The Effectiveness of Back-Up Alarms in Preventing Backing Vehicle-Pedestrian Accidents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiemezie Anthony Udemba

This paper provides an update to previous articles on the distribution of pedestrian-backing vehicles using the OSHA Accident database, as well as responses to FOIA requests for additional detail on these accidents. The database contains summaries of fatality & catastrophe investigations conducted by OSHA. Two previous articles (Purswell & Purswell, 2001), (Purswell & Purswell, 2010) summarized and categorized the records that were identified as related to whether the vehicle had a backup alarm or not, and if it did, whether it was operating at the time of the accident. FOIA requests were made for the inspection records where the summaries in the database contained insufficient detail to correctly classify accidents. Records were also classified by the employer NAICS code (business type). There was some difficulty in obtaining the records for this article due to pandemic-related restrictions on regional OSHA offices accessing the requested records. Of the 93 records of accidents, we obtained sufficient detail from the summaries or the Inspection Report obtained through the FOIA to completely classify only 33 of the records.

Author(s):  
J. M. Cowley

Recently a number of authors have reported detail in dark-field images obtained from diffuse-scattering regions of electron diffraction patterns. Bright spots in images from short-range order diffuse peaks of disordered binary alloys have been interpreted as evidence for the existence of microdomains of ordered lattice or of segragated clusters of one component. Spotty contrast in dark field images of near-amorphous materials has been interpreted as evidence for the existense of microcrystals. Without a careful analysis of the imaging conditions such conclusions may be invalid. Usually the conditions of the experiment have not been specified in sufficient detail to allow evaluation of the conclusions.Elementary considerations show that even for a completely random arrangement of atoms the statistical fluctuations of density will give a spotty contrast with spots of minimum diameter determined by the dark field aperture size and other factors influencing the minimum resolvable distance under darkfield imaging conditions, including fluctuations and drift over long exposure times (resolution usually 10Å or more).


Author(s):  
Ирина Викторовна Евстафьева

В статье исследуются вопросы попечительства в отношении несовершеннолетних, отбывающих наказание в виде лишения свободы. Проблема, поднимаемая автором настоящей статьи, многогранна, касается различных аспектов отбывания наказания несовершеннолетними в воспитательных колониях и требует комплексного исследования, способного ответить на определенно значимый вопрос: является ли колония законным представителем находящихся в ней несовершеннолетних со всеми вытекающими из статуса законных представителей последствиями. При этом необходимо обращать внимание на специфику правового статуса лиц, отбывающих наказание в воспитательных колониях, которые, во-первых, являются несовершеннолетними, то есть не обладают дееспособностью в полном объеме и нуждаются в особой заботе, защите и представительстве, а во-вторых, осуждены за совершение тяжкого или особо тяжкого преступления, влекущего изоляцию от общества и определенные ограничения и лишения. Отечественное законодательство достаточно детально регламентирует особенности режима отбывания наказания в виде лишения свободы несовершеннолетними, не определяя при этом статуса воспитательных колоний, кем они являются: воспитателями, попечителями или исключительно учреждениями исполнения наказаний. Между тем правильное понимание значения и роли воспитательной колонии в жизни находящихся в ней несовершеннолетних преступников, по мнению автора, поможет избежать ряда проблем, объективно складывающихся в учреждениях подобного рода. С этой точки зрения предлагаемая тема представляет интерес не только для ученых-теоретиков, но и для практиков - сотрудников соответствующих учреждений. Особо следует подчеркнуть, что исследований по данной тематике в специальной литературе нет. Отдельные исследования, встречающиеся в современной литературе, касаются исключительно общего гражданско-правового статуса несовершеннолетних осужденных. Однако это обстоятельство может свидетельствовать только о новизне данной темы, но никак не об отсутствии самой проблемы. The article analyzes the issues of the status of educational colonies as guardians of minors serving a sentence of imprisonment. In fact, the problem raised by the author of this article is multifaceted, concerns various aspects of the serving of punishment by minors in educational colonies and requires a comprehensive study that can answer, it seems, a definitely significant question: whether the colony is the legal representative of the minors in it with all the consequences arising from the status of legal representatives in the form of duties and responsibilities. At the same time, it seems, it is necessary to pay attention to the specifics of the legal status of citizens serving sentences in educational colonies, who, firstly, are minors, i.e. do not have full legal capacity and need special care, protection and representation, and, secondly, are convicted of committing a serious or particularly serious crime, entailing isolation from society and certain restrictions and deprivation. Domestic legislation regulates in sufficient detail the peculiarities of the regime of serving sentences in the form of deprivation of liberty by minors, without determining the status of educational colonies. Who are they: educators, Trustees or only institutions of execution of punishments. Meanwhile, the correct understanding of the importance and role of the educational colony in the life of juvenile offenders in it, according to the author, will help to avoid a number of problems that objectively develop in institutions of this kind. From this point of view, the proposed topic is of interest not only for theoretical scientists, but for practitioners-employees of relevant institutions. It should be emphasized that there are no studies on this subject in the special literature. However, this circumstance can testify only about novelty of the given subject, but in any way about absence of the problem. It seems that the relevance and importance of a problem is not always measured by the number of studies devoted to it. Sometimes these its traits are manifest only under particularly careful consideration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meisam Ghasedi ◽  
Maryam Sarfjoo ◽  
Iraj Bargegol

