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INTRODUCTION: Vehicles play an important role in pedestrian injury risk in crashes. This study examined the association between vehicle front-end geometry and the risk of fatal pedestrian injuries in motor vehicle crashes. METHOD: A total of 17,897 police-reported crashes involving a single passenger vehicle and a single pedestrian in seven states were used in the analysis. Front-end profile parameters of vehicles (2,958 vehicle makes, series, and model years) involved in these crashes were measured from vehicle profile photos, including hood leading edge height, bumper lead angle, hood length, hood angle, and windshield angle. We defined a front-end-shape indicator based on the hood leading edge height and bumper lead angle. Logistic regression analysis evaluated the effects of these parameters on the risk that a pedestrian was fatally injured in a single-vehicle crash. RESULTS: Vehicles with tall and blunt, tall and sloped, and medium-height and blunt front ends were associated with significant increases of 43.6%, 45.4%, and 25.6% in pedestrian fatality risk, respectively, when compared with low and sloped front ends. There was a significant 25.1% increase in the risk if a hood was relatively flat as defined in this study. A relatively long hood and a relatively large windshield angle were associated with 5.9% and 10.7% increases in the risk, respectively, but the increases were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Vehicle front-end profiles that were significantly associated with increased pedestrian fatal injury risk were identified. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Automakers can make vehicles more pedestrian friendly by designing vehicle front ends that are lower and more sloped. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can consider evaluations that account for the growing hood heights and blunt front ends of the vehicle fleet in the New Car Assessment Program or regulation.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Peatones , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/mortalidad , Humanos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Automóviles/estadística & datos numéricos , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Modelos Logísticos , Adulto , MasculinoRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Pedestrians are a particularly vulnerable group of road users. Mobile phone usage while walking (MPUWW) is a significant contributor to pedestrians' involvement in road crashes and associated injuries. The current study aims to explore the effect of state mindfulness on daily MPUWW via phone dependence (at the within-person level), and the moderating role of risk perception (at the between-person level) in the phone dependence-MPUWW relationship. METHOD: We utilized a fine-grained method, the daily diary methodology (DDM) to explore the aforementioned model. A total of 88 Chinese college students participated in a consecutive 12-day study, yielding 632 daily data. Unconflated multilevel modeling was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: After trait mindfulness being controlled, state mindfulness has a negative impact on MPUWW via phone dependence at the daily level. Furthermore, risk perception as an individual difference variable moderates the relationship between phone dependence and MPUWW, in which a weaker effect observed in individuals with higher levels of risk perception. CONCLUSIONS: State mindfulness can decrease the frequency of daily MPUWW by reducing phone dependence, and risk perception is a crucial factor in mitigating the negative effects of phone dependence on MPUWW. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: To lower MPUWW and thereby minimize the risk of road crashes and associated injuries, it is beneficial to foster present-moment awareness of individuals, encourage individuals to use mobile phones in a balanced and sensible manner, and integrate the enhancement of risk perception into road safety education.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Uso del Teléfono Celular , Atención Plena , Caminata , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , China , Adulto Joven , Uso del Teléfono Celular/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/psicología , Adulto , Teléfono Celular/estadística & datos numéricos , Peatones/psicología , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Estudiantes/psicología , Estudiantes/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
Despite the gradual development of students' sedentary habits and associated health problems, only a few studies have extensively and systematically measured campus built environments (CBE) and their impact on street walking activity. This study explores the association between CBEs and pedestrian volume (PV). Comprehensive questionnaires, field audits, and GIS were used to measure the CBE variables and PV of 892 street segments on eight Chinese campuses in Tianjin. We used negative binomial regression models without spatial autocorrelations to investigate the relationship between the CBEs and PV. The findings indicated that campus Walk Score, facility and residential land ratio, campus design qualities, sidewalk conditions, street amenities, and other streetscape features were positively associated with PV. This study presents implications for campus research and planning practices in designing a pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, and healthy campus.
