram did either perform better or worse after several encounters with a sandstorm. Drivers did strongly agree that the animation is clearly referring to the issue of low visibility, which can be beneficial for recurring low visibility conditions.Practical applications: 1.) Displaying a sandstorm animation is beneficial for rural expressway sections with recurring degrading visibility and low traffic densities, whereas a warning pictogram can be more effective in speed reductions if drivers expect additional traffic hazards. 2.) Roadway authorities have the flexibility to activate a VMS sandstorm warning even for minimum warning distances.

Impact of the Construction Supplies Implementation on Road Safety in the City Center: A Case Study of the City of Szczecin

The development of modern cities is impossible without an increase in the number of construction projects implemented. However, in the conditions of limited spaces, local and national legal regulations, and logistic difficulties, their implementation is becoming a growing challenge. Construction supplies can pose a particular problem. Its planning, organization, and implementation have an impact not only on construction and assembly works, but also on the external environment of the construction site, of which traffic is an important element. The aim of the study was to analyze and answer the question of whether there is a connection between the implementation of construction supplies and the occurrence of road traffic hazards in cities on the example of Szczecin. In addition, the article aims to find solutions to reduce the number of road accidents and increase road safety. The conducted research also revealed the weak points of the system of collecting and analyzing data on road accidents. The research covered selected areas in the center of Szczecin, where construction projects have been implemented since 2016 and road accidents have occurred. The reference year is the year preceding the start of construction. The research on selected construction projects meeting the criteria, carried out in the article has shown that their implementation may have an impact on the level of safety in the areas adjacent to the construction site. However, the unequivocal statement of such relationship must be supported by extended research, covering a greater number of projects, additional consideration of the number of deliveries for supply purposes, and the characteristics of vehicles involved in road incidents.

Использование электронных образовательных технологий с целью формирования культуры дорожно-транспортной безопасности молодежи

Intensive traffic on the roads, the change in age from which the accumulation of driving experience begins are potential road traffic hazards, which actualize the problem of forming a culture of road and transport safety for young people. The article discusses the features of the use of electronic educational technologies designed to solve this problem.