Journal of Safety Research

INTRODUCTION: L3 automated vehicles can perform all dynamic driving tasks unless a take-over occurs due to operational limits. This issue is potentially important for young drivers who are vulnerable road users since they have skill deficits and easily evolve into aberrant driving. However, drivers lacking active involvement may be fatigued and drowsy. Previous research indicated that performing a voluntary non-driving-related task (NDRT) could keep drivers alert, but there was no difference in take-over performance with or without NDRT...

INTRODUCTION: Loss of attention leads to less steady driving within the lane and is one of the main causes of road accidents. To improve road safety, vehicle-based parameters such as steering wheel angle and lateral position are used to objectively assess driving performance, especially in monotonous driving tasks. METHOD: The present driving simulator study investigated the extent to which eight commonly used parameters are independent indicators of driving performance...

INTRODUCTION: Young children cannot effectively adapt their behaviors to vehicles at varied distances and speeds, which is a critical cause of road accidents. However, the impact of this crucial ability on children's street-crossing decision-making and the age at which they acquire it remain unclear. METHOD: This study examined the crossing decision-making behavior of children at 6, 8, and 11 years of age in facing 51 different videotaped traffic scenarios with varying vehicle distances and speeds...

INTRODUCTION: Despite evidence showing higher fatality rates in freight-related crashes, there has been limited exploration of their spatial distribution and factors associated with such distribution. This gap in the literature primarily stems from the focus of existing studies on micro-level factors predicting the frequency or severity of injuries in freight crashes. The present study delves into the factors contributing to freight crashes at the neighborhood level, particularly focusing on different types of freight crashes: collisions involving a freight vehicle and a passenger vehicle, crashes between freight vehicles, and freight vehicle-non-motorized crashes...

INTRODUCTION: The risk of motor vehicle-bicyclist crashes and fatalities is greater during nighttime than daytime lighting conditions, even though there are fewer cyclists on roadways at night. Vehicle Adaptive Headlamp Systems (AHS) aim to increase the visibility of bicyclists for drivers by directing a spotlight to illuminate bicyclists on or near the roadway. AHS technology also serves to alert bicyclists to the approaching vehicle by illuminating the road beneath the rider and by projecting a warning icon on the roadway...

INTRODUCTION: Virtual reality (VR) gains attention in construction safety training because it allows users to simulate real activities without the risks of real activities. However, a literary work comprehensively describing the effectiveness of VR in construction safety training and education (CSTE) is lacking. METHOD: This study provides a systematic review of the research related to VR applications for CSTE over the past decade using meta-analysis techniques...

PROBLEM: Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is believed to be among the most efficient vehicle safety interventions with reported effects around 50% for fatal single and rollover crashes. However, such estimates have used sample data, which have not controlled for the possibilities of self-selection, behavioral adaptation, increased access to the technology by less safe drivers, and the calculation of effects on very specific categories of crashes. Effects of ESC in the population can therefore be expected to be smaller than is currently believed...

INTRODUCTION: Electric bicycles, or e-bikes, have become very popular over the past decade. In order to reduce the risk of crashes, it is necessary to understand the contributing factors. While several researchers have examined these elements, few have considered the spatial heterogeneity between crashes and environmental variables, such as Points of Interest (POI). In addition, there is a scarcity of studies comparing the crash-related factors of e-bikes and motorcycles. Despite their differing speed and range capabilities, different POIs also tend to impact area/bandwidths differently because e-bikes cannot cover the same range that motorcycles can...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To increase water safety awareness among young males New Zealand introduced the Swim Reaper program in 2016. The program ran annually over summer and in 2018/19 an evaluation was conducted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the 2018/19 Swim Reaper social media-based campaign on self-reported water safety awareness and identify changes in fatal and nonfatal drowning rates for New Zealand resident males aged 15-34 years before and after the 2016 Swim Reaper program...

INTRODUCTION: Safety culture as a concept has been well-researched in the literature. There is less work, however, on how individuals entering the workforce acquire and partake in safety culture over time and how they might be primed to partake in the positive elements of safety culture. METHOD: We begin this exploration by surveying engineering students' attitudes toward safety and experiences with safety education at the Georgia Institute of Technology (n = 316)...

