Abstract

Two smartphone applications were developed with the aim of harvesting insights of vulnerable road user accidents. The apps require a backend database with software tools for generating and managing questionnaires, etc. Such a system was developed using a MySQL database where a user-friendly platform has been developed in CakePHP. The backend system has been successfully developed and been used to handle more than 11,000 participants. The original idea was to monitor VRU via apps to detect when they may have been involved in an accident as pedestrian or cyclist based on the motion patterns from the smartphone’s motion sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope) and collect as much information as possible regarding the accident automatically (e.g. time and location of the accident). If an accident was detected, the road user should receive a questionnaire to provide detailed information of the accident (e.g. road surface conditions, lighting conditions, other road users involved). This app was used by more than 400 participants resulting in a large amount of data.

Abstract

Este trabalho trata da questão da segurança viária na cidade de São José do Rio Preto. É feito um diagnóstico da situação atual, à luz da composição e estrutura dos órgãos locais envolvidos, direta ou indiretamente, com o problema; do tratamento dado à segurança viária nas áreas de engenharia, educação e esforço legal; das informações obtidas em pesquisas de campo sobre o tráfego de veículos; e dos dados de acidentes de trânsito obtidos em levantamento efetuados. Também é proposto um plano de ações para o aumento da segurança viária na cidade, contemplando medidas diversas envolvendo os seguintes aspectos: maior segurança na circulação de pedestres, redução da velocidade de circulação dos veículos, melhoria da sinalização de trânsito, promoção de campanhas educativas contínuas, implementação de políticas educativas específicas para motociclistas, aperfeiçoamento da fiscalização, criação de um departamento específico para cuidar da segurança no trânsito dentro da Secretaria de Trânsito e Transportes, informatização dos dados e processamento das informações relativas aos acidentes de trânsito, avaliação do risco de acidentes utilizando auditoria de campo e técnica de conflitos de tráfego, implementação de ações efetivas nos campos de engenharia e esforço legal para reduzir os acidentes, melhoria do transporte público, etc. This work deals with the subject of traffic safety in the city of São José do Rio Preto. A diagnosis of the current situation, using the composition and structures of the local organs, direct or indirectly involved with the problem; of the treatment given to the traffic safety in the areas of engineering, education and legal effort; from the information obtained in field researches on the traffic of vehicles; and from the data of traffic accidents obtained is done in this work. A plan of actions is also proposed for the increase of the traffic safety in the city, considering several measures involving the following aspects : larger safety in the pedestrians\\'circulation, reduction of the speed of circulation of the vehicles, improvement of the traffic signs, promotion of continuous educational campaigns, implementation of specific educational politics for motorcyclists, improvement of the police actions, creation of a specific department of traffic safety in the Traffic and Transports Secretary, utilization of computer for processing the traffic accidents information, evaluation of accidents risk using field audit and traffic conflicts techniques, implementation of effective actions in the fields of engineering and legal effort to reduce the accidents, improvement public transportation, etc.

Abstract

The goal of the study was to investigate if the drivers behave in the same way when they are driving a motorcycle or a car. For this purpose, the Motorcycle Rider Behaviour Questionnaire and Driver Behaviour Questionnaire were conducted among the same drivers population. Items of questionnaires were used to develop a structural equation model with two factors, one for the motorcyclist's behaviour, and the other for the car driver's behaviour. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were also applied in this study. Results revealed a certain difference in driving behaviour. The principal reason lies probably in mental consciousness that the risk-taking driving of a motorbike can result in much more catastrophic consequences than when driving a car. The drivers also pointed out this kind of thinking and the developed model has statistically confirmed the behavioural differences. The implications of these findings are also argued in relation to the validation of the appropriateness of the existing traffic regulations. Glavni namen raziskave je preučevanje morebitnih vedenjskih razlik motoristov pri vožnji z motornim kolesom ali avtomobilom. V ta namen je izvedena anketa v obliki dveh vprašalnikov med isto populacijo motoristov. Prvi vprašalnik zrcali motoristične vedenjske, drugi pa avtomobilistične vedenjske vzorce. Na osnovi zbranih podatkov ankete je razvit model strukturnih enačb z dvema faktorjema, eden se nanaša na vedenjske lastnosti vožnje z motorjem, drugi pa na vedenjske lastnosti vožnje z avtom. V procesu razvoja modela sta uporabljeni tudi eksploratorna in potrditvena faktorska analiza. Rezultati kažejo, da dejansko obstajajo določene razlike v voznem obnašanju. Glavni razlog za to je verjetno v mentalnem zavedanju motoristov, da rizična vožnja z motorjem lahko vodi do mnogo hujših posledic v primerjavi z vožnjo z avtom. Motoristi namreč posebej izpostavijo tovrstno dojemanje razlik pri vožnji z motorjem ali avtom, kar naš model tudi statistično potrdi. Implikacije teh ugotovitev so soočene z morebitno neustreznostjo obstoječe prometne zakonodaje.

