The accurate evaluation of crash causal factors can provide fundamental information for effective transportation policy, vehicle design, and driver education. Naturalistic driving (ND) data collected ...with multiple onboard video cameras and sensors provide a unique opportunity to evaluate risk factors during the seconds leading up to a crash. This paper uses a National Academy of Sciences-sponsored ND dataset comprising 905 injurious and property damage crash events, the magnitude of which allows the first direct analysis (to our knowledge) of causal factors using crashes only. The results show that crash causation has shifted dramatically in recent years, with driver-related factors (i.e., error, impairment, fatigue, and distraction) present in almost 90% of crashes. The results also definitively show that distraction is detrimental to driver safety, with handheld electronic devices having high use rates and risk.
•Vibration increases drowsiness by affecting physiological and cognitive functions.•Interactions between vibration frequency, amplitude and duration cause drowsiness.•Low frequency (4–10 Hz) WBV can ...induce drowsiness within 30 min.•The intersection between WBV and other human factors deserves urgent attention.•Manufacturers should aim to minimise the vibrational factors that cause drowsiness.
Introduction: Whole-body vibration has direct impacts on driver vigilance by increasing physical and cognitive stress on the driver, which leads to drowsiness, fatigue and road traffic accidents. Although sleep deprivation, sleep apnoea and alcohol consumption can also lead to driver drowsiness, exposure to steady vibration is the factor most readily controlled by changes to vehicle design, yet it has received comparatively less attention. Methods: This review investigated interrelationships between the various components of whole-body vibration and the physiological and cognitive parameters that lead to driver drowsiness, as well as the effects of vibration parameters (frequency, amplitude, waveform and duration). Vibrations transmitted to the driver body from the vehicle floor and/or seat have been considered for this review, whereas hand-arm vibration, shocks, acute or transient vibration were excluded from consideration. Results: Drowsiness is affected by interactions between the frequency, amplitude, waveform and duration of the vibration. Under optimal conditions, whole-body vibration can induce significant drowsiness within 30 min. Low frequency whole-body vibrations, particularly vibrations of 4–10 Hz, are most effective at inducing drowsiness. This review notes some limitations of current studies and suggests directions for future research. Conclusions: This review demonstrated a strong causal link exists between whole-body vibration and driver drowsiness. Since driver drowsiness has been established to be a significant contributor to motor vehicle accidents, research is needed to identify ways to minimise the components of whole-body vibration that contribute to drowsiness, as well as devising more effective ways to counteract drowsiness. Practical Applications: By raising awareness of the vibrational factors that contribute to drowsiness, manufacturers will be prompted to design vehicles that reduce the influence of these factors.
To perform a spatial analysis of Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) and assess road safety issues from the perspective of road users.
Although many initiatives have been taken to reduce the occurrence and ...severity of RTCs, they continue to persist. Existing research often investigates the spatial occurrence of RTCs or the perception of road safety issues from the road user. In doing this, only a limited number of factors that contribute to RTCs can be revealed, whereas in most RTC occurrences a multitude of factors plays a role. A more integrated approach combining both knowledge areas can contribute to improving road safety.
RTCs that occurred from 2018 to 2020 in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, were spatially analyzed. This was performed using Network Kernel Density Estimation (NKDE) analysis. Two zones within the study area were selected to understand road users' perceptions of road safety through a survey. Furthermore, opinions toward possible recommendations for improving road safety were also collected through key informant interviews.
NKDE resulted in a hot-spot map of the road segments in the study area that showed the frequency of RTCs using different colors. The road segments were classified based on the number of RTCs from 2018 to 2020, ranging from zero to 17.9 RTCs per kilometer. This led to the selection of a hot and cold spot zone for further analysis. The road user perception survey resulted in the discovery of qualitative responses that can be used to improve road safety in future and the possible recommendations would be well received by them. The key-informant interviews acted as a backup to the opinions given by the road users and provided insights on what is being done in the study area to improve road safety.
The synthesis of findings unveiled why road users perceive some areas as dangerous and which road policies need to be revised to improve road safety in Rotterdam.
Background/Aims
The frequency and patterns of maxillofacial fractures vary by country, based on demographic, socioeconomic, cultural and environmental factors. Wearing a helmet is an efficient form ...of head protection for two‐wheeler drivers and is now required in the vast majority of countries. The aim of this study was to compare the patterns of maxillofacial trauma in patients who wore helmets and those who did not.