INTRODUCTION: Effective November 2016, the default speed limit in Seattle was lowered from 25 to 20 mph on nonarterial streets and from 30 to 25 mph on arterial streets, unless otherwise posted. In the downtown area, signs indicating the new speed limit were installed on arterials when the lower default limit took effect. Outside the downtown, new speed limit signs were installed on some arterials starting in 2018. The study evaluated effects of the speed limit reduction on crash severity in Seattle...

INTRODUCTION: This article addresses the impact of policy measures on the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in European Union countries. In particular, it assesses (1) whether mild or severe penalty measures should be used to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities caused by alcohol; and (2) whether alcoholic beverages should be treated differently or proportionally to their alcohol content. METHODS: This study analyzed the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in 24 European Union countries between 2002 and 2014...

INTRODUCTION: Work-related injuries are a common lagging safety indicator whereas safety climate assessments can help identify constructs serving as leading indicators. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) partnered with the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) Safety Center to examine the association between perceptions of safety climate survey constructs and the number of injury events within the DAF workforce. METHODS: The DAF administers voluntary, anonymous, occupation-specific safety climate surveys to DAF workers using the internal Air Force Combined Mishap Reduction System (AFCMRS)...

INTRODUCTION: The construction industry is high risk and unpredictable, requiring extensive safety preparation, practices, and effectiveness on worksites. While preventative measures are important and well documented, the industry, in general, lacks effective crisis management strategies when safety measures fail. The focus of this study was to evaluate dominant crisis communication and management best practices and adopt those methods into models that could be used following a construction worksite fatality...

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzes the relationship between measures of occupational accidents and workers' perception of risk in the workplace using nationally representative data on workers' characteristics and a complete record of occupational accidents. METHODS: Regression analyzes addressing both the ordinal nature of the dependent variable and causality were conducted to control for different sociodemographic factors influencing workers' perceptions of occupational risks...

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about regular users' perceptions of partial (Level 2) automation or how those perceptions affect behind-the-wheel behavior. METHOD: A mixed mode (phone and online) survey explored the habits, expectations, and attitudes among regular users of General Motors Super Cruise (n = 200), Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist (n = 202), and Tesla Autopilot (n = 202). RESULTS: All three groups reported being more likely to engage in non-driving-related activities while using their systems than while driving unassisted...

INTRODUCTION: Occupational health and safety (OHS) has become an integral part of human society, particularly considering the growing rates of injuries and deaths worldwide. Hence, numerous employers, governments, and stakeholders worldwide have established critical OHS measures to safeguard human health and occupational safety. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify and highlight risks and hazards, as well as to detect, monitor, minimize, and prevent workplace injuries and deaths...

INTRODUCTION: Speed is a primary contributing factor in teenage driver crashes. Yet, there are significant methodological challenges in measuring real-world speeding behavior. METHOD: This case study approach analyzed naturalistic driving data for six teenage drivers in a longitudinal study that spanned the learner and early independent driving stages of licensure in Maryland, United States. Trip duration, travel speed and length were recorded using global position system (GPS) data...

INTRODUCTION: Crossing streets represents a risky task for children where they have to assess both the probability and harm severity of being hit by a vehicle. To cross streets safely, children must perceive and interpret the traffic environment and scale their movements to the flow of traffic. Their ability to gather information about the surrounding environment through visual search strategies is essential in this process. This study aimed to explore children's street crossing behaviors and to identify successful risk-assessment strategies...

PROBLEM: Increasing the role of cycling is necessary to reduce physical inactivity. While promoting cycling, attention should also be given to traffic safety. Hence, a better understanding on the underlying factors and safety recommendations of cyclist crashes is needed. This study aims to increase knowledge on fatal single-bicycle crashes (SBCs), where other road users are not collided with. METHOD: Data from in-depth investigated fatal cyclist crashes in Finland is analyzed from 2010 to 2019...