A safe speed guidance model for highways

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a fuzzy logic model to support decisions for the suggested speed limit for sections of highways as they become affected by adverse road conditions, environmental factors and differing traffic levels. The definition of the main factors, and their weight, that reduce safety on highways was conducted by the Delphi method, consulting traffic engineering experts. The survey served as a basis for structuring indicators and indexes in a soft decision tree, structured by a fuzzy logic system. The system can be used to support the decisions of those that manage the roads, indicating to drivers’ speeds, by visual, audible or combined systems.     

Significance of attitudes,passion and cultural factors in driver’s speeding behavior in Oman: application of theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Traffic accidents and related fatalities have become a major public health problem in the world. This study aims to identify the significant factors that play an important role in the speeding behavior of drivers. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed and conducted with the students and employees of the University of Nizwa. The questionnaire items were designed considering the theoretical background of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and local socio-cultural aspects of the driving environment. A total of 303 usable samples were obtained. The collected data were analyzed using factor analysis and structural equation modelling technique. The extracted factors of speeding passion and culture, speeding attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are significant determinants of drivers speeding behavior in Oman. The driver’s speeding attitudes, speeding culture, and passion have positive association with the drivers’ speeding intentions and behavior, and driver’s perceived behavioral control forms negative relationship with the speeding behavior. This study confirms the application of the TPB in predicting the drivers’ speeding behavior in the context of Oman.     

Drivers' behaviour at roundabouts in Riyadh

As is the case in many cities, roundabouts are used extensively in Riyadh. However, instead of improving safety, driving through roundabouts in Riyadh can be a dangerous experience as many drivers do not follow regulations. Unfortunately, no official statistics exist on accidents or violations at roundabouts and no studies have been done to assess this problem. A field study to collect data on drivers' behaviour at five roundabouts in Riyadh was done and a questionnaire was randomly distributed to drivers to explore this issue. Results showed that the percentage of drivers breaching at least one traffic regulation is approximately 90% of all drivers driving through these roundabouts, with leaving without flashing and entering the roundabout without giving way being the most frequent violation types. Questionnaire results from 384 respondents showed that there is a lack of information among most drivers on roundabout driving regulations and that driver training and licensing process does not include enough information related to this matter. Finally, practical suggestions as how to tackle this issue in terms of education, training and policing are given.     

Road crash injuries and fatalities in Isfahan,Iran from March 2006 to March 2009

With rapid development of social economies, road traffic accidents have continued to increase, and have become the primary public hazard to humans. The main goal of the present study was to investigate road traffic crash (RTC) fatalities and injuries in the city of Isfahan, Iran. A sample of 150,940 accident cases was considered from Isfahan Police Safety Driving Department, involving drivers and passengers of all ages, and covering a 3-year period. The record linkage identified 24,608 drivers and passengers injured or died as a result of RTC in the city of Isfahan over the 3-year period. The finding of this study shows that the highest rate of RTC fatality was 40% and 58%, which comprises the male drivers and female passengers within the age classes 25–34 and 35–44, respectively. On average, there were one death every 3 days and every hour, someone was injured and taken to an emergency department for RTCs in the city of Isfahan. The highest men to women death and injured ratios were 4:1 and 2:1, respectively. The use of seat belt devices in our population was worrisome. The article ends with a number of recommended measures for the improvement of road safety.     

一种基于模糊逻辑的切换算法

针对蜂窝移动系统的越区切换,提出了一种基于模糊逻辑的切换判决算法.通过仿真与只以信号强度为指标的传统切换算法进行了性能比较,结果表明:采用多指标判决的模糊逻辑切换算法能够有效降低系统的掉话率和切换数量,提高服务等级.     

Driver education: how effective?

Abstract

In the early 20th century, the numbers of motor vehicles in use grew rapidly in the USA, Canada, and many European countries. By the 1930s, the number of automobile crashes and the resulting deaths and injuries was a significant problem and various safety organizations tried to address it with education and publicity programs aimed at changing driver behaviour. It is not clear when the high crash risks of young drivers were first identified, but in the early 1930s driver education courses began to be offered in US high schools (feasible because US licensing ages were 16 or younger) and soon such courses were being touted (with no evidence) as ‘the most obvious way’ to reduce traffic crashes. Over the years many claims were made for the effectiveness of high school driver education, however, it was not until the late 1960s that competent research studies (including randomized control trials) were undertaken. The consistent findings from these studies have been that high school driver education does not reduce crashes. Furthermore, the trained students get their licenses sooner, and because teenagers have very high crash risks, the net result of high school driver education is increased numbers of crashes.     

