Accident; analysis and prevention
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This study investigated the effect of the socioeconomic level of the municipality of residence on personal injury road traffic accident risk among young persons of 10-24 years of age in the Rhône Département. This effect was assessed by comparing incidences of injuries (n=2792 casualties) on the basis of three denominators: the resident population of young people, the number of users of each mode and the distances covered by each mode. The results are presented for each type of road users (pedestrians, car passengers, car drivers, motorised two-wheeler riders, cyclists, public transport users). ⋯ When considering injury risk, motorised two wheeler injuries among adolescent males, for example, are significantly less frequent in deprived municipalities. But the motorised two-wheeler riders as well as car passengers from deprived municipalities are characterized by an excess injury risk, whether the selected denominator is the number of users or the kilometres travelled by this mode. For the first time in France, this study has enabled a comparison of the effects of a contextual socioeconomic indicator (the type of municipality of residence, deprived, or not) on daily travel practices and injury incidences among the population, among the users of each mode and per km of travel.
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Speed humps are a common physical measure installed at pedestrian crossings to reduce vehicle speeds therefore improve the safety and mobility of pedestrians at the crossing. The aim of this study was to determine whether variations in distance between speed humps and pedestrian crossings contribute differently to the safety and mobility of pedestrians and cyclists, especially children and the elderly, and if so, how. ⋯ As vehicle speeds were somewhat lower at the pedestrian crossing when the distance between the speed cushion to the pedestrian crossing was greater, and there were positive aspects regarding the mobility of the pedestrians and cyclists, a greater distance of about 10 m or two car lengths between the hump and the pedestrian crossing is suggested. The present study only covers speed cushions, but the same distance is also regarded as important when installing other types of physical measures to reduce vehicle speed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effects of higher-order driving skill training on young, inexperienced drivers' on-road driving performance.
The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of training in higher-order driving skills (e.g., perceptual, motivational, insight) and vehicle handling skill training in relation to on-road driving performance, hazard perception, attitudes to risky driving and driver confidence levels in young, inexperienced drivers. Thirty-six young drivers (23 males and 13 females, average age 16.3 years), mostly on a restricted NZ driver licence, participated in a Driver Training Research camp. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three equally sized groups according to the type of driving skill training (5 days) they received: higher-order, vehicle handling or control (no training). ⋯ The participants who received vehicle handling skill training showed significant improvements in relation to their on-road direction control, speed choice and the composite driving score. However, this group showed no improvement in hazard perception, attitudes to risky driving or driver confidence. The findings will be discussed in the context of driver training as a viable crash prevention intervention in regard to young, inexperienced drivers.
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Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is defined as shared perceptions of organizational policies, practices and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety, that stem largely from management practices. PSC theory extends the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework and proposes that organizational level PSC determines work conditions and subsequently, psychological health problems and work engagement. Our sample was derived from the Australian Workplace Barometer project and comprised 30 organizations, and 220 employees. ⋯ Further we found that PSC, as an organization-based resource, moderated the positive relationship between bullying/harassment and psychological health problems, and the negative relationship between bullying/harassment and engagement. The findings provide evidence for a multilevel model of PSC as a lead indicator of workplace psychosocial hazards (high demands, low resources), psychological health and employee engagement, and as a potential moderator of psychosocial hazard effects. PSC is therefore an efficient target for primary and secondary intervention.
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Research on weather effects has focused on snow- or rain-related crashes. However, there is a lack of understanding of crashes that occur during fog or smoke (FS). This study presents a comprehensive examination of FS-related crashes using crash data from Florida between 2003 and 2007. ⋯ Head-on and rear-end crashes are the two most common crash types in terms of crash risk and severity. These crashes were more prevalent on high-speed roads, undivided roads, roads with no sidewalks and two-lane rural roads. Moreover, FS-related crashes were more likely to occur at night without street lighting, leading to more severe injuries.