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Entorno Construido , Estudiantes , Caminata , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Universidades , China , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Planificación Ambiental , Adulto Joven , Peatones , AdultoRESUMEN
By identifying a unified aim of Federal, State, and Local government authorities to deliver healthier, more liveable urban spaces and enable walkable neighbourhoods in Melbourne, Australia, questions emerge regarding noise data collection methods and the policies that aim to protect pedestrian areas from potential increases in urban traffic noise. It highlights a missed opportunity to develop strategies that provide explicit guidance for designing more compact urban forms without diminishing pedestrian amenities. This study investigates the governance of traffic-induced noise pollution and its impact on pedestrian amenities in Melbourne, Australia. It aims to identify the government bodies best positioned to protect pedestrians from noise pollution and evaluate the strategic justification for reducing traffic noise to enhance urban walkability. This research employs a semi-systematic policy selection method and a hybrid critique and review method to evaluate the multidisciplinary governance frameworks engaged in the management and mitigation of traffic noise in Melbourne. Key findings reveal that while traffic noise poses significant health risks, current policies overlook its impact on pedestrian amenities in urban areas. This study emphasises the benefits of qualitative and subjective noise data collection to inform policy-makers of the pedestrian aural experience and impacts. Discussion points include noise management strategies and the value of implementing metropolitan-scale noise-mapping to illustrate the impact of noise rather than quantities of sound. The conclusions demonstrate that there is strategic justification for managing traffic-induced noise pollution to protect pedestrian areas within international, federal, and state government policies and implicit rationale at a local level.
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Peatones , Humanos , Victoria , Ruido del Transporte/prevención & control , Ruido del Transporte/efectos adversos , Caminata , Australia , CiudadesRESUMEN
SIGNIFICANCE: People with peripheral field loss report colliding with other pedestrians on their blind side(s). We show that, in dyadic collision scenarios between persons, one with field loss, such as homonymous hemianopia, and the other normally sighted pedestrian, collisions occur only if the persons with homonymous hemianopia are overtaking the pedestrians, and the collision risk is concentrated at farther bearing angles than previously suggested. PURPOSE: Prior work computed the risk of collision while simulating both pedestrians as points and did not consider the ability of the other pedestrian's normal vision to avoid the collision. We extended the model to better characterize the open space collision risk posed for persons with homonymous hemianopia by normally sighted pedestrians where both have volume. METHODS: We computed the risk of collision with approaching pedestrians using a model that simulates approaching pedestrians as volumetric entities without vision, volumetric entities with vision, and as points for comparison with the prior work. Collision risk of approaching pedestrians is characterized for all three conditions through spatial collision risk maps and collision risk densities as a function of bearing and radial distances. RESULTS: The collision risk for volumetric pedestrians is slightly different from that of point pedestrians. For volumetric pedestrians simulated with normal vision, the risk of collision was reduced substantially, as the other pedestrians could detect and avoid most impending collisions. The remaining collision risk is from pedestrians approaching at higher bearing angles (>50°) and from shorter radial distances (<2 m). Thus, collisions occurred when the pedestrians started in front of the person with homonymous hemianopia that was overtaking the pedestrian. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of collisions between pedestrians and the person with peripheral field loss is low and occurs only when the person with peripheral field loss is walking from behind the pedestrian at faster speed, thereby overtaking them. Such collisions occur with pedestrians at higher bearing angles, which should be monitored by assistive aids to avoid collisions. The same collision risk applies not only in homonymous hemianopia but also in other peripheral field loss such as monocular vision loss or concentric field loss, as common in retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Hemianopsia , Peatones , Campos Visuales , Humanos , Campos Visuales/fisiología , Hemianopsia/fisiopatología , Hemianopsia/etiología , Simulación por Computador , Caminata/fisiología , Medición de Riesgo/métodos , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Crashes are frequently disproportionally observed in disadvantaged areas. Despite the evident disparities in transportation safety, there has been limited exploration of quantitative approaches to incorporating equity considerations into road safety management. This study proposes a novel concept of equity-aware safety performance functions (SPFs), enabling a distinct treatment of equity-related variables such as race and income. Equity-aware SPFs introduce a fairness distance and integrate it into the log-likelihood function of the negative binomial regression as a form of partial lasso regularization. A parameter λ is used to control the importance of the regularization term. Equity-aware SPFs are developed for pedestrian-involved crashes at the census tract level in Virginia, USA, and then employed to compute the potential for safety improvement (PSI), a prevalent metric used in hotspot identification. Results show that equity-aware SPFs can diminish the effects of equity-related variables, including poverty ratio, black ratio, Asian ratio, and the ratio of households without vehicles, on the expected crash frequencies, generating higher PSIs for disadvantaged areas. Based on the results of Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, it is evident that there are significant differences in the rankings of PSIs when equity awareness is considered, especially for disadvantaged areas. This study adds to the literature a new quantitative approach to harmonize equity and effectiveness considerations, empowering more equitable decision-making in safety management, such as allocating resources for safety enhancement.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Peatones , Seguridad , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Virginia , Funciones de Verosimilitud , Poblaciones Vulnerables , Administración de la Seguridad , RentaRESUMEN