Effect of driver,roadway, collision,and vehicle characteristics on crash severity: a conditional logistic regression approach

The aim of the study is to examine the factors that appear to have a higher potential for serious injury or death of drivers in traffic accidents in Turkey, such as collision type, roadway surface, vehicle speed, alcohol/drug use, and restraint use. Driver crash severity is the dependent variable of this study with two categories, fatal and non-fatal. Due to the binary nature of the dependent variable, a conditional logistic regression analysis was found suitable. Of the 16 independent variables obtained from Turkish police accident reports, 11 variables were found most significantly associated with driver crash severity. They are age, education level, restraint use, roadway condition, roadway type, time of day, collision location, collision type, number and direction of vehicles, vehicle speed, and alcohol/drug use. This study found that belted drivers aged 18–25 years involving two vehicles travelling in the same direction, in an urban area, during the daytime, and on an avenue or a street have better chances of survival in traffic accidents.     

Identifying the factors behind fatal and non-fatal road crashes: a case study of Lahore,Pakistan

ABSTRACT

The study identifies the factors behind fatal and non-fatal road crashes in Lahore, Pakistan, by investigating 461 reported cases to Traffic Police Lahore that occurred during January–November 2014. Road crashes are categorized into fatal and non-fatal crashes and, because of the binary nature of the dependent variable, logistic regression is used to identify the factors behind these crashes. As a follow-up, discriminant analysis is employed to classify the factors related to fatal and non-fatal crashes. The logistic regression results reveal that females are at higher risk of fatalities than male drivers. Among vehicle types, rickshaws and cars are more involved in fatal accidents because both are growing at large on roads. Long trucks and trailers are also involved in fatal accidents, mainly because of their huge size and drivers’ risky driving behaviours. It is also noted that risk of fatalities is higher in case where two vehicles bumped each other. Speeding and overloading are the common behaviours resulting in fatal crashes. Better urban transport systems and strict compliance with traffic rules and regulations may improve road safety in Pakistan.     

Determinants of severe injury and mortality from road traffic accidents among motorcycle and car users in Southern Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to identify factors associated with severe injury and mortality from road traffic accidents (RTA) among motorcycle and car users in southern Thailand. The data were obtained from the Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Thailand, for years 2008–2013. Chi-squared tests were used to assess associations between determinants and outcomes and these associations were then estimated after adjusting for possible confounding with other factors using logistic regression. Severe injury and mortality contributed 11.6% and 5% to RTA of motorcycle users, and 14.3% and 7.5% for car users. Among motorcycle users, male gender, older age, and not wearing a helmet increased severe injury and mortality rates, whereas drivers had more severe injuries than passengers. Older car users had higher severe injury and mortality rates, whereas not fastening seat belts had higher mortality. Safety device use should be made mandatory for both drivers and passengers. Male motorcycle users and the elderly should be focused on.     

Bayesian hierarchical statistics for traffic safety modelling and forecasting

Abstract

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) represent a serious problem globally causing losses in many ways. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have a high rate of RTAs compared to other high-income countries. In this study, a Bayesian hierarchical model was utilized for accident counts forecasting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This work will help traffic planners and decision makers to enhance road safety levels and decrease accident fatality rate. Accidents data along 5 years from 2008 to 2012 at 143 road sites in Abu Dhabi with 5,511 accidents were used. The proposed model considered a number of covariates; speed limit, type of road, number of lanes, type of area, weather, time, surface condition and seat belt usage. Five sites with the highest numbers of accidents were studied. Year 2012 was used to validate predictions. The model prediction accuracy was 72%.     

Factors associated with single-vehicle and multi-vehicle road traffic collision injuries in Ireland

Generalised linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with fatal/serious road traffic collision injuries for single- and multi-vehicle collisions. Single-vehicle collisions and multi-vehicle collisions occurring during the hours of darkness or on a wet road surface had reduced likelihood of a fatal/serious injury. Single-vehicle ‘driver with passengers’ collisions occurring at junctions or on a hill/gradient were less likely to result in a fatal/serious injury. Multi-vehicle rear-end/angle collisions had reduced likelihood of a fatal/serious injury. Single-vehicle ‘driver only’ collisions and multi-vehicle collisions occurring on a public/bank holiday or on a hill/gradient were more likely to result in a fatal/serious injury. Single-vehicle collisions involving male drivers had increased likelihood of a fatal/serious injury and single-vehicle ‘driver with passengers’ collisions involving drivers under the age of 25 years also had increased likelihood of a fatal/serious injury. Findings can enlighten decision-makers to circumstances leading to fatal/serious injuries.     

The impact of traffic sign deficit on road traffic accidents in Nigeria

This study assesses the impact of traffic sign deficit on road traffic accidents in Nigeria. The participants were 720 commercial vehicle drivers. While simple random sampling was used to select 6 out of 137 federal highways, stratified random sampling was used to select six categories of commercial vehicle drivers. The study used qual-dominant mixed methods approach comprising key informant interviews; group interviews; field observation; policy appraisal and secondary literature on traffic signs. Result shows that the failure of government to provide and maintain traffic signs in order to guide road users through the numerous accident black spots on the highways is the major cause of road accidents in Nigeria. The study argues that provision and maintenance of traffic signs present opportunity to promoting safety on the highways and achieving the sustainable development goals.     

Identification of elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are alleviated by passenger presence

It is essential to find measures to compensate for the decline in elderly drivers’ driving ability in order to meet their mobility needs and ensure their safety when driving. Although it has been well documented that elderly drivers’ risks of crash involvement are alleviated by the presence of passengers, few studies have investigated whether the protective effect of passengers is influenced by driver characteristics including the degree of cognitive impairment. This study aimed to identify subgroups of elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are more effectively alleviated by passenger presence. After dividing elderly drivers into three levels of cognitive impairment, as measured by the Short-Memory Questionnaire, and two gender groups, the present study found that only male drivers in the middle cognitive level benefited from passenger presence. The effectiveness of passenger presence may be more successfully achieved by proper selection of the appropriate range of cognitive decline and gender.     

Analysing the drivers of customer happiness at authorized workshops and improving retention

Due to increased business competition, customer happiness has drawn significant interest in recent times. With customer happiness at authorized workshops in mind, workshops are trying hard to give the best services to customers so that they feel happy and return even after free services. However, customers are not using regular maintenance services properly although their vehicles are still under warranty. Literature shows that there is a direct relationship between company performance and customer happiness. However, no literature is available related to sustaining customer happiness and improving retention after free services. Therefore, the study aims to identify the drivers of customer happiness at authorized automotive workshops and prioritize them, allowing service providers to improve services to help in improving customer retention even after free services. To achieve this aim, a two-phased research methodology was used. In the first phase, an extensive literature review was carried out to list drivers of customer happiness; and finalized the drivers empirically. Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed in the second phase to prioritize the drivers. The ‘technological’ driver has been reported as the most important sustainable driver of customer happiness followed by ‘social’ driver. This study will help service providers to plan resources effectively and increase customer happiness at authorized workshops; this will improve retention even after free services. To check the robustness of results, sensitivity analysis is performed.     

Gauging the Effects of Lowering the Blood Alcohol Concentration from 0.10 to 0.08 on the Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACT

Every year in the US, over 20% of all traffic fatalities are caused by drunk drivers. The average Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of fatally injured drivers is 0.17, with almost half of these have a BAC of 0.20 or higher. In October of 2000, a new federal law was passed requiring states to lower the BAC from 0.10 to 0.08 or lose millions in highway funding. Proponents of this legislation feel it will save over 500 lives a year. Those opposed feel this law will target the social drinker, overburden the justice system, and will not address the real problem, the habitual drunk driver. This study looks at these issues concentrating on: other laws that could affect the number of alcohol-related fatalities; the number of fatalities involving habitual offenders; legislative efforts in the state of Indiana; and the effect this legislation could have on the hospitality industry.     

