Assessment and Mitigation Measures for Graffiti on Highway Structures

1998 ◽  
Vol 1642 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald W. Eck ◽  
David R. Martinelli
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Pressure Water ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Transportation Agencies

Highway structures are public works facilities that are inherently accessible, to a certain degree, to the general public at all hours of the day and every day of the year. As a result, some highway structures are susceptible to graffiti. Graffiti on highway structures is a significant problem throughout the United States. Not only is graffiti an eyesore to the traveling public, it presents a hazard to the perpetrator and a liability exposure for transportation agencies because highway structures span high elevations and are in close proximity to motor vehicle traffic. The most common methods for combating graffiti include washing the surface of the structure with high-pressure water sprays, repainting the surface, and sandblasting. Although each of these methods can, in most cases, effectively remove the graffiti, the solution is often temporary; more graffiti is likely to appear in the future at the same site. Further, these measures can be quite costly, especially if they have to be repeated on numerous occasions to remove recurring graffiti. Results of a comprehensive survey of transportation agencies are presented and analyzed. The survey was designed to assess the nature and extent of the graffiti problem as well as to identify some solutions to the problem and identify various preventive as well as removal techniques. The study focuses on current graffiti prevention and removal policies and various other graffiti-removal techniques that are undertaken by different state departments of transportation to mitigate graffiti problems in their states.

A Note on Assessment of Transportation Infrastructure Data Management Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-150
Author(s):  
Isaac C. Oti ◽  
Nasir G. Gharaibeh
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Transportation Infrastructure ◽  
Data Stewardship ◽  
Modeling Data ◽  
Diverse Data ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Transportation Agencies

The amount of data being maintained by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and local transportation agencies is increasing steadily. Although data provide opportunities to facilitate decision making at transportation agencies, there are challenges involved in managing large and diverse data. This article provides an assessment of the maturity of three data management practice (stewardship, storage and warehousing, and integration) for 16 transportation data groups based on a survey of 43 DOTs in the United States. The assessment results show that data management practices at the monitoring and operations phases of transportation infrastructure life cycle are likely more mature than those at other phases. Inventory data, in particular, has the most mature data management practices. On the other end, real estate data and travel modeling data have the least mature data management practices. A comparison of the practices indicates that data stewardship is more mature than data integration and storage and warehousing practices.

Cable Median Barrier Effect on Commercial Vehicle Crossover Crashes

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110078
Author(s):  
Nikiforos Stamatiadis ◽  
Shraddha Sagar ◽  
Samantha Wright ◽  
Eric Green ◽  
Reginald Souleyrette
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Commercial Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
Safety Performance Functions ◽  
Crash Modification Factors ◽  
Cable Median Barriers ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Limited Scope

In the United States (U.S.) the annual number of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes has been on an upward trajectory since 2009. In 2016, CMV crashes accounted for 11.8% of all fatal crashes in the U.S., and in Kentucky, between 2009 and 2016, the number of CMV crashes rose 27%. Of particular concern to state departments of transportation have been crossover crashes involving CMVs. These occur when a vehicle leaves its intended path and veers into the path of oncoming traffic, typically resulting in head-on or sideswipe opposite direction collisions. While some researchers have found that installing cable median barriers can mitigate crossover crashes involving CMVs, no definitive conclusions have been reached. To move toward a resolution of this question, this study leveraged analysis by a panel of experts and the development of safety performance functions and crash modification factors to gauge how cable median barriers can influence the number and severity of crossover CMV crashes on Kentucky interstate routes. Expert panelists contended that cable median barriers will improve safety, a conclusion substantiated by statistical modeling. Despite the study’s limited scope, it appears that installing cable median barriers can prevent or mitigate CMV crashes.

scholarly journals Personal Watercraft Incident Court Decisions: The Plaintiff’s Odds?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5096
Author(s):  
Eui-Yul Choi ◽  
Woo Jeong Cho
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Court Decisions ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Personal Watercraft ◽  
Successful Adults ◽  
Significant Factors

A personal watercraft (PWC) is a vessel that uses an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as a source of power and is operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling. Maneuvering a PWC is different from operating a motor vehicle or boat. An obstacle cannot be avoided by slowing down and turning the watercraft; throttle power is required to turn or maneuver the PWC. The watercraft stops only by drifting or turning sharply. The study examined sixty court decisions published in LexisNexis databases of the United States over the last decade. Cases included individuals injured while operating a PWC as a driver, passenger, or as a result of contact with a watercraft. A content analysis identified items to be used in the study. Crosstab and logistic regression analyses were used to identify demographic information and the characteristics of those who succeeded in a court of law. One-third of the cases were successful; adults, males, and the party who sustained a severe injury were more successful in a court of law with the exception of the statistically significant factors (high risk maneuvers and sharp turns). Among the additional results, we should be aware that insurance companies may not pay; additionally, it is unwise to loan a PWC to a female who has no experience.

scholarly journals Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabh2939
Author(s):  
Justin Lessler ◽  
M. Kate Grabowski ◽  
Kyra H. Grantz ◽  
Elena Badillo-Goicoechea ◽  
C. Jessica E. Metcalf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Office Work ◽  
School Based ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities ◽  
Low Levels

In-person schooling has proved contentious and difficult to study throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data from a massive online survey in the United States indicates an increased risk of COVID-19-related outcomes among respondents living with a child attending school in-person. School-based mitigation measures are associated with significant reductions in risk, particularly daily symptoms screens, teacher masking, and closure of extra-curricular activities. A positive association between in-person schooling and COVID-19 outcomes persists at low levels of mitigation, but when seven or more mitigation measures are reported, a significant relationship is no longer observed. Among teachers, working outside the home was associated with an increase in COVID-19-related outcomes, but this association is similar to other occupations (e.g., healthcare, office work). While in-person schooling is associated with household COVID-19 risk, this risk can likely be controlled with properly implemented school-based mitigation measures.