The advancement of intelligent road systems in developing countries poses unique challenges in identifying risk factors and implementing safety strategies. The variability of factors affecting crash injury severity leads to different risks across levels of roadway smartness, especially in hazardous terrains, complicating the adaptation of smart technologies. Therefore, this study investigates the temporal instability of factors affecting injury severities in crashes across various terrains, with a focus on the evolution of road smartness. Crash data from selected complex terrain regions in Shaanxi Province during smart road adaptation were used, and categorized into periods before, during, and after smart road implementations. A series of mixed logit models were employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity in mean and variance, and likelihood ratio tests were conducted to assess the spatio-temporal instability of model parameters across different topographic settings and smart processes. Moreover, a comparison between partially constrained and unconstrained temporal modeling approaches was made. The findings reveal significant differences in injury severity determinants across terrain conditions as roadway intelligence progressed. On the other hand, certain factors like pavement damage, truck and pedestrian involvement were identified that had relatively stable effects on crash injury severities. Out-of-sample predictions further emphasize the need for modeling across terrain and roadway development stages. These insights are crucial for developing tailored safety measures for smart road retrofitting in different terrain conditions, thereby supporting the transition towards smarter road systems in developing regions.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Planificación Ambiental , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Masculino , China/epidemiología , Adulto , Factores de Riesgo , Femenino , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Heridas y Lesiones/etiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Modelos Logísticos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto Joven , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Puntaje de Gravedad del Traumatismo , Índices de Gravedad del TraumaRESUMEN
Pedestrian fatalities comprise a quarter of all traffic deaths in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The use of safer modes of transport such as buses can reduce road trauma as well as air pollution and traffic congestion. Although travelling by bus is safer than most other modes, accessing bus stops can be risky for pedestrians. This paper systematically reviews factors contributing to the safety of pedestrians near bus stops in countries of differing income levels. The review included forty-one studies from high (20), upper-middle (13) and lower-middle income countries (8) during the last two decades. The earliest research was conducted in high-income countries (HICs), but research has spread in the last decade. The factors influencing pedestrian safety fell into three groups: (a) characteristics of road users, (b) characteristics of bus stops and (c) characteristics of the road traffic environment. Pedestrians near bus stops are frequently exposed to a high risk of collisions and fatalities due to factors such as unsafe pedestrian behaviours (e.g., hurrying to cross the road), lack of bus stop amenities such as safe footpaths, high traffic speeds and traffic volumes, multiple lanes, and roadside hazards (e.g., parked cars obscuring pedestrians). Road crash statistics are commonly used to identify unsafe bus stops in HICs but the unavailability and unreliability of data have prevented more widespread use in LMICs. Future research is recommended to focus on surrogate safety measures to identify hazardous bus stops for pedestrians.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Países en Desarrollo , Renta , Vehículos a Motor , Peatones , Seguridad , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/mortalidad , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Seguridad/estadística & datos numéricos , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Planificación Ambiental , Factores de Riesgo , Caminata/lesiones , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Países DesarrolladosRESUMEN
In the near future, pedestrians will face highly automated vehicles on the roads. Highly automated vehicles (HAVs) should have safety-enhancing communication tools to guarantee traffic safety, e.g., vehicle kinematics and external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs). Pedestrians, as highly vulnerable road users, depend on communication with HAVs. Miscommunication between pedestrians and HAVs could quickly result in accidents, and this, in turn, could cause severe impairments for pedestrians. Light-band eHMIs have the potential to enhance traffic safety. However, eHMIs have been less explored in Japan so far. As a first-time approach, this experimental online study shed light on the effect of a light-band eHMI on Japanese pedestrians (N=99). In short video sequences, the participants interacted with two differently sized HAVs equipped with light-band eHMI. We investigated the effect of vehicle size (small vs. large), eHMI status (no eHMI vs. static eHMI vs. dynamic eHMI), and vehicle kinematics (yielding vs. non-yielding) on pedestrians' willingness to cross, trust, and perceived safety. To investigate possible side effects of eHMIs, we also included experimental conditions in which the eHMI mismatched the vehicle's kinematics. Results revealed that Japanese were more willing to cross the street and indicated higher trust- and safety ratings when they received information about the vehicle's intention and automation status (dynamic eHMI) compared to when they received no information (no eHMI) or only about the vehicle automation status (static eHMI). Surprisingly, Japanese participants tended to rely on the eHMI when there was mismatching information between eHMI and vehicle kinematics. Overall, we concluded that light-band eHMIs could contribute to a safe future interaction between pedestrians and HAVs in Japan under the requirement that the eHMI is in accordance with vehicle kinematics.
