Journal of safety research
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Pedestrians are known as the most vulnerable road users, which means their needs and safety require specific attention in strategic plans. Given the fact that pedestrians are more prone to higher injury severity levels compared to other road users, this study aims to investigate the risk factors associated with various levels of injury severity that pedestrians experience in Illinois. ⋯ The comparison between three proposed ordered-response models shows that the partial proportional odds (PPO) model outperforms the conventional ordered (proportional odds-PO) model and generalized ordered logit model (GOLM). Based on the findings, stricter rules to address DUI driving is suggested. Educational programs need to focus on older pedestrians given the increasing number of older people in Illinois in the upcoming years. Pedestrians should be educated to use pedestrian crosswalks and contrasting clothing at night. In terms of engineering countermeasures, installation of crosswalks where pedestrian activity is high seems a promising practice.
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Research has reported that smiles facilitate social relationships. However, the effect of a smile on driving behavior has received less interest. ⋯ This leads to motorists stopping more readily and driving more carefully. These results also suggest that pedestrians may increase their own safety by using appropriate nonverbal signals toward drivers.
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With the aging of the United States population, unintentional injuries among older adults, and especially falls-related injuries, are an increasing public health concern. ⋯ With the aging of the U.S. population, unintentional injuries, and especially fall-related injuries, will present a growing challenge to our health care system as well as an increasing economic burden. To counteract this trend, we must implement effective public health strategies, such as increasing knowledge about fall risk factors and broadly disseminating evidence-based injury and fall prevention programs in both clinical and community settings.
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Child restraints (CRs) are vital for optimizing child passenger safety and reducing the risk of pediatric injury and fatality in motor vehicle crashes. However, most CRs are installed improperly. ⋯ The majority of CRs are installed improperly. We identified specific instances of CR misuse that are common in a large, urban community and present recommendations to improve child passenger safety practices and education.
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Visual-manual (VM) phone tasks (i.e., texting, dialing, reading) are associated with an increased crash/near-crash risk. This study investigated how the driving context influences drivers' decisions to engage in VM phone tasks in naturalistic driving. ⋯ Advanced driver assistance systems should facilitate and possibly boost drivers' self-regulating behavior. For instance, they might recognize when appropriate adaptive behavior is missing and advise or alert accordingly. The results from this study could also inspire training programs for novice drivers, or locally classify roads in terms of the risk associated with secondary task engagement while driving.