Hybrid and electric low-noise cars cause an increase in traffic accidents involving vulnerable road users in urban areas

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Brand ◽  
Maximilian Petri ◽  
Philipp Haas ◽  
Christian Krettek ◽  
Carl Haasper
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

scholarly journals Vulnerable Road Users, Prioritization of Urban Sectors with High Accident Rates

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Omar Rueda Villar ◽  
Flor Cerquera Escobar ◽  
Gonzalo Pérez-Buitrago
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographic Information Systems ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Road Infrastructure ◽  
Road Users ◽  
History Of ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Accident Rates

Introduction: This article presents a review and analysis of studies that concern research made into “Road infrastructure design models to improve road safety for vulnerable users, prioritizing the high accident zones in Bogota D.C.” Objective: To understand the interrelationship between the vulnerable road users, natural surrounding factors and buildings, based on the determination of the most representative variables for the analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), applied to the prioritization of areas with high accident rates. Methodology: It is based on identifying, through review, the known and unknown updated and important results about accident investigations with regards to vulnerable road users. Results: The use of multivariable correlation – analysis of groupings that are treated with GIS – to identify the main factors associated with the seriousness of traffic accidents related to vulnerable road users, allows for the generation of road infrastructure designs that reduce the risk, based on areas of high frequency of occurrence. Conclusions: The multi-criteria analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), allow for the prioritization of areas with high accident rates not only through the evaluation of the quantity of accidents but also by the evaluation of their conditions, by which causal factors of greater influence are identified. Originality: Development of infrastructure plans that reduce the risk of vulnerable road users being struck by a vehicle. Limitations: The methodology is only applied to urban areas where there is a pre-existing history of accidents.

scholarly journals New Risk Situations Related to Low Noise from Electric Vehicles: Perception of Workers as Pedestrians and Other Vehicle Drivers

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6701
Author(s):  
María Carmen Pardo-Ferreira ◽  
Juan Antonio Torrecilla-García ◽  
Carlos de las Heras-Rosas ◽  
Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Hybrid Vehicles ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Electric Cars ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Low Speeds ◽  
Hybrid Electric

Sales of electric and hybrid electric vehicles are increasing steadily worldwide, and consequently their presence increases in city areas. At low speeds, the low levels of noise produced by these vehicles could become a new risk factor for road users. However, the magnitude of the risk has not been accurately determined. In addition, its inclusion in the work environment could pose a new risk that should be managed. Thus, in relation to low noise levels of electric and hybrid vehicles, this study aimed to characterise the risk situations and determine the risk perception of workers as pedestrians and internal combustion engine vehicle drivers coming into contact with these vehicles. The data were extracted from 417 questionnaires filled out by the employees of public service companies who come into contact with electric and hybrid vehicles during their working day in the city of Málaga, in the region of Andalusia, Spain. According to the experiences reported, it seems that the risk due to the low noise levels of electric vehicles is moderate and does not reach alarming levels. These risk situations usually occurred in low speed urban areas, particularly when crossing the road, or in semi-pedestrian areas. Almost half the respondents considered that the electric vehicle poses a risk to other road users because it is more difficult to hear, and they believe it likely that other road users could be injured. Despite that risk, pedestrians did not change their way of walking or moving around the parking areas and other areas of the company. Electric and hybrid electric cars are now required to produce sound when travelling at low speeds. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of this measure should be assessed once implemented and future research should explore alternative non-acoustic measures.

scholarly journals Determination the influence of road factors on the occurrence of traffic accidents with dead pedestrians on the territory of Belgrade by independent estimates

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Nenad Markovic ◽  
Dalibor Pešić ◽  
Mladen Kovač ◽  
Emir Smailović
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Independent Assessment

The world is paying more and more attention to the safety of vulnerable road users, and especially the safety of pedestrians. The reason for that is the large representation of vulnerable participants in the total number of victims in traffic accidents. Belgrade stood out as especially unsafe for pedestrians, because their endangerment is higher than the world average, but also higher than in the rest of Serbia. In order to increase the safety of pedestrians, appropriate management measures are applied, which are, as a rule, based on the recognized influencing factors of the occurrence of these accidents. For that reason, it is extremely important to define the real influencing factors in the right way. One of the best tools for recognizing the impact of road factors is the independent assessment of the impact of the road on accidents, which the road manager, according to the Law, is obliged to conduct in the event of a traffic accident with fatalities. The paper analyzes 59 traffic accidents with dead pedestrians, which occurred in the period from 15.05.2019. to 06/02/2021 years on the territory of the city of Belgrade and for which an independent assessment of the impact of the road was conducted. The results indicate that the road factor had an impact on the occurrence of more than half of the traffic accidents with dead pedestrians. Also, the results indicate the existence of a number of different influencing factors, which indicates the need for further implementation of these analyzes. The paper presents characteristic examples of the most commonly identified influencing factors.

