Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Formation and Evaluation of Act and Anticipate Hazard Perception Training (AAHPT) intervention for young novice drivers.
Young novice drivers' poor hazard perception (HP) skills are a prominent cause for their overinvolvement in traffic crashes. HP, the ability to read the road and anticipate forthcoming events, is receptive to training. This study explored the formation and evaluation of a new HP training intervention-the Act and Anticipate Hazard Perception Training (AAHPT), which is based upon exposing young novice drivers to a vast array of actual traffic hazards, aiming to enhance their ability to anticipate potential hazards during testing. ⋯ Inclusion of an active-practical component generates an effective intervention. Using several evaluation measurements aids performance assessment process. Advantages of each of the training methodologies are discussed. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Associations between heavy-vehicle driver compensation methods, fatigue-related driving behavior, and sleepiness.
There has been growing recognition that broader economic and organizational factors play a role in creating work environments that facilitate high-risk driving behavior. This study investigates the association between compensation methods for drivers, fatigue-related driving behavior, and sleepiness among Australian heavy-vehicle drivers. Specifically, we hypothesized that piece-rate compensation methods linked to performance outcomes would be associated with greater levels of fatigue-related driving behaviors and sleepiness. ⋯ RESULTS confirmed that performance-based compensation methods are associated with work practices that may exacerbate driving behaviors associated with fatigue. Despite this finding, however, performance-based compensation methods were not associated with higher levels of sleepiness. This highlights the presence of potential differences in self-selection, operational, or fatigue management practices that may be common to drivers paid under various methods. Implications of these results for safety policy and future safety research within the heavy-vehicle industry are discussed.
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To examine the impact of text messaging and other in-car behaviors on driving performance under simple and naturalistic road conditions in a driving simulator. ⋯ Engaging in secondary tasks while operating a motor vehicle may have deleterious effects on driving performance and increase risk, even under the simplest of driving conditions. Text messaging may constitute a "perfect storm" of risk compared to other in-vehicle tasks such as tuning the car radio. The current investigation demonstrated detrimental effects of text messaging on driving behaviors such as lane maintenance, speed maintenance, and shifts of attention, even under relatively ideal and naturalistic driving conditions (e.g., familiar route, good weather, no traffic).
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To assess the blood alcohol concentration (BAC; dependent variable) of patients with road traffic injuries (RTIs) presenting at 3 provincial and central hospitals in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam by age, sex, and road user type (independent variables). This survey formed part of the Viet Nam Road Traffic Injury Prevention Project, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. ⋯ The results of this preliminary study indicate that 29.1 percent of all car drivers and motorcycle riders presenting at hospitals with RTIs exceeded the legal BAC limit for operating a motor vehicle. Though further study is required, this is suggestive that strengthening the enforcement of drink-driving laws is an urgent national road safety priority.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2013
Importance of muscle activations for biofidelic pediatric neck response in computational models.
During dynamic injury scenarios, such as motor vehicle crashes, neck biomechanics contribute to head excursion and acceleration, influencing head injuries. One important tool in understanding head and neck dynamics is computational modeling. However, realistic and stable muscle activations for major muscles are required to realize meaningful kinematic responses. The objective was to determine cervical muscle activation states for 6-year-old, 10-year-old, and adult 50th percentile male computational head and neck models. Currently, pediatric models including muscle activations are unable to maintain the head in an equilibrium position, forcing models to begin from nonphysiologic conditions. Recent work has realized a stationary initial geometry and cervical muscle activations by first optimizing responses against gravity. Accordingly, our goal was to apply these methods to Duke University's head-neck model validated using living muscle response and pediatric cadaveric data. ⋯ Though muscular loads were not large enough to cause vertebral compressive failure, they would provide a prestressed state that could protect the vertebrae during tensile loading but might exacerbate risk during compressive loading. For example, in the 10-year-old, a load of 602 N was produced, though estimated compressive failure tolerance is only 2.8 kN. Including muscles and time-variant activation schemes is vital for producing biofidelic models because both vary by age. The pediatric activations developed represent physiologically appropriate sets of initial conditions and are based on validated adult cadaveric data.