Transportation-related Fatalities Research Articles

Validity of Global Fog‐Day Trends Indicated by the Global Surface Summary of the Day (GSOD) Data Set

AbstractIt has long been understood that fog plays an important role in the atmospheric radiation budget and contributes to many transportation related fatalities and injuries. This study utilizes >8,000 Global Surface Summary of the Day (GSOD) ground stations to investigate trends observed in fog‐days over the past 44‐years, and to examine the validity of these trends under varying observational techniques. Results show strong large‐scale regional trends in the GSOD fog‐day data, with the United States (USA) and much of Europe observing ∼20–25% and ∼3–5% decreases respectively in fog‐day occurrence. However, when comparing fog‐day counts to simultaneous visibility, it is evident that several different fog‐day data collection techniques were used throughout the timeseries in many regions. For example, many stations in the USA made data collection changes in the mid 1990s, and again in the mid 2000s. To identify the artifacts from different data collection techniques, a simple method is developed to determine which stations indeed encountered at least one false deviation to the timeseries. After applying the methodology to all GSOD stations, 1,696 stations are identified as being potentially quality long‐term fog‐day stations. Utilizing these stations, more reliable regional trends can be derived over some specific regions. Spain, Australia, and China show statistically significant decreases in fog‐day occurrence. India and Japan show increases in fog day occurrence. Further analysis shows that the driving factors of fog such as temperature and moisture have changed regionally during the last four decades and could be linked to the long‐term regional fog‐day trends.

Burden of Transport-Related Injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

Transport-related injuries (TIs) are a substantial public health concern for all regions of the world. The present study quantified the burden of TIs and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) in 2017 by sex and age. TIs and deaths were estimated by age, sex, country, and year using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) and DisMod-MR 2.1. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which quantify the total burden of years lost due to premature death or disability, were also estimated per 100000 population. All estimates were reported along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). In 2017, there were 5.5 million (UI 4.9-6.2) transport-related incident cases in the EMR - a substantial increase from 1990 (2.8 million; UI 2.5-3.1). The age-standardized incidence rate for the EMR in 2017 was 787 (UI 705.5-876.2) per 100000, which has not changed significantly since 1990 (-0.9%; UI -4.7 to 3). These rates differed remarkably between countries, such that Oman (1303.9; UI 1167.3-1441.5) and Palestine (486.5; UI 434.5-545.9) had the highest and lowest age-standardized incidence rates per 100000, respectively. In 2017, there were 185.3 thousand (UI 170.8-200.6) transport-related fatalities in the EMR - a substantial increase since 1990 (140.4 thousand; UI 118.7-156.9). The age-standardized death rate for the EMR in 2017 was 29.5 (UI 27.1-31.9) per 100000, which was 30.5% lower than that found in 1990 (42.5; UI 36.8-47.3). In 2017, Somalia (54; UI 30-77.4) and Lebanon (7.1; UI 4.8-8.6) had the highest and lowest age-standardized death rates per 100,000, respectively. The age-standardised DALY rate for the EMR in 2017 was 1,528.8 (UI 1412.5-1651.3) per 100000, which was 34.4% lower than that found in 1990 (2,331.3; UI 1,993.1-2,589.9). In 2017, the highest DALY rate was found in Pakistan (3454121; UI 2297890- 4342908) and the lowest was found in Bahrain (8616; UI 7670-9751). The present study shows that while road traffic has become relatively safer (measured by deaths and DALYs per 100000 population), the number of transport-related fatalities in the EMR is growing and needs to be addressed urgently.

COMMUNITY PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR SPEED REDUCTION IN SCHOOL ZONES: WHAT ARE THE REAL IMPACTS?