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Automatización , Comunicación , Peatones , Seguridad , Confianza , Humanos , Peatones/psicología , Japón , Masculino , Adulto , Femenino , Adulto Joven , Persona de Mediana Edad , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Automóviles , Fenómenos Biomecánicos , Sistemas Hombre-Máquina , CaminataRESUMEN
As vulnerable road users, pedestrians and cyclists are facing a growing number of injuries and fatalities, which has raised increasing safety concerns globally. Based on the crash records collected in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in Australia from 2012 to 2021, this research firstly establishes an extended crash dataset by integrating road network features, land use features, and other features. With the extended dataset, we further explore pedestrian and cyclist crashes at macro- and micro-levels. At the macro-level, random parameters negative binomial (RPNB) model is applied to evaluate the effects of Suburbs and Localities Zones (SLZs) based variables on the frequency of pedestrian and cyclist crashes. At the micro-level, binary logit model is adopted to evaluate the effects of event-based variables on the severity of pedestrian and cyclist crashes. The research findings show that multiple factors are associated with high frequency of pedestrian total crashes and fatal/injury crashes, including high population density, high percentage of urban arterial road, low on-road cycleway density, high number of traffic signals and high number of schools. Meanwhile, many factors have positive relations with high frequency of cyclist total crashes and fatal/injury crashes, including high population density, high percentage of residents cycling to work, high median household income, high percentage of households with no motor vehicle, high percentage of urban arterial road and rural road, high number of bus stops and high number of schools. Additionally, it is found that more severe pedestrian crashes occur: (i) at non-signal intersections, (ii) in suburb areas, (iii) in early morning, and (iv) on weekdays. More severe cyclist crashes are observed when the crash type is overturned or struck object/pedestrian/animal; when more than one cyclist is involved; and when crash occurs at park/green space/nature reserve areas.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Ciclismo , Peatones , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Ciclismo/lesiones , Ciclismo/estadística & datos numéricos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Territorio de la Capital Australiana/epidemiología , Factores de Riesgo , Densidad de Población , Planificación Ambiental , Conjuntos de Datos como Asunto , Caminata/lesiones , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
Elderly pedestrians are involved in disproportionately more vehicle-pedestrian crashes than younger age groups. Training programs have been found to be effective in training children in pedestrian behaviours that improve their safety, however there is no consensus on whether older adults benefit from training. This systematic review aimed to identify whether training is effective for older adult pedestrians through analysis of training type, modalities, and the lasting effects of training. A systematic search of Medline, PsycINFO, and Scopus was conducted in March 2022 and updated in September 2023. Eight studies met the criteria all of which were high quality. Four distinct training types were found: physical (e.g., training physical strength or balance), behavioural (e.g., training specific pedestrian safety behaviours), cognitive (e.g., training reaction time and executive functioning), and educational (training knowledge about pedestrian safety behaviours). Physical training types were found to be most effective, followed by behavioural, cognitive, and educational respectively. Twelve pedestrian behaviours were measured across the eight studies. Reaction time was the most effectively trained outcome, followed by missed crossing opportunities. Errors of stimuli, median accepted time gap, initiation time and crossing were not effectively trained. The effects of training were maintained at follow-up for missed crossing opportunities only. There was preliminary evidence of potential efficacy of training for specific pedestrian safety behaviours, however, the long-term efficacy of training was not promising. Theory-driven research is needed to better understand why some behaviours are more trainable than others. More research is also needed to determine the real-world generalisability if training is to be recommended for older adult pedestrians.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Peatones , Seguridad , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Anciano , Tiempo de Reacción , CaminataRESUMEN
