Traffic injury prevention
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Motorcycles are a common mode of transportation in low- and middle-income countries. Tanzania, in particular, has experienced an increased use of motorcycles in the last decade. In Dar es Salaam, motorcycles provide door-to-door travel and often operate where more conventional services are uneconomical or physically impossible to maneuver. Although motorcycles play a crucial role in improving mobility in the city, they have several safety issues. This study focuses on identifying factors influencing the severity of motorcycle crashes. ⋯ Several countermeasures are recommended based on the study findings. The recommended countermeasures focus on the holistic safety improvement strategies constituting the three Es of highway safety, namely, engineering, education, and enforcement.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2019
Characteristics of bicycle crashes among children and the effect of bicycle helmets.
Objective: Focusing on children (0-17 years), this study aimed to investigate injury and accident characteristics for bicyclists and to evaluate the use and protective effect of bicycle helmets. Method: This nationwide Swedish study included children who had visited an emergency care center due to injuries from a bicycle crash. In order to investigate the causes of bicycle crashes, data from 2014 to 2016 were analyzed thoroughly (n = 7967). ⋯ Conclusions: This study indicated that bicycle helmets effectively reduce injuries to the head and face. The results thus point to the need for actions aimed at increasing helmet use, especially among teenagers. Protective measures are necessary to further reduce injuries, especially to the upper extremities.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2019
Evaluation of the effectiveness of traffic calming measures on vehicle speeds and pedestrian injury severity in Ghana.
Objectives: Each year, pedestrian injuries constitute over 40% of all road casualty deaths and up to 60% of all urban road casualty deaths in Ghana. This is as a result of the overwhelming dependence on walking as a mode of transport in an environment where there are high vehicular speeds and inadequate pedestrian facilities. The objectives of this research were to establish the (1) impact of traffic calming measures on vehicle speeds and (2) association between traffic calming measures and pedestrian injury severity in built-up areas in Ghana. ⋯ However, the fact that they are deployed on arterial roads is increasingly becoming a road safety concern. Given the emerging safety challenges associated with speed calming measures, we recommend that their use be restricted to residential streets but not on arterial roads. Long-term solutions for improving pedestrian safety proposed herein include bypassing settlements along the highways to reduce pedestrians' exposure to traffic collisions and adopting a modern way of enforcement such as evidence-based laser monitoring in conjunction with a punishment regime that utilizes the demerit points system.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2019
Relations between adolescent sensation seeking and traffic injury: Multiple-mediating effects of road safety attitudes, intentions and behaviors.
Objective: Road traffic injuries to youth are a serious global public health concern. One contributor to adolescent injury risk is the tendency to engage in sensation seeking behaviors. The current study examined how sensation seeking personality might directly influence adolescent traffic injury, as well as how it might indirectly influence traffic injury as mediated by road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. ⋯ Conclusions: There were direct effects of Disinhibition sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, and road user behaviors on adolescent traffic injury. Sensation seeking also indirectly affected adolescent traffic injury through multiple mediating roles of road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Implications for traffic injury prevention and training are discussed.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2019
Effects of personality traits and sociocognitive determinants on risky riding behaviors among Chinese e-bikers.
Objective: In the last few decades, the growing popularity of e-bikes in China has raised public concerns regarding an increasing number of fatalities and injuries involving e-bikes. Although previous studies have explored the impacts of personality on driving behaviors of automobile drivers and motorcyclists, little attention has been paid to safety-related issues involving e-bikers from the aspect of their personality traits and sociocognitive variables. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of personality on e-bikers' risk-taking behaviors and test the effectiveness of the model proposed by Ulleberg and Rundmo (2003) among e-bikers. ⋯ Conclusions: Personality traits of e-bikers impacted their riding behaviors both directly and indirectly, and sociocognitive variables played an intermediate role in the personality-behavior relationship. The results revealed the importance of personality traits in influencing e-bikers' risky riding and also verified the applicability of the personality-behavior model proposed by Ulleberg and Rundmo (2003) among e-bikers. The findings of this study may provide an empirical basis for evidence-based safety interventions for e-bikers in China.