Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Aug 2009
Road traffic injuries in Iran: the role of interventions implemented by traffic police.
In Iran there are about 70 deaths per day from road traffic injuries (RTIs). Despite some interventions having been implemented during the past 5 years, the impacts of these interventions on mortality and morbidity rates have not been well evaluated. ⋯ These findings demonstrate the role of traffic police interventions, initiated simultaneously on a national level, in RTI prevention. Though these reductions may not be solely attributable to the interventions implemented, they do highlight the importance of the contribution made by law enforcement and mass education campaigns.
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The study has three objectives. The first is to investigate how the effect of road lighting on motorway accidents varies with different weather and road surface conditions. The second is to evaluate the future benefit of road lighting as a safety measure on motorways. The third is to evaluate the need for further research in the field of motorway lighting. ⋯ The effect of road lighting on injury accidents during darkness is found to be very high (-49%) on Dutch motorways. However, the effect seems to vary between countries. Collisions with light poles reduce the effect of road lighting. Road lighting will probably be an effective safety measures on motorways for many years. In the long term, however, the benefit of road lighting will probably be reduced along with the implementation of new vehicle and road technology. Modern technology permits a continuous adaptation of luminance levels to optimize the effect of road lighting on safety while at the same time minimizing energy consumption. However, more detailed knowledge concerning the effects of road lighting at different lighting levels is needed in order to use this technology effectively. Alternative or additional measures like LED guide lights and light road surfaces also need to be evaluated.
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To review: (1) the extent and frequency of street racing and its consequences; (2) the characteristics of street racers; (3) explanatory theories for street racing; (4) the legal issues; and (5) the best methods of preventing street racing. ⋯ Street racing is a neglected research area and the time has come to examine the prevalence and causes of street racing and the effectiveness of various street racing countermeasures.
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Traffic injury prevention · Oct 2008
Evaluation of automated speed enforcement in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Almost one quarter of speeding-related fatalities occur on streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less. In 2007, Montgomery County, Maryland, implemented the state's first automated speed enforcement program, with camera use limited to residential streets with speeds limits of 35 mph or less and school zones. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate initial effects of camera enforcement on traffic speeds and to assess public attitudes. ⋯ The camera program was effective at reducing speeding on targeted streets. The finding of speed reductions beyond targeted locations is evidence that highly visible automated enforcement can promote community-wide changes in driver behavior. Although a majority of drivers supported automated speed enforcement, about one third opposed it. Jurisdictions planning to implement speed cameras should draw on international experience to anticipate controversies that generally arise and take steps to address them.
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Traffic injury prevention · Oct 2008
Use of fatal real-life crashes to analyze a safe road transport system model, including the road user, the vehicle, and the road.
To evaluate if the Swedish Road Administration (SRA) model for a safe road transport system, which includes the interaction between the road user, the vehicle, and the road, could be used to classify fatal car crashes according to some safety indicators. Also, to present a development of the model to better identify system weakness. ⋯ The SRA model was found to be useful for classifying fatal crashes but needs to be further developed to identify how the components interact and thereby identify weaknesses in the road traffic system. This developed model might be a tool to systematically identify which of the components are linked to fatal outcome. In the presented study, fatal outcomes were mostly related to an interaction between the three components: the road, the vehicle, and the road user. Of the three components, the road was the one that was most often linked to a fatal outcome.