Identifying the factors contributing to the severity of truck-involved crashes

To address the dilemma between the need for truck transportation and the costs related to truck-involved crashes, the key is to identify the risk factors that significantly affect truck-involved crashes. The objective of this research is to estimate the effects of the characteristics of traffic, driver, geometry, and environment on severity of truck-involved crashes. Based on four crash severity categories (fatal/incapacitating, non-incapacitating, possible injury, and no injury/property damage only), a multinomial logit model is conducted to identify the risk factors. The investigation of risk ratios indicates that lower traffic volume with higher truck percentage is associated with more serious traffic crash with fatal/incapacitating injury while a non-standard geometric design is the main cause of non-incapacitating crashes. The influences of weather are significant for the possible-injury crashes while driver condition is the principal cause of no-injury/property-damage-only crashes. In addition, the statistical results demonstrate that the influence of the truck percentage is significant. One-unit change in the truck percentage will cause more than one times probability of being in an injury.     

Parameters affecting seat belt use in Greece

The objective of this research is the exploration of seat belt use in Greece and particularly the identification of the parameters affecting seat belt use in Greece. A national field survey was conducted for the analytical recording of seat belt use. A binary logistic regression model was developed, and the impact of each parameter on seat belt use in Greece was quantified. Parameters included in the model concern characteristics of car occupants (gender, age and position in the car), the type of the car and the type of the road network. The data collection revealed that in Greece, the non-use of seat belt on the urban road network was higher than on the national and rural road network and young and older men use seat belts the least. The developed model showed that travelling on a national road is negative for not wearing the seat belt. Finally, the variable with the highest impact on not wearing a seat belt is being a passenger on the back seats.     

Observed and unobserved correlation between crash avoidance manoeuvers and crash severity

Understanding drivers’ responses to critical events, analyzing drivers’ abilities to perform corrective manoeuvers, and investigating the correlation between these manoeuvers and crash severity provide the opportunity of increasing the knowledge about how to avoid crash occurrence or at least mitigate crash severity. We extend existing research on the determinants of engaging in crash avoidance manoeuvers by considering that observable and unobservable factors relate to both the selection of corrective manoeuvers and the severity outcome. Accordingly, we propose a joint multinomial-logit ordered-probit model of single-vehicle crashes extracted from the NASS GES database for the years 2005–2009. Results show (1) the existence of unobserved correlation between crash avoidance manoeuvers and crash severity, and (2) the link between drivers’ attributes, risky driving behaviour, road characteristics, and environmental conditions, with the propensity to engage in crash avoidance manoeuvers and experience severe crash outcomes.     

Underreporting,crash severity and fault assignment of minor crashes in China – a study based on self-reported surveys

Unreported minor crashes have importance as a surrogate for more serious crashes that require infrastructure, education, and enforcement strategies; and they still inflict damages. To study factors that influence underreporting, cause, and severity of minor crashes; a survey was performed in Kunming and Beijing to collect self-reported personal characteristics and crash history data of the three major urban road users in China: automobile drivers, bicycle riders and electric bike (e-bike) riders. Underreporting rates of automobile to automobile, automobile to non-motorized vehicle, and non-motorized vehicle to non-motorized vehicle crashes are 56%, 77% and 94%, respectively. Minor crashes with higher reported injury severity levels are more likely to be reported. E-bike riders without a driver's license are more likely to cause crashes. Licensing and education could be an effective way to reduce their crashes. The party that is not at fault in a crash is more likely to sustain high level of injury.     

Time to prioritise safe walking

This study draws on information from two recently published documents on pedestrian safety and global status of road safety to draw attention to the need to prioritize safe walking in planning and policy at local, national and international levels. The study shows that each year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world's roads. The study argues that this situation need not persist because proven pedestrian safety interventions exist but do not attract the merit they deserve in many locations. The study further shows that the key risk factors for pedestrian road traffic injury such as vehicle speed, alcohol use by drivers and pedestrians, lack of infrastructure facilities for pedestrians and inadequate visibility of pedestrians are fairly well documented. The study concludes that pedestrian collisions, like all road traffic crashes, should not be accepted as inevitable because they are, in fact, both predictable and preventable. While stressing that reduction or elimination of risks faced by pedestrians is an important and achievable policy goal, the study emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes engineering, enforcement and education measures.     

Relationship between organisational safety culture dimensions and crashes

Knowing about organisational safety culture in public transportation system can provide an appropriate guide to establish effective safety measures and interventions to improve safety at work. The aim of this study was investigation of association between safety culture dimensions (leadership styles and company values, usage of crashes information and prevention programmes, management commitment and safety policy, participation and control) with involved self-reported crashes. The associations were considered through Spearman correlation, Pearson chi-square test and logistic regression. The results showed an association among self-reported crashes (occurrence or non-occurrence) and factors including leadership styles and company values; management commitment and safety policy; and control. Moreover, it was found a negative correlation and an odds ratio less than one between control and self-reported crashes.     

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Organic Fruits and Vegetables: Empirical Evidence from a Consumer Survey in India

Numerous consumers confronted with increasing environmental problems, food safety issues, and augmentative health problems increasingly desire to have healthier and more natural foods grown in an eco-friendly manner. Hitherto organic foods only partly benefit from this increasing market environment, and their market share stays rather low despite high growth rates. This article aims to investigate consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for organic fruits and vegetables and relevant factors affecting consumers WTP. The contingent valuation method was selected to estimate WTP. Empirical data was drawn from a 250-consumer survey conducted in Bangalore during February 2013. A binomial logistic regression model was applied to obtain the value of WTP and determine the factors influencing it. The results indicated that about 90% of the consumers were willing to pay a premium price ranging between 5% to more than 100% in order to acquire better-quality fruits and vegetables; factors such as family income, size of the family, gender, and other opinion variables such as chemical residue in conventional foods, trust on retailers, taste, and environmental concerns significantly influence consumers’ WTP. More than 87% of the consumers indicated that high price, lack of availability, narrow range, and irregular supply are the major barriers for them to buy these products. The results provide useful evidence to pertinent governmental agencies in terms of assisting in the design of policies for the promotion of organic food production and marketing and reaching the target public. Furthermore, firms involved in the organic foods business may also see benefits when drawing information in order to calibrate marketing strategies.     

Firm heterogeneity and location choice of Chinese Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)

Using data on 194 location choices in 32 countries for a decade, we investigated locational determinants of Chinese Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). We found that State-Owned MNEs, compared to their peers without controlling state equity, are less concerned about political risk of the host country, but more responsive to favorable exchange rate between Chinese RMB and the host currency. Strategic intent of Chinese MNEs affects their location choice in a way that manufacturing oriented investment, compared to trading subsidiaries, is more attracted to countries with large market size and more deterred by high cost structure of the host country.     

Consumers’ perspectives on online banking services

The forces of economic change, coupled with advancements in technology, prompt banks to rethink their use of traditional branches and begin forming new partnerships to deliver financial services. The Internet seems to be the new delivery channel in the banking sector. Factors such as the security of personal data or the reliability of a financial institution have been identified by previous studies as the determinants of electronic‐banking adoption. In this paper, a series of new factors, such as the difficulties of using the Internet, are shown to play a crucial role in the consumer’s attitude – adoption or rejection – of this new alternative channel. We examine consumer behaviour by modelling multivariate categorical response data using a generalized linear model. Our choice model is based on the assumption that an individual’s decision to use electronic services depends on a number of explanatory variables, and we try to estimate the factors that affect an individual’s decision to use online services.