Materials and Methods
The data were gathered from clinical records of patients presenting with maxillofacial trauma between January 2019 and February 2022. The inclusion criteria were met by subjects involved in two‐wheeler accidents with comprehensive case records and radiological investigations.
Results
A total of 177 people presented following maxillofacial trauma. The mean age was 34.2 ± 12.7 years. There were 151 (85.3%) males and 26 (14.6%) females. One hundred and two patients had not been wearing a helmet, while 75 patients were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Mandible fractures were the most common injury in both groups, followed by zygomatic arch fractures (which were more common in non‐helmet users) and dentoalveolar fractures in helmet users.
Conclusion
There was a significant difference in the pattern and severity of maxillofacial trauma in helmet users and non‐helmet users.
Portugal has the sixth highest road fatality rate among European Union members. This is a problem of different dimensions with serious consequences in people’s lives. This study analyses daily data ...from police and government authorities on road traffic accidents that occurred between 2016 and 2019 in a district of Portugal. This paper looks for the determinants that contribute to the existence of victims in road traffic accidents, as well as the determinants for fatalities and/or serious injuries in accidents with victims. We use logistic regression models, and the results are compared to the machine-learning model results. For the severity model, where the response variable indicates whether only property damage or casualties resulted in the traffic accident, we used a large sample with a small imbalance. For the serious injuries model, where the response variable indicates whether or not there were victims with serious injuries and/or fatalities in the traffic accident with victims, we used a small sample with very imbalanced data. Empirical analysis supports the conclusion that, with a small sample of imbalanced data, machine-learning models generally do not perform better than statistical models; however, they perform similarly when the sample is large and has a small imbalance.
Traffic accidents, falls, and many other events may cause traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs), resulting in nerve cells and extracellular matrix loss in the spinal cord, along with blood loss, ...inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), and others. The continuous development of neural tissue engineering has attracted increasing attention on the application of fibrin hydrogels in repairing SCIs. Except for excellent biocompatibility, flexibility, and plasticity, fibrin, a component of extracellular matrix (ECM), can be equipped with cells, ECM protein, and various growth factors to promote damage repair. This review will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of fibrin hydrogels from different sources, as well as the various modifications for internal topographical guidance during the polymerization. From the perspective of further improvement of cell function before and after the delivery of stem cell, cytokine, and drug, this review will also evaluate the application of fibrin hydrogels as a carrier to the therapy of nerve repair and regeneration, to mirror the recent development tendency and challenge.
In the past decades, extremely serious road accidents with a death toll over ten in each have become a severe public health problem in China. This study investigates risk factors contributing to ...extremely serious road accidents, which will be crucial for accident prevention.
Collecting data from The Road Accident Statistical Annual Report openly issued by China's Traffic Management Bureau of the Public Security Ministry for the time period 2004-2015, we used the monthly case number of extreme serious road accidents as the dependent variable. We then selected ten risk factors as primary independent variables: professional driver, driving under influence (alcohol or drug), fatigue, vehicle type, overload, brake problem, weather, road classification, terrain, and region. The method of negative binominal regression was implemented to investigate the association between these risk factors and extremely serious road accidents.
A total of 346 extremely serious road accidents were included in our analysis. On a national scale, we found that professional driver incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.19, fatigue (IRR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.03-1.29), large vehicle type (IRR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21), overload (IRR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03-1.16), and terrain (IRR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.18) were significantly associated with extremely serious road accidents. Besides, separate analyses on western and non-western region indicated that both regions had shared risk factors as well as distinct factors.
Our study identifies professional driver, fatigue, large vehicle type, overload, and terrain as significant risk factors of extremely serious road accidents in China, and targeted and preventative measures could be taken based on our findings.
In order to enhance the safety of maritime transportation and improve the accuracy of maritime traffic accident prediction, an unbiased grey forecast model based on residual error is applied to ...predict maritime traffic accident. Based on the historical data of maritime traffic accidents from 2008 to 2017, the traditional unbiased grey model prediction and residual error unbiased grey model prediction are carried out, and the fitting curves of actual value and predicted value of the two models are drawn. The results show that the prediction accuracy and fitting curve of residual error unbiased grey model are better than those of traditional unbiased grey model, which can truly reflect the development trend of comprehensive safety of maritime traffic, and the prediction results have certain reliability and practicability.
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