Accident; analysis and prevention
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To find out the prevalence of suicides and other types of self-destructive behaviour in fatal motor traffic accidents in Finland, all the data on fatal accidents compiled by road accident investigation teams in the years 1987-1988 and 1991-1992 were investigated. The results were compared to an earlier study covering the years 1974-1975 and 1984-1985. The two 4-year periods covered a total of 2440 cases, which were classified into four groups: suicides, unclears, negligents and 'true' accidents. ⋯ Single-vehicle accidents were typical in the negligent group and collisions in the other groups. The drivers in the negligent group were younger than the drivers in the suicide and unclear groups. At the time of the accident, the most common mental state among suicide drivers was 'depression'.
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Concerns about bicycle-related deaths and injuries have led to extensive injury prevention efforts in the United States, yet these concerns are not universal. For instance, in France attitudes toward bicycle safety are quite different. To understand more about variation in urban bicycle safety behavior, we observed passing bicyclists in Paris and Boston. ⋯ These large and seemingly contradictory percentages are the result of different laws and public health priorities, types of bicycle riding, and perceived risks. Suggestions for further research and practical ways to improve U. S. bicycle safety behavior are discussed.
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This paper presents a study of mini-bus traffic accidents aimed at gaining insight into the factors affecting accident occurrence and severity. Understanding these factors can help to bring forth realistic strategies to improve the safety of these buses. Two disaggregate models related to the time until accident occurrence and the number of accident injuries were specified and estimated. ⋯ Accident severity decreased and the time between two accidents increased when the previous accident was severe. The results seem to indicate that post- and immediate accident history affect the severity of upcoming accidents. Seven recommendations based on these findings are made in an attempt to improve mini-bus safety.
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A case-control study was conducted to determine statistical associations between traffic fatalities and the use or presence of a cellular phone, given involvement in a collision. The hypothesis of this study does not imply that cellular phones directly affect fatalities, but that phones increase the risk of certain accident characteristics in fatal collisions more than those same characteristics in non-fatal collisions. Analysis employed data from 223,137 traffic accidents occurring between 1992 and 1995. ⋯ Combined effects of reported phone use, driving to the left of center and inattention increased the risk of a fatal collision more than phone use did by itself. This analysis implies a statistical, but not necessarily a causal, relationship. A multitude of factors are involved in any traffic collision, and the exact cause of an accident and its severity level is difficult to disentangle.
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As of 1 March 1993, a partial (relating only to semi-motorways and main roads), and as of 1 June 1994, a total (relating to all roads) legal obligation to use DRL came into force outside built-up areas in Hungary. This paper examines the effectiveness of this regulation as an accident countermeasure. In view of the fact that it became possible to use one part of the road network as a comparison group during the period of partial obligation, a comparison group investigation has been carried out in addition to the analysis based on the odds ratio method familiar from earlier studies. ⋯ Thus, the hypothesis that it is more reliable to estimate the collision-reducing effect of DRL on the basis of accidents only occurring in good visibility conditions, rather than on the basis of the total number of daylight accidents, has been justified by this study. The causes of this, as well as the difficulties and confounding factors arising when the odds ratio method is used, are dealt with in this work. By analyzing over a longer time series, it was possible to verify that the positive road safety effect is not a mere novelty effect, and is not simply due to the 'regression to the mean'.