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to investigate and determine the factors affecting vehicle and pedestrian accidents taking place in the busiest suburban highway of Guilan Province located in the north of Iran and provide the most accurate prediction model. Therefore, the effective principal variables and the probability of occurrence of each category of crashes are analyzed and computed utilizing the factor analysis, logit, and Machine Learning approaches simultaneously. This method not only could contribute to achieving the most comprehensive and efficient model to specify the major contributing factor, but also it can provide officials with suggestions to take effective measures with higher precision to lessen accident impacts and improve road safety. Both the factor analysis and logit model show the significant roles of exceeding lawful speed, rainy weather and driver age (30–50) variables in the severity of vehicle accidents. On the other hand, the rainy weather and lighting condition variables as the most contributing factors in pedestrian accidents severity, underline the dominant role of environmental factors in the severity of all vehicle-pedestrian accidents. Moreover, considering both utilized methods, the machine-learning model has higher predictive power in all cases, especially in pedestrian accidents, with 41.6% increase in the predictive power of fatal accidents and 12.4% in whole accidents. Thus, the Artificial Neural Network model is chosen as the superior approach in predicting the number and severity of crashes. Besides, the good performance and validation of the machine learning is proved through performance and sensitivity analysis.


Author(s):  
Gordon Tao ◽  
Bernie Garrett ◽  
Tarnia Taverner ◽  
Elliott Cordingley ◽  
Crystal Sun

Abstract Background High quality head-mounted display based virtual reality (HMD-VR) has become widely available, spurring greater development of HMD-VR health games. As a behavior change approach, these applications use HMD-VR and game-based formats to support long-term engagement with therapeutic interventions. While the bulk of research to date has primarily focused on the therapeutic efficacy of particular HMD-VR health games, how developers and researchers incorporate best-practices in game design to achieve engaging experiences remains underexplored. This paper presents the findings of a narrative review exploring the trends and future directions of game design for HMD-VR health games. Methods We searched the literature on the intersection between HMD-VR, games, and health in databases including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Compendex. We identified articles describing HMD-VR games designed specifically as health applications from 2015 onwards in English. HMD-VR health games were charted and tabulated according to technology, health context, outcomes, and user engagement in game design. Findings We identified 29 HMD-VR health games from 2015 to 2020, with the majority addressing health contexts related to physical exercise, motor rehabilitation, and pain. These games typically involved obstacle-based challenges and extrinsic reward systems to engage clients in interventions related to physical functioning and pain. Less common were games emphasizing narrative experiences and non-physical exercise interventions. However, discourse regarding game design was diverse and often lacked sufficient detail. Game experience was evaluated using primarily ad-hoc questionnaires. User engagement in the development of HMD-VR health games primarily manifested as user studies. Conclusion HMD-VR health games are promising tools for engaging clients in highly immersive experiences designed to address diverse health contexts. However, more in-depth and structured attention to how HMD-VR health games are designed as game experiences is needed. Future development of HMD-VR health games may also benefit from greater involvement of end-users in participatory approaches.


1994 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald W. Cotterill

This paper reviews prior research by agricultural economists on the demand for food products using scanner data. Thereafter, a differentiated product's oligopoly model with Bertrand price competition is developed and used to specify brand level demand and oligopoly price reaction equations. The model has sufficient detail to estimate brand level price elasticities and price response elasticities which in turn can be used to estimate three indices of market power. The first index estimated is the familiar Rothschild Index. The paper develops estimates two new indexes, the observed index and the Chamberlin quotient for tacit collusion. It concludes with comments on how the proposed method for the measurement of market power in a differentiated oligopoly can be improved.


1982 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.B. Creighton

This article examines the increasingly important issue of the role of statutory safety representatives and safety committees in helping to promote and protect the health, safety and welfare of the Australian workforce. It consists first of an examination of the