scholarly journals Method for Pedestrian Crossing Risk Assessment and Safety Level Determination: the Case Study of Tallinn

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Pashkevich ◽  
Anna Krasilnikova ◽  
Dago Antov
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Safety Level ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Pedestrian Crossing ◽  
The City ◽  
Traffic Measurements

Pedestrians are a part of vulnerable road users which safety requires a special attention. Official statistics in Estonia from the last decade returns the following numbers: around 30 % of all road traffic accidents in the country were accidents with pedestrians, 32 % of all traffic fatalities were finished with pedestrian death. Pedestrian crossing has the biggest risk level between all kinds of pedestrian facilities, because it includes a direct conflict point between vehicle and pedestrian traffics. The article presents a method to assess risk of pedestrian crossing users and to determine safety level of this road infrastructure element. This approach is based on observation and collection of infrastructural as well as traffic data, which includes: (1) information about each pedestrian crossing facility, its location and state, (2) data about accidents with pedestrians and their features, (3) data from road traffic measurements. The main advantages of the described method are universality and comprehensiveness. The case study was done in Kristiine district of the city Tallinn, which was chosen as the most typical average district of Estonian capital. Results of this study are also presented in the article.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2016.4124

AN INTEGRATED METHOD OF IDENTIFYING AND RANKING DANGER SPOTS FOR PEDESTRIANS ON MICROLOCATION

Transport ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalibor Pešić ◽  
Milan Vujanić ◽  
Krsto Lipovac ◽  
Boris Antić
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Pedestrian Safety ◽  
Integrated Method ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Safety Improvement ◽  
Degree Of Exactness ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users

In traffic safety, various methods, procedures and techniques are adapted for traffic safety needs. Diverse methods lead to a different degree of exactness, accuracy and precision. The selection of research methods depends primarily on the research objective. Research methods most frequently applied for traffic safety include a statistical method, experiment, observation, tests, a questionnaire and interview, a comparison and analogy, etc. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages; however, a well devised combination of several methods and the reliability of research results can be increased. The problem of danger for pedestrians, as vulnerable road users, is constantly expressed and present in all regions. Therefore, special attention should be paid to pedestrian safety. To determine danger spots for pedestrians, the analyses of traffic accidents are most frequently used, which is the so called reactive approach to traffic safety improvement. Apart from the reactive approach, for the purpose of preventing traffic accidents in the future, it is necessary to combine some of the methods that can proactively indicate potential danger spots for pedestrians. This paper shows the method of identifying and ranking danger spots for pedestrians on micro locations, which incorporates the analysis of traffic accidents, the examination of the subjective attitudes of participants in traffic and the use of a conflict technique. Along with the so called ‘overlapping’ danger spots detected in the analysis of traffic accidents, danger spots detected based on the analysis of the subjective attitudes of pedestrians and drivers and danger spots detected in the conflict technique, a map of the so called objective and subjective danger spots is obtained. By eliminating all such identified danger spots, black spots as well as potential traffic accidents are removed. The method presented in this paper can be a very useful tool for decision-makers, for improving pedestrian safety on a micro location and for allocating funds.

scholarly journals Employing beam-forming for estimating the direction of arrival in a multi-path propagation environment

2005 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 151-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bresch ◽  
J. Shi ◽  
R. Kokozinski
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Direction Of Arrival ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Beam Forming ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Ism Band ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Mobile Receiver

Abstract. Due to recent researches on traffic accidents with vulnerable road users (VRUs), several measures revealed a great opportunity of reduction. However, all measures applied so far failed to reduce the number of traffic accidents if there is no line-of-sight. Therefore, a transponder signal is utilized to make the VRU visible. The motor vehicle carries a mobile receiver for VRU detection and location. The receiver employs digital beam-forming for estimating the direction of arrival (DOA) with an antenna array for RF ISM band. A sequence of DOA estimations is used for location and motion estimation purposes.

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