Identifying the safety factors over traffic signs in state roads using a panel quantile regression approach

Effect of distance information and number of warning signs on driving safety of young adults near road work zones in China

The continuous growth of automobile ownership and road mileage in China has brought a lot of road maintenance work. The work zone shall be set for road maintenance work. Due to the road characteristics near the work zone, more accidents and a higher accident risk exist. Traffic signs are one of the essential means to ensure traffic safety. The location and number of road work signs (sign level) play a crucial role in driver safety near the work zone. The repeated road work signs can form a warning system to regulate driver behavior. This paper evaluates the effect of the number of warning signs with and without distance information on driver behavior (psychological load and physiological characteristics) near the work zone. The matter-element extension model is used for comprehensive evaluation. The study resulted in several findings. First, adding distance information improves the difficulty and time of visual recognition and enhances driver alertness. On the other hand, too many road signs are not conducive to maintaining driver alertness. Second, distance information on the work signs and the repeated setting of road warning signs add extra burden on the driver and increase driver fatigue. Third, driver's response to the repeated road work signs will gradually become stable; The speed transition under the warning signs Levels 2 and 3 are more stable than that under the warning sign Levels 1 and 4. Finally, the warning sign level shall not be more than 3. If the advanced warning area is short, it is recommended to select a warning sign Level 1. If the advanced warning area is relatively long, it is recommended to choose a warning sign Level 2. Finally, adding distance information will improve the overall effect of the warning scheme. These findings can provide a valuable reference for setting the road work signs near the work zone in practice in China.

Mapping global evidence on strategies and interventions in neurotrauma and road traffic collisions prevention: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Neurotrauma is an important global health problem. The largest cause of neurotrauma worldwide is road traffic collisions (RTCs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Neurotrauma and RTCs are preventable, and many preventative interventions have been implemented over the last decades, especially in high-income countries (HICs). However, it is uncertain if these strategies are applicable globally due to variations in environment, resources, population, culture and infrastructure. Given this issue, this scoping review aims to identify, quantify and describe the evidence on approaches in neurotrauma and RTCs prevention, and ascertain contextual factors that influence their implementation in LMICs and HICs.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted using five electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Global Health on EBSCO host, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), grey literature databases, government and non-government websites, as well as bibliographic and citation searching of selected articles. The extracted data were presented using figures, tables, and accompanying narrative summaries. The results of this review were reported using the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

RESULTS

A total of 411 publications met the inclusion criteria, including 349 primary studies and 62 reviews. More than 80% of the primary studies were from HICs and described all levels of neurotrauma prevention. Only 65 papers came from LMICs, which mostly described primary prevention, focussing on road safety. For the reviews, 41 papers (66.1%) reviewed primary, 18 tertiary (29.1%), and three secondary preventative approaches. Most of the primary papers in the reviews came from HICs (67.7%) with 5 reviews on only LMIC papers. Fifteen reviews (24.1%) included papers from both HICs and LMICs. Intervention settings ranged from nationwide to community-based but were not reported in 44 papers (10.8%), most of which were reviews. Contextual factors were described in 62 papers and varied depending on the interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a large quantity of global evidence on strategies and interventions for neurotrauma and RTCs prevention. However, fewer papers were from LMICs, especially on secondary and tertiary prevention. More primary research needs to be done in these countries to determine what strategies and interventions exist and the applicability of HIC interventions in LMICs.

Effect of Road Markings and Traffic Signs Presence on Young Driver Stress Level, Eye Movement and Behaviour in Night-Time Conditions: A Driving Simulator Study

The study investigates how the presence of traffic signalling elements (road markings and traffic signs) affects the behaviour of young drivers in night-time conditions. Statistics show that young drivers (≤30 years old) are often involved in road accidents, especially those that occur in night-time conditions. Among other factors, this is due to lack of experience, overestimation of their ability or the desire to prove themselves. A driving simulator scenario was developed for the purpose of the research and 32 young drivers took two runs using it: (a) one containing no road markings and traffic signs and (b) one containing road markings and traffic signs. In addition to the driving simulator, eye tracking glasses were used to track eye movement and an electrocardiograph was used to monitor the heart rate and to determine the level of stress during the runs. The results show statistically significant differences (dependent samples t-test) between the two runs concerning driving speed, lateral position of the vehicle, and visual scanning of the environment. The results prove that road markings and traffic signs provide the drivers with timely and relevant information related to the upcoming situation, thus enabling them to adjust their driving accordingly. The results are valuable to road authorities and provide an explicit confirmation of the importance of traffic signalling for the behaviour of young drivers in night-time conditions, and thus for the overall traffic safety.