Street intersection crashes often involve two parties: either two vehicles hitting each other (i.e., a vehicle-vehicle crash) or a vehicle colliding with a pedestrian (i.e., a vehicle-pedestrian crash). In such crashes, the severity of injuries can vary considerably between the parties involved. It is necessary to understand the injuries of both parties simultaneously to identify the causality of a vehicle-pedestrian or two-vehicle crash. While the latent class ordinal model has been used in crash severity studies to capture heterogeneity in crash propensity, most of these studies are univariate, which is inappropriate for crashes involving two parties. This study proposes a latent class parameterized correlation bivariate generalized ordered probit (LCp-BGOP) model to examine 32,308 vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian crashes at intersections in Taipei City, Taiwan. The model parameterizes thresholds and within-crash correlations of crash severity involving two parties and classifies these crashes into two distinct risk groups: the "Ordinary Crash Severity" (OCS) group and the "High Crash Severity" (HCS) group. The OCS group is mainly two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles. The HCS group comprises vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, mainly in mixed traffic with heavy volumes. The results also show that the effects of party-specific factors contributing to injury severity are greater than those of generic factors. Our study provides invaluable insight into intersection crashes, helping to reduce the severity of injuries in vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian crashes.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Peatones , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Taiwán , Masculino , Adulto , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto Joven , Adolescente , Anciano , Modelos Estadísticos , Motocicletas , Análisis de Clases Latentes , Índices de Gravedad del Trauma , Niño , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Factores de Riesgo , Planificación AmbientalRESUMEN
The field of spatial analysis in traffic crash studies can often enhance predictive performance by addressing the inherent spatial dependence and heterogeneity in crash data. This research introduces the Geographical Support Vector Regression (GSVR) framework, which incorporates generated distance matrices, to assess spatial variations and evaluate the influence of a wide range of factors, including traffic, infrastructure, socio-demographic, travel demand, and land use, on the incidence of total and fatal-or-serious injury (FSI) crashes across Greater Melbourne's zones. Utilizing data from the Melbourne Activity-Based Model (MABM), the study examines 50 indicators related to peak hour traffic and various commuting modes, offering a detailed analysis of the multifaceted factors affecting road safety. The study shows that active transportation modes such as walking and cycling emerge as significant indicators, reflecting a disparity in safety that heightens the vulnerability of these road users. In contrast, car commuting, while a consistent factor in crash risks, has a comparatively lower impact, pointing to an inherent imbalance in the road environment. This could be interpreted as an unequal distribution of risk and safety measures among different types of road users, where the infrastructure and policies may not adequately address the needs and vulnerabilities of pedestrians and cyclists compared to those of car drivers. Public transportation generally offers safer travel, yet associated risks near train stations and tram stops in city center areas cannot be overlooked. Tram stops profoundly affect total crashes in these areas, while intersection counts more significantly impact FSI crashes in the broader metropolitan area. The study also uncovers the contrasting roles of land use mix in influencing FSI versus total crashes. The proposed framework presents an approach for dynamically extracting distance matrices of varying sizes tailored to the specific dataset, providing a fresh method to incorporate spatial impacts into the development of machine learning models. Additionally, the framework extends a feature selection technique to enhance machine learning models that typically lack comprehensive feature selection capabilities.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Ciclismo , Caminata , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Humanos , Ciclismo/estadística & datos numéricos , Ciclismo/lesiones , Caminata/lesiones , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Victoria/epidemiología , Máquina de Vectores de Soporte , Análisis de Sistemas , Conducción de Automóvil/estadística & datos numéricos , Transportes/estadística & datos numéricos , Análisis Espacial , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , SeguridadRESUMEN