BACKGROUND: Pedestrian injuries are responsible for most transport related fatalities among children, emphasizing the importance of implementing good practices to improve child pedestrian safety. Pedestrian fatality risk is directly related to speed. Accidents involving a car traveling more than 40 km/h have drastically a higher risk of death. The city of Sherbrooke and various stakeholders build up community-wide strategies based upon engineering, enforcement, advocacy and education to reduce vehicle speed in school zones to improve pedestrian safety, reduce injuries severity and promote active transport. OBJECTIVES: To compare the average vehicle speeds in school zones between school hours (7am-5pm, Monday to Friday) and the rest of the week (evenings, nights and weekend). DESIGN/METHODS: A cross-sectional study to measure vehicle speeds was performed during 26 complete days, in October and November 2015 after implementing community prevention strategies around 4 elementary school zones in the city of Sherbrooke. Vehicle speed measurements before the intervention were available for one school zone and used for a before-after analysis. RESULTS: A total of 130, 274 vehicle speeds were measured in fall 2015. The mean speed for all school zones was 36.9 ± 5.4 km/h between 7am-5pm compared to 42.7 ± 5.8 km/h for evening, night and weekend hours (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, we observed an 9% reduction of vehicle speed on 7am-5pm weekdays after the implementation of prevention strategies in 2015. The mean speed was 36.4 km/h in 2013 and 33.2 km/h in 2015. CONCLUSION: Community-based interventions are an efficient method to reduce speed during school hours. These strategies led to a reduction in average speed during other hours of the day and during the weekend. However, the average speed measured in school zones were not under 30 km/h between 7am-5pm. These strategies could help other cities to promote safe pedestrian environments and improve active transportation and physical activity among children.

Decoupling transport from economic growth: Extending the debate to include environmental and social externalities

The concept of decoupling embraces both immaterialisation and dematerialisation, by referring to the general delinking of environmental harm from economic production. This paper extends the theoretical debate and methodology on decoupling in transport to cover environmental (e.g. carbon) and social (e.g. fatalities) issues as well as the economic dimensions (e.g. income growth and transport activities). The typology developed here details the concepts of absolute and relative decoupling in a strong and weak version. This typology is then applied to explore the potential and the reality of transport decoupling in 15 major countries over the period since 1990, when concerns over the global environment and social issues have become a central part of the sustainable development agenda, through the measurement of changes in all three of the elements of sustainable development (economic, environmental and social). Two key transport externalities, carbon dioxide emissions and traffic fatalities, are studied, as these represent examples of environmental and social costs associated with increased levels of mobility. These 15 key countries included both developed and developing countries, and they together account for the majority of the global economy, carbon emissions and a substantial proportion of transport fatalities. The results show that decarbonisation of the transport sector has proved more difficult to achieve in the 15 countries over the 22years than the reduction in the levels of transport-related fatalities. Nevertheless, there is progress being made. Decoupling has taken place in both developed and developing countries, though the experiences vary in terms of timing (earlier vs more recent), consistency (stable vs variable), form (absolute vs relative) and magnitude (strong vs weak). Recoupling effects are limited. Transport has proved to be the most difficult sector to make more sustainable, as it is growing so fast and as it is necessary to support economies and lifestyles. Yet through combining measures of economic (e.g. income), environmental (e.g. carbon) and social (e.g. fatalities) wellbeing, it has been possible to identify positive trends in decoupling transport at the national level, as measured through relative decoupling. The much harder objective of an absolute decoupling is only just beginning to take place, but this must be seen as the primary objective in moving towards sustainability in the transport sector.

Injury patterns and features of cycling fatalities in South Australia

There has been an increase in cycling in Australia. This means that more cyclists are at risk of injuries, which account for a proportion of transport-related fatalities. In this study, all cyclist fatalities from 2002 to 2013 in South Australia where post-mortem examinations were performed were investigated. There were 42 deaths representing 3% of the total road fatalities over the same time. Of this total number of cases, 13 deaths (31%) involved collapse (mostly natural causes from an underlying medical condition) and 29 (69%) resulted from trauma. There were no cases of hyperthermia. Of the decedents 95% were male, and the mean age at death was 47 years. Fatal incidents were more likely to occur during April and November, and on a Monday. However, statistical analysis was not possible due to the small number of cases. Fatalities (traumatic and collapse) predominantly occurred whilst the cyclist was riding (86%). The majority of riding fatalities were as a result of collision with vehicles (81%). Drugs (including alcohol) were detected in two (15%) of the 13 cases of the collapses, and in seven (26%) of the 27 trauma cases tested. In trauma cases, death was most often due to multiple injuries. The most frequent area for injury was the head (found in 90% of traumatic deaths). Despite the increasing numbers of cyclists on South Australian roads over the last decade, death rates have trended downwards suggesting that road safety campaigns and the provision of more dedicated bicycle lanes have had a positive outcome.

