Journal of safety research
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The gap acceptance theory was primarily used to study pedestrian crossing behaviors, in accordance to static gaps that are calculated in the light of the cross section of crosswalk. However, pedestrians will face a series of dynamic gaps (especially at any uncontrolled multi-lane crosswalk) when they decide to cross the street, thus, pedestrians' decisions are made based on the dynamic gaps of each lane. ⋯ The findings of this study can be used for safety and performance evaluation of crosswalks at mid-block locations in developing countries like China and India.
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Building a safe biking environment is crucial to encouraging bicycle use. In developed areas with higher density and more mixed land use, the built environment factors that pose a crash risk may vary. This study investigates the connection between biking risk factors and the compact built environment, using data for Beijing. ⋯ In China's dense urban context, important policy implications for bicycle safety improvement drawn from this study include: prioritizing safety programs in urban centers, applying safety improvements to areas with more ground transit, placing bike-automobile crash countermeasures at road junctions, and improving bicycle safety on narrower streets.
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There are a variety of challenges faced by pedestrians when they walk along and attempt to cross a road, as the most recorded accidents occur during this time. Pedestrians of all types, including both sexes with numerous aging groups, are always subjected to risk and are characterized as the most exposed road users. The increased demand for better traffic management strategies to reduce the risks at intersections, improve quality traffic management, traffic volume, and longer cycle time has further increased concerns over the past decade. ⋯ The inferences from these models will be useful to increase pedestrian safety and performance evaluation of uncontrolled midblock road crossings in developing countries.
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Accurate motorcyclist mileage estimates are important because self-evaluation of riding experience is related to riding behavior, the relationship of self-reported to actual or future mileage is necessary in targeting training and considering survey responses, and motorcycle crash statistics require accurate travel data. ⋯ Reliance on self-reported mileage during training to categorize groups, for interpretation of studies, or to develop motorcycle travel data and safety statistics may be unrealistic. Certainly any use of self-reported mileage should incorporate the concept that mileage overestimation seems likely. Because questions about previous year and average annual mileage may elicit similar responses, motorcyclist surveys should be constructed to prompt the most thoughtful responses in terms of mileage estimations. In general, reported mileage should not be relied upon as an accurate predictor of future actual mileage.
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Child restraint systems (car seats) reduce injury risk for young children involved in motor-vehicle crashes, but parents experience significant difficulty installing child restraints correctly. Installation by certified child passenger safety (CPS) technicians yields more accurate installation, but is impractical for broad distribution. A potential solution is use of interactive virtual presence via smartphone application (app), which permits "hands on" teaching through simultaneous and remote joint exposure to 3-dimensional images. ⋯ Interactive virtual presence between certified CPS technicians and the public via smartphone app has potential to improve proper child restraint installations broadly, including to vulnerable and underserved rural populations.