The Pedestrian Collision Avoidance System (PCAS) of Intelligent Vehicle (IV) can be effective in preventing the occurrence of traffic accidents. However, the complicated operation environments introduce great challenges to the camera used by the PCAS. Therefore, the camera based PCAS should be fully tested and evaluated before deployment. The traditional simulation test for the camera based PCAS attempted to use geometric or physical simulation models, which have low reality and are suitable for the primary stage of the PCAS development. Camera-in-the-Loop (CIL) test is one of Hardware-in-the-Loop methods that embeds the real camera hardware into the virtual simulation system to test the camera. CIL can utilize the real hardware response while overcoming the common simulation weakness of fidelity. In this paper, we construct a CIL test platform, and propose the CIL based test scenarios generation and scenario parameter impact evaluation method for PCAS. First, we construct the CIL test platform whose image quality and functional confidence are both validated to prove CIL credibility. Second, the PCAS under the test is analyzed and the corresponding test scenario parameters are designed. In order to accelerate the test scenario generation, a Greedy Based Combination test method (GBC) based on the CIL is proposed. The Chi-square analysis and two-factor of variance analysis verification methods are used to analyze the influence of individual and multiple scenario parameters on the PCAS performance. The experiment results show that the GBC improves the test speed by 12 times compared to the traversal test, and the frequency ratio of each scenario parameter is no more than 3% different from that of the traversal test. Also, GBC has an equivalent ability to find the PCAS collision scenarios parameter combination to the traversal test.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Peatones , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Simulación por Computador , Automóviles , Fotograbar/instrumentaciónRESUMEN
In response to global challenges in resource supply, many industries are adopting the principles of the Circular Economy (CE) to improve their resource acquisition strategies. This paper introduces an innovative approach to address the environmental impact of waste Glass Fiber Reinforced-Polymer (GFRP) pipes and panels by repurposing them to manufacture structural components for new bicycle and pedestrian bridges. The study covers the entire process, including conceptualization, analysis, design, and testing of a deck system, with a focus on the manufacturing process for a 7-m-long prototype bridge. The study shows promising results in the concept of a sandwich structure utilizing discarded GFRP pipes and panels, which has the flexibility to account for variabilities in dimensions of incoming products while still meeting mechanical requirements. The LCA analysis shows that the transportation of materials is the governing contributing factor. It was concluded that further development of this concept should be accompanied by a business model that considers the importance of the contributions from the whole value chain.
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Polímeros , Polímeros/química , Reciclaje , Peatones , Transportes , Vidrio/químicaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) pose a significant public health burden, and more than half of these fatalities are attributed to vulnerable road users (VRUs). This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and outcomes of severe RTIs in Korea by focusing on different types of road users. METHODS: This is nationwide retrospective observational study. Using data from the Korean Nationwide Severe Trauma Registry, this study analyzed severe RTI cases from 2016 to 2020. The study included EMS-treated severe trauma patients, defining severe RTI as cases with an injury severity score (ISS) ≥16 or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The main variable of interest was the road user type, classified as motor vehicle occupants (MVOs), pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. Trends and injury characteristics by road user type were analyzed, and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of road user type for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of the 143,021 EMS-treated severe trauma cases, 24,464 were included in this study. Pedestrians represented the largest group (n = 8,782; 35.9 %). More than half of the patients died (n = 12,620, 51.6 %), and a high proportion of patients had OHCA (n = 10,048, 41.1 %). There was no significant change in the overall severe RTI numbers from 2016 to 2020, but a decrease in pedestrian cases and an increase in motorcyclist cases were noted (both p for trend<0.05). Low usage of safety devices was observed (28.2 % of motor vehicle occupants used seat belts, 35.9 % of motorcyclists used helmets, and 9.6 % of bicyclists used helmets). Head injuries were most common, particularly among bicyclists (77.0 %) and motorcyclists (69.8 %). Compared to motor vehicle occupants, pedestrians (AOR [95 % CI] 1.12 [1.04-1.20]) and others (AOR [95 % CI] 1.30 [1.02-1.65]) had higher odds of mortality, while motorcyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.64 [0.59-0.69]) and bicyclists (AOR [95 % CI] 0.68 [0.60-0.76]) had lower odds of mortality. CONCLUSION: We found varying trends and injury characteristics in severe RTIs according to road user type. Adapting prevention strategies for evolving road user patterns, with particular attention to increasing safety device usage and addressing the high mortality associated with severe RTIs are warranted.