Epidemiology and Patterns of Transport-Related Fatalities in Austria 1980–2012

Objectives: Transport-related accidents remain the largest single cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 in the European Union, and despite the decrease in number of fatalities from 1990 onwards they remain a significant public health problem. The aim of this article was to analyze the long-term trends and patterns of transport-related fatalities, identify the anatomic distribution of most significant injuries in different road users, and identify the primary populations at risk of transport-related death in Austria between 1980 and 2013.Methods: Data on transport-related fatalities based on death certificates were obtained from Statistics Austria for the analyzed period. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 were calculated and broken down by age, gender, and month of death, and the anatomic distribution of most significant injuries were identified. Potential years of life lost before age 75 (PYLL-75) were used as a measure of public health impact.Results: A total of 39,709 transport-related fatalities were identified for the studied years; 74% were males and the mean age was 42.1 years (range 0–103). A decrease in the number of fatalities (from 2018 in 1980 to 554 in 2012), mortality rates (from 26 in 1980 to 7 in 2012), and PYLL-75 (from 68,960 in 1980 to 14,931 in 2012) was observed. Introduction of major prevention milestones (compulsory use of seat belts or child restraints) may have contributed to this decrease. Men 16–24 years old were at the highest risk of transport-related death. Pedestrian victims were more likely to be women and car drivers and motorcyclists were more often men. Most fatal transport accidents occurred between the months of May and October and prevailingly in towns of fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Injuries to the head were the most significant injuries in all user groups (>50% of cases in all road user types). Reduced mortality rates could translate into higher prevalence of long-term disabilities in survivors of transport accidents.Conclusions: Despite the decreasing trend observed, transport-related fatalities remain a serious public health issue in Austria. An increase in the mortality of motor vehicle drivers warrants more preventive action in this group. Further research is needed on other outcomes of transport accidents such as long-term disabilities to elucidate the true public health burden of transport accidents.

Occupational Injuries among U.S. Correctional Officers, 1999-2008

ObjectiveThis study describes fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries among U.S. correctional officers. MethodsFatal injuries were obtained from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries; nonfatal injuries were identified from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System- Occupational Supplement. ResultsFrom 1999–2008, there were 113 fatalities and an estimated 125,200 (CI=±70,100) nonfatal injuries were treated in emergency departments. Assaults and violent acts (n=45, 40%) and transportation related fatalities (n=45, 40%) were the two primary fatal injury events. Assaults and violent acts (n=47,500 (CI=±24,500), 38%) and bodily reaction and exertion (n=25,400 (CI=±16,800), 20%) were the leading events resulting in nonfatal injuries. ConclusionsWhile workplace violence is the primary cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among correctional officers, transportation events and bodily reactions are also leading causes of occupational injury. Future research is needed to identify risk factors unique to these events and develop appropriate prevention and intervention efforts. Impact on IndustryThis study adds to the literature on occupational injuries among correctional officers and provides a national level description of fatal and nonfatal injuries across a 10-year period. Given that assaults and violent acts, transportation events, and bodily reaction and exertion were significant injury events, future research should describe detailed injury circumstances and risk factors for correctional officers unique to these events. This would allow appropriate prevention and control efforts to be developed to reduce injuries from these events.

Impact of gender, age and experience of pilots on general aviation accidents

General aviation (GA) accounts for more than 82% of all air transport-related accidents and air transport-related fatalities in the U.S. In this study, we conduct a series of statistical analyses to investigate the significance of a pilot's gender, age and experience in influencing the risk for pilot errors and fatalities in GA accidents. There is no evidence from the Chi-square tests and logistic regression models that support the likelihood of an accident caused by pilot error to be related to pilot gender. However, evidence is found that male pilots, those older than 60 years of age, and with more experience, are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident.