Accident; analysis and prevention
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In western countries, a typical car-motorcycle crash occurs at an intersection where a car manoeuvres into the path of an oncoming motorcycle, which involves a car driver violates motorcycle's right of way (ROW). In Taiwan, however, a unique type of crash (approach-turn crash) occurs when a turning (including U-turn) motorcycle frequently infringes upon a car's ROW. The primary objective of this study was to examine injuries sustained by motorcyclists in this unique type of crash. ⋯ Motorcyclists tended to be more severely or fatally injured and had increased head and face, neck, and chest and abdomen injuries when they were ROW violators than when their ROWs were violated at an intersection. Efforts to curb drunk riding and unlicensed riding may constitute effective intervention points.
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Taxi drivers worldwide often have very long driving hours and experience frequent fatigue. These conditions are associated with a high prevalence of fatigue and accidents. However, the key factors that distinguish high/low fatigue-related accident risk (FRAR) taxi drivers are uncertain. ⋯ The FRAR model with only four major measurable predictors achieved a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 94.6% on predicting labeled data. Adjusting drive-rest habits and self-evaluation pertaining to these predictors is good for high-risk drivers to mitigate their accident risk. It was concluded that taxi drivers' drive-rest habits, experience, and intention for fatigue driving are crucial, and to a large degree determine their FRAR, and the prediction model can satisfactorily identify high-risk taxi drivers.
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This study aims to investigate pedestrian crossing behavior and safety at uncontrolled mid-block crosswalks with different numbers of vehicle lanes. For this purpose, twelve uncontrolled mid-block crosswalks in Wuhan, China were selected to collect data via field investigation. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze pedestrian crossing behavior, and the distribution of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts on different vehicle lanes was given. ⋯ As the number of vehicle lanes increases, the proportion of pedestrians adopting the rolling gap crossing mode, crossing the street with others, and changing the speed or path increase accordingly. Moreover, the number of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at two-way six-lane crosswalks is 5.96 times higher than that of two-lane crosswalks, and 2.04 times higher than that of four-lane crosswalks. From the results of OP models, it was found that pedestrian behavioral characteristics such as rolling gap crossing mode, crossing with others significantly increased the possibility of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
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Pedestrians are vulnerable to severe injury and mortality in road crashes. Numerous studies have attempted to identify factors contributing to crashes and pedestrian injury risks. As an active transport mode, the act of walking is sensitive to changes in weather conditions. ⋯ For instance, real-time weather and traffic data should be incorporated into dynamic message signs and in-vehicle warning systems. Doing so will enhance the levels of safety awareness of drivers and pedestrians, especially in adverse weather conditions. As a result, pedestrian safety can be improved over the long term.
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Children are more vulnerable as pedestrians due to their cognitive, physical and behavioral traits. However, walking is one of the main forms of travel for children, particularly during leisure hours. Child pedestrian injury primarily occurs in urban areas, with a significant share at crosswalks. ⋯ The non-checking of traffic was also higher when a child is distracted by a mobile phone or other electronic gadget, or carries a big object. Children under age 9 were usually accompanied by adults but still exhibited risk-taking behaviors that apparently mirrored those of the adults. Risk-taking behaviors of young road users should be taken into account in the development of injury prevention programs focusing on child and parent education and training, and by adapting the urban environment to better meet their needs.