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Accidentes de Tránsito , Puntaje de Gravedad del Traumatismo , Motocicletas , Sistema de Registros , Heridas y Lesiones , Humanos , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/mortalidad , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Femenino , República de Corea/epidemiología , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiología , Heridas y Lesiones/mortalidad , Mortalidad Hospitalaria/tendencias , Anciano , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Ciclismo/lesiones , Ciclismo/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto Joven , Adolescente , Vehículos a Motor/estadística & datos numéricos , Paro Cardíaco Extrahospitalario/epidemiología , Paro Cardíaco Extrahospitalario/mortalidad , Servicios Médicos de Urgencia/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Weather and season are determinants of physical activity. Therefore, it is important to ensure built environments are designed to mitigate negative impacts of weather and season on pedestrians to prevent these losses. This scoping review aims to identify built environment audits of pedestrian environments developed for use during a specific weather condition or season. Secondly, this review aims to investigate gaps in the inclusion of relevant weather mitigating built environment features in pedestrian environment audit tools. METHODS: Following a standard protocol, a systematic search was executed in CINAHL, Medline and Web of Science to identify built environment audit tools of pedestrian spaces. These databases were chosen since they are well-known to comprehensively cover health as well as multi-disciplinary research publications relevant to health. Studies were screened, and data were extracted from selected documents by two independent reviewers (e.g., psychometric properties and audit items included). Audit items were screened for the inclusion of weather mitigating built environment features, and the tool's capacity to measure temperature, precipitation, seasonal and sustainability impacts on pedestrians was calculated. RESULTS: The search returned 2823 documents. After screening and full text review, 27 articles were included. No tool was found that was developed specifically for use during a specific weather condition or season. Additionally, gaps in the inclusion of weather mitigating items were found for all review dimensions (thermal comfort, precipitation, seasonal, and sustainability items). Poorly covered items were: (1) thermal comfort related (arctic entry presence, materials, textures, and colours of buildings, roads, sidewalk and furniture, and green design features); (2) precipitation related (drain presence, ditch presence, hazards, and snow removal features); (3) seasonal features (amenities, pedestrian scale lighting, and winter destinations and aesthetics); and (4) sustainability features (electric vehicle charging stations, renewable energy, car share, and bike share facilities). CONCLUSIONS: Current built environment audit tools do not adequately include weather / season mitigating items. This is a limitation as it is important to investigate if the inclusion of these items in pedestrian spaces can promote physical activity during adverse weather conditions. Because climate change is causing increased extreme weather events, a need exists for the development of a new built environment audit tool that includes relevant weather mitigating features.
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Entorno Construido , Peatones , Tiempo (Meteorología) , Humanos , Estaciones del Año , Caminata/estadística & datos numéricos , Planificación AmbientalRESUMEN
SIGNIFICANCE: Performance-based outcome measures are crucial for clinical trials of field expansion devices. We implemented a test simulating a real-world mobility situation, focusing on detection of a colliding pedestrian among multiple noncolliding pedestrians, suitable for measuring the effects of homonymous hemianopia and assistive devices in clinical trials. PURPOSE: In preparation for deploying the test in a multisite clinical trial, we conducted a pilot study to gather preliminary data on blind-side collision detection performance with multiperiscopic peripheral prisms compared with Fresnel peripheral prisms. We tested the hypothesis that detection rates for colliding pedestrians approaching on a 40° bearing angle (close to the highest collision risk when walking) would be higher with 100Δ oblique multiperiscopic (≈42° expansion) than 65Δ oblique Fresnel peripheral prisms (≈32° expansion). METHODS: Six participants with homonymous hemianopia completed the test with and without each type of prism glasses, after using them in daily mobility for a minimum of 4 weeks. The test, presented as a video on a large screen, simulated walking through a busy shopping mall. Colliding pedestrians approached from the left or the right on a bearing angle of 20 or 40°. RESULTS: Overall, blind-side detection was only 23% without prisms but improved to 73% with prisms. For multiperiscopic prisms, blind-side detection was significantly higher with than without prisms at 40° (88 vs. 0%) and 20° (75 vs. 0%). For Fresnel peripheral prisms, blind-side detection rates were not significantly higher with than without prisms at 40° (38 vs. 0%) but were significantly higher with prisms at 20° (94 vs. 56%). At 40°, detection rates were significantly higher with multiperiscopic than Fresnel prisms (88 vs. 38%). CONCLUSIONS: The collision detection test is suitable for evaluating the effects of hemianopia and prism glasses on collision detection, confirming its readiness to serve as the primary outcome measure in the upcoming clinical trial.