Abstract

Traffic accidents that occur on freeways often end tragically because of high driving speed. Wrong-way driving is also one of the causes of accidents on freeways. Research is based on the analysis of traffic accident data caused by wrong-way driving on freeways and considering valid technical specifications for connections and junctions design elements. Research is based on the analysis of the data of traffic accidents that occurred because of wrong-way driving on freeways and on the consideration of valid technical specifications concerning connections and junction design elements. The thesis presents possible countermeasures for prevention of wrong-way driving and consequential decrease in the number of traffic accidents. The proposed prevention countermeasures of wrong-way driving on freeways could greatly reduce incorrect traffic vehicle movements that are the consequence of wrong-way driving and thus positively enhance the traffic safety level on freeways. Prometne nesreče na avtocestah so zaradi velike hitrosti vožnje velikokrat tragične. Eden od vzrokov nastanka prometnih nesreč na avtocesti je tudi nepravilna smer vožnje. Raziskovalno delo je zasnovano na analizi podatkov o prometnih nesrečah zaradi nepravilne smeri vožnje na avtocestah, ter na osnovipoznavanja posameznih projektnih elementov vozlišč in priključkov. Predlagani ukrepi za preprečevanje nepravilne smeri vožnje na avtocestah lahko v veliki meri zmanjšajo število nepravilnih prometnih manevrov, ki imajo za posledico nepravilno smer vožnje in s tem pozitivno vplivajo na raven prometne varnosti na avtocestah.

Abstract

The following paper aims to illustrate certain investigative activities in the forensic analysis and examination of the scene of traffic accidents. When a traffic accident occurs, the scene must be secured as soon as possible to enable professional and proper forensic investigation. Failure to secure the accident scene might result in losing or contaminating the traces, which makes it more difficult to prove or explain trace evidence in further procedure or even makes such evidence inadmissible. The topic is discussed from the viewpoint of crime scene examination, since analysing and investigating traffic accidents requires a great deal of expertise and attention of the investigators. Complex traffic accidents include feigned accidents, hit-and-run accidents as well as accidents in which the driver and passengers, dead or alive, need to be identified. In identifying the passengers, standard criminal investigation methods as well as police forensic and forensic medicine methods are followed. Such methods include confirming the identities with identity documents, other documents and vehicle ownership, fingerprints, biological traces, fibre traces, contact traces, traces of physical injuries on the driver and passengers, etc. According to the results obtained in fingerprint detection on human skin surfaces, this method can also be applied in confirming physical contact between the driver and the passengers in the accident, e.g. in the event of moving the victims and changing the scene of the accident. Namen prispevka je pojasniti določena preiskovalna dejanja pri analizi t.j. pri kriminalistično tehničnem oz. forenzičnem ogledu kraja prometne nesreče. V primeru prometne nesreče je treba za strokovno in pravilno forenzično preiskovanje čim hitreje zavarovati kraj. Če se kraj dejanja ne zavaruje, se sledi izgube ali kontaminirajo, kar vodi do težjega dokazovanja ali pojasnjevanja dokazov v postopku ali celo do njihove popolne nezmožnosti. Vidik obravnavanja je usmerjen v izhodišča ogledne dejavnosti, saj analiza prometnih nesreč v cestnem prometu in preiskovanje zahtevajo od preiskovalcev veliko znanja in pozornosti. Zelo zahtevni so primeri fingiranih prometnih nesreč, prometnih nesreč ko vozniki ali udeleženci zapustijo kraj dogodka ter nesreče, kjer je treba ugotoviti identiteto voznika in udeležencev, živih ali mrtvih. Ugotavljanje istovetnosti udeležencev poteka po ustaljenih kriminalističnih oz. forenzičnih ter sodnomedicinskih metodah. Mednje se prišteva tudi potrditev identitete po osebnih dokumentih, dokumentih in lastništvu vozil, prstnih sledeh, bioloških sledeh, sledeh vlaken in kontaktnih sledeh, sledeh telesnih poškodb voznika in udeležencev ip. Rezultati preiskave detektiranja prstnih sledi na površini človeške kože so pokazali, da je tudi tovrstno metodo možno uporabiti pri potrditvi fizičnega kontakta voznika z udeleženci v prometni nesreči, npr. pri premikanju žrtev in fingiranju kraja dejanja.

Abstract

Non-motorized transportation modes, especially cycling and walking, offer numerous benefits, including improvements in the livability of cities, healthy physical activity, efficient urban transportation systems, less traffic congestion, less noise pollution, clean air, less impact on climate change and decreases in the incidence of diseases related to vehicular emissions. Considering the substantial number of short-distance trips, the time consumed in traffic jams, the higher costs for parking vehicles and restrictions in central business districts, many commuters have found that non-motorized modes of transportation serve as viable and economical transport alternatives. Thus, local governments should encourage and stimulate non-motorized modes of transportation. In return, governments must provide safe conditions for these forms of transportation, and motorized vehicle users must respect and coexist with pedestrians and cyclists, which are the most vulnerable users of the transportation system. Although current trends in sustainable transport aim to encourage and stimulate non-motorized modes of transportation that are socially more efficient than motorized transportation, few to no safety policies have been implemented regarding vulnerable road users (VRU), mainly in large urban centers. Due to the spatial nature of the data used in transport-related studies, geospatial technologies provide a powerful analytical method for studying VRU safety frameworks through the use of spatial analysis. In this article, spatial analysis is used to determine the locations of regions that are characterized by a concentration of traffic accidents (black zones) involving VRU (injuries and casualties) in Sao Paulo, Brazil (developing country), and Rome, Italy (developed country). The black zones are investigated to obtain spatial patterns that can cause multiple accidents. A method based on kernel density estimation (KDE) is used to compare the two cities and show economic, social, cultural, demographic and geographic differences and/or similarities and how these factors are linked to the locations of VRU traffic accidents. Multivariate regression analyses (ordinary least squares (OLS) models and spatial regression models) are performed to investigate spatial correlations, to understand the dynamics of VRU road accidents in Sao Paulo and Rome and to detect factors (variables) that contribute to the occurrences of these events, such as the presence of trip generator hubs (TGH), the number of generated urban trips and demographic data. The adopted methodology presents satisfactory results for identifying and delimiting black spots and establishing a link between VRU traffic accident rates and TGH (hospitals, universities and retail shopping centers) and demographic and transport-related data. Document type: Article

Abstract

Road crash deaths and injuries in Nepal have been on a sharp upward trajectory since the early 2000s. In fi scal year 2017–18, 2,541 road deaths were offi cially reported in Nepal, which is equivalent to a fatality rate of 8.59 per 100,000 population. In the same period, 4,144 serious injury and several minor injury victims were also offi cially reported. However, according to World Health Organization data the estimated fatality rate in 2016 was 15.9 per 100,000 population, which is nearly double the offi cial estimate. In 2016, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists) accounted for around 72 percent of all road fatality victims, among the highest levels in the region, with pedestrians accounting for half of these. Road deaths have a disproportionate impact on the young, working age population. About 40 percent of people killed on Nepal’s roads in 2017 –18 were less than 26 years old. In 2016, transport injuries were the second leading cause of death among men aged 15–49-years.