Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialThe influence of drinking, texting, and eating on simulated driving performance.
Driving is a complex task and distractions such as using a mobile phone for the purpose of text messaging are known to have a significant impact on driving. Eating and drinking are common forms of distraction that have received less attention in relation to their impact on driving. The aim of this study was to further explore and compare the effects of a variety of distraction tasks (i.e., text messaging, eating, drinking) on simulated driving. ⋯ Distracting behaviors such as eating and texting while driving appear to negatively impact driving measures of lane position control and reaction time. These findings may have direct implications for motorists that engage in these types of distracting behaviors behind the wheel and for the safety of other road users.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
Epidemiology and patterns of transport-related fatalities in Austria 1980-2012.
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. ⋯ 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.
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Vehicle change in velocity (delta-v) is a widely used crash severity metric used to estimate occupant injury risk. Despite its widespread use, delta-v has several limitations. Of most concern, delta-v is a vehicle-based metric which does not consider the crash pulse or the performance of occupant restraints, e.g. seatbelts and airbags. Such criticisms have prompted the search for alternative impact severity metrics based upon vehicle kinematics. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of the occupant impact velocity (OIV), acceleration severity index (ASI), vehicle pulse index (VPI), and maximum delta-v (delta-v) to predict serious injury in real world crashes. ⋯ The broad findings of this study suggest it is feasible to improve injury prediction if we consider adding restraint performance to classic measures, e.g. delta-v. Applications, such as advanced automatic crash notification, should consider the use of different metrics for belted versus unbelted occupants.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
The road traffic crashes as a neglected public health concern; an observational study from Iranian population.
Traffic crashes are multifactorial events caused by human factors, technical issues, and environmental conditions. The present study aimed to determine the role of human factors in traffic crashes in Iran using the proportional odds regression model. ⋯ Public health strategies and preventive policies should be focused on more common human risk factors such as disregarding traffic rules and regulations, drivers' rushing, and alcohol consumption due to their greater population attributable fraction and more intuitive impacts on society.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyComparative analysis of risky behaviors of electric bicycles at signalized intersections.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the risky behaviors of e-bike, e-scooter, and bicycle riders as they were crossing signalized intersections. ⋯ Compared to e-bike and bicycle riders, e-scooter riders are more likely to take risky behaviors. More specifically, they are more likely to ride in motorized lanes and ride against traffic.