Asunto(s)
Hemianopsia , Peatones , Humanos , Proyectos Piloto , Hemianopsia/diagnóstico , Hemianopsia/fisiopatología , Hemianopsia/etiología , Masculino , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Accidentes de Tránsito , Anteojos , Campos Visuales/fisiología , Anciano , Caminata/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Examining the relationship between streetscape features and road traffic accidents is pivotal for enhancing roadway safety. While previous studies have primarily focused on the influence of street design characteristics, sociodemographic features, and land use features on crash occurrence, the impact of streetscape features on pedestrian crashes has not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, while machine learning models demonstrate high accuracy in prediction and are increasingly utilized in traffic safety research, understanding the prediction results poses challenges. To address these gaps, this study extracts streetscape environment characteristics from street view images (SVIs) using a combination of semantic segmentation and object detection deep learning networks. These characteristics are then incorporated into the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm, along with a set of control variables, to model the occurrence of pedestrian crashes at intersections. Subsequently, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method is integrated with XGBoost to establish an interpretable framework for exploring the association between pedestrian crash occurrence and the surrounding streetscape built environment. The results are interpreted from global, local, and regional perspectives. The findings indicate that, from a global perspective, traffic volume and commercial land use are significant contributors to pedestrian-vehicle collisions at intersections, while road, person, and vehicle elements extracted from SVIs are associated with higher risks of pedestrian crash onset. At a local level, the XGBoost-SHAP framework enables quantification of features' local contributions for individual intersections, revealing spatial heterogeneity in factors influencing pedestrian crashes. From a regional perspective, similar intersections can be grouped to define geographical regions, facilitating the formulation of spatially responsive strategies for distinct regions to reduce traffic accidents. This approach can potentially enhance the quality and accuracy of local policy making. These findings underscore the underlying relationship between streetscape-level environmental characteristics and vehicle-pedestrian crashes. The integration of SVIs and deep learning techniques offers a visually descriptive portrayal of the streetscape environment at locations where traffic crashes occur at eye level. The proposed framework not only achieves excellent prediction performance but also enhances understanding of traffic crash occurrences, offering guidance for optimizing traffic accident prevention and treatment programs.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Tránsito , Entorno Construido , Planificación Ambiental , Aprendizaje Automático , Peatones , Accidentes de Tránsito/estadística & datos numéricos , Accidentes de Tránsito/prevención & control , Humanos , Peatones/estadística & datos numéricos , Algoritmos , Aprendizaje Profundo , SeguridadRESUMEN
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate gaze-scanning by pedestrians with homonymous hemianopia (HH) when walking on mid-block sidewalks. Methods: Pedestrians with right homonymous hemianopia (RHH), and left homonymous hemianopia (LHH) without and with left spatial neglect (LHSN) walked on city streets wearing a gaze-tracking system. Gaze points were obtained by combining head movement and eye-in-head movement. Mixed-effects regression models were used to compare horizontal gaze scan magnitudes and rates between the side of the hemi-field loss (BlindSide) and the seeing side (SeeingSide), among the three subject groups, and between mid-block walking and street crossing segments. Results: A total of 7021 gaze scans were obtained from 341 minutes of mid-block walking videos by 19 participants (6 with LHH, 7 with RHH, and 6 with LHSN). The average gaze magnitude and scanning rate in mid-block segments were significantly higher towards the BlindSide than the SeeingSide in LHH (magnitude larger by 1.9° (degrees), P = 0.006; scan rate higher by 4.2 scans/minute, P < 0.001) and RHH subjects (magnitude larger by 3.3°, P < 0.001; scan rate higher by 3.2 scans/minute, P = 0.002), but they were not significantly different in LHSN subjects. The scanning rate, in terms of scans/minute (mean, 95% confidence interval [CI]) was significantly lower in LHSN subjects (mean = 6.9, 95% CI = 5.6-8.7) than LHH (mean = 10.2, 95% CI = 8.0-13.1; P = 0.03) and RHH (mean = 11.1, 95% CI = 9.0-13.7; P = 0.007) subjects. Compared to street-crossings, the scan rate during the mid-block segments was lower by 3.5 scans/minute (P < 0.001) and the gaze magnitude was smaller by 3.8° (P < 0.001) over the 3 groups. Conclusions: Evidence of compensatory scanning suggests a proactive, top-down mechanism driving gaze in HH. The presence of spatial neglect (SN) appeared to negatively impact the top-down process.