Finite Element Based Injury Metrics for Pulmonary Contusion From Vehicle to Vehicle Crash Simulations

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry A. Danelson ◽  
Joel D. Stitzel
Keyword(s):  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pulmonary Contusion ◽  
Volumetric Measurement ◽  
Abbreviated Injury Scale ◽  
Sampling System ◽  
Vehicle To Vehicle ◽  
Injured Lung

Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVCs) are a public health problem in the United States. In 2009, 33,808 Americans were killed in a MVC and 2.22 million more were injured.4 Pulmonary contusion (PC) is a common injury following MVC with over 38% of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 3+ thoracic injuries identified as some form of PC in a recent National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) study.5 Miller et al. correlated the percent injured lung to the possibility of developing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The results indicated that if 20% of the lung was injured, the incidence of ARDS sharply increased with seventy-eight percent of those patients developing ARDS.2 The significance of these findings is that the volumetric measurement of PC can predict possible clinical outcomes.

Driving and Public Health

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Cell Phone ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Distracted Driving ◽  
The Past

Distracted driving is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity, typically one that involves the use of a mobile phone or other electronic device.” However, other distractions not involving the use of a cell phone or texting are important as well, contributing to this burgeoning public health problem in the United States. Examples include talking to other passengers, adjusting the radio or other controls in the car, and daydreaming. Distracted driving has been linked to increased risk of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in the United States, representing one of the most preventable leading causes of death for youth ages 16 to 24 years. Undoubtedly, the proliferation of cell phone, global positioning system (GPS), and other in-vehicle and personal electronic device use while driving has led to this rise in distracted driving prevalence. This behavior has impacted society—including individual and commercial drivers, passengers, pedestrians—in countless numbers of ways, ranging from increased MVCs and deaths to the enactment of new driving laws. In 2016, for example, 20 percent of all US pediatric deaths (nearly 4,000 children and adolescents) were due to fatal MVCs. It has been estimated that at any given time, more than 650,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving. In the United States, efforts are underway to reduce this driving behavior. In the past two decades, state and federal laws have specifically targeted cell phone use and texting while driving as priority areas for legal intervention. Distracted driving laws have become “strategies of choice” for tackling this public health problem, though their enforcement has emerged as a major challenge and varies by jurisdiction and location. Multimodal interventions using models such as the “three Es” framework—Enactment of a law, Education of the public about the law and safety practices, and Enforcement of the law—have become accepted practice or viewed as necessary steps to successfully change this behavior caused by distractions while driving. This Oxford Bibliographies review introduces these and other aspects (including psychological influences and road conditions) of distracted driving through a presentation of annotated resources from peer- and non-peer-reviewed literature. This selective review aims to provide policymakers, program implementers, and researchers with a reliable source of information on the past and current state of American laws, policies, and priorities for distracted driving.

CHILDHOOD BURN INJURIES AND DEATHS

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1069-1071
Author(s):  
William Berman ◽  
Armond S. Goldman ◽  
Thomas Reichelderfer ◽  
Howard C. Mofenson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Burn Injuries ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Accidental Death

Accidents kill more people in the United States between 1 and 34 years of age than any single disease. Burns are the second leading cause of nonvehicular "accidental" death. Thirty percent of the 7,800 Americans who die from burns each year are under 15 years of age. In the 1- to 4- year-old age group, burns are the leading cause of accidental death in the home environment and second only to vehicular injuries overall; in the 5- to 14-year-old age group, burn deaths place third, behind motor vehicle and drowning fatalities.1 Each year approximately 2 million people in the United States seek medical attention for burn injuries.

scholarly journals Certified Occupational Health Nursing

AAOHN Journal ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 581-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Burgel ◽  
Emily M. Wallace ◽  
Sharon Donnelly Kemerer ◽  
Margery Garbin
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nurse Specialist ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Certification Programs ◽  
Health Nurse ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Occupational Health Nurse ◽  
Health Nursing ◽  
Occupational Health Nursing

Specialty nursing certification programs, such as that administered by the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (ABOHN), must be firmly based on current practice to maintain validity. To determine this, ABOHN performed its most recent job analysis and role delineation study between 1992 and 1994. A comprehensive survey tool was developed by ABOHN Board members, and administered to all 3,805 certified occupational health nurses in practice at the time of the study. With a final return rate of 42.7%, the results were believed to be representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to practice occupational health nursing in the United States at the proficient level of practice. The results of the study formed the basis for the ABOHN test blueprints and the creation of two credentials for occupational health nurses: the Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN) and the Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (COHN-S).

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