An Integrated Group Decision-Making Method Dealing with Fuzzy Preferences for Alternatives and Individual Judgments for Selection Criteria

Organizations often require decisions to be made by a group, and decision makers often have fuzzy preferences for alternatives and individual judgments when attempting to reach an optimal solution. In order to deal with the fuzziness of preference of decision makers, this paper proposes an integrated fuzzy group decision-making method. This method allows group members to express fuzzy preferences for alternatives and individual judgments for solution selection criteria. It also allowed for the weighting of group members. The method then aggregates these elements into a compromise group decision which is the most acceptable for the group as a whole. This method has been implemented and tested. An example is presented to illustrate the method.     

Influence of professional drivers’ personality traits on road traffic safety: case study

The purpose of this paper is to present basic elements of the research directed at identifying and determining the personality traits of professional drivers that affect safe, secure and enjoyable ride on public roads. A quantitative method has been used here, whereas data were acquired from a questionnaire based on a sample of 59 professional drivers. Determining personality traits of professional drivers that are in correlation with a safe and pleasant ride on the roads has been enabled by applying the five-factor model of personality (‘Big Five’) and the Personality Inventory NEO-PI. From these results it was concluded that safe operation of the vehicle in traffic involves the successful ‘conduct’ of oneself, which recognises the importance of certain personality traits of professional drivers for traffic safety and the need for appropriate professional selection in the case of employment of professional drivers. Research results implicate development of educational programmes aimed at achieving harmony of psychological, physical and sensory health, that is, programmes for permanent informing, educating and training professional drivers for defensive driving. The research opens the way for new research tasks that should help in creating a specific structure of curricula that can be used in a variety of transportation companies and enterprises to improve general and public safety.     

Take This Job and Shove It: Examining the Influence of Role Stressors and Emotional Exhaustion on Organizational Commitment and Identification in Professional Truck Drivers

Professional truck drivers experience many challenges in the course of performing their jobs. Drivers must meet the needs of their company, shippers, and receivers as well as comply with safety regulations. It is well documented that truck drivers are prone to physical exhaustion; however, they may also be subject to emotional exhaustion, which can impact their decision to remain with a company. This research examines the influence of job stressors, such as role conflict and role ambiguity and their relationship to emotional exhaustion in professional truck drivers. Furthermore, the effect that job stressors and emotional exhaustion have on the efforts of a firm to build corporate identification, collective mind, and commitment among truck drivers is examined. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 435 professional truck drivers, a conceptual model is developed and tested using structural equation modeling. Findings are discussed and implications for managers in improving driver retention rates are offered.     

Accidental injuries among the elderly within the Vienna community: Epidemiology,risk factors and preventive measures

Abstract

Unintentional injuries ('accidents’) among elderly people are a significant burden in public health because such accidents happen frequently and because the proportion of older age groups in the population will continue to rise during the coming decades. One aim of this study, which was done in Vienna, the capital of Austria, was to broaden the preventive concept, adding lifestyle and living conditions to already well-known risk factors following the health promotion approach. Furthermore, characteristics that predispose older residents to accidents should be identified in order to design preventive measures for reducing injuries in this age group.

809 interviews with people 60 years of age and over were conducted, concerning accidents, outcomes of accidents, physical fitness, drug intake, type of house or dwelling, equipment in the household incorporating safety features, psychological well-being and social relations. The information collected was used to draw cross-sectional comparisons between participants who reported having experienced at least one accident in the previous 12 months and those who did not. Furthermore, the accident incidents were classified into 2 groups: incidents without injuries and injurious accidents. The latter served as a base for the epidemiology of injuries for people 60 years of age and over within the Vienna community.

20% of all senior citizens suffer at least one unintentional injury every year, in addition to which 8% experience critical incidents (mostly falls) without injury. Most accidents occur at home or involve pedestrians in public traffic areas. Over 90% of all accidents are falls, and 20% result in fractures. The most important risk factors for accidents in the elderly are gender, increasing age, poor physical fitness and low physical activity, the type of household and household equipment, poor psychological well-being, low income and loneliness.

The findings regarding falls suggest some possible opportunities for reducing the risk of falls by improving buildings and dwellings of the elderly. A promising attempt at practical implementation of these findings is being conducted by the Vienna-based Austrian Institute for Home and Leisure Safety in cooperation with the Vienna City Council. These two organizations are implementing a long-term program that aims at mobilizing institutions and organizations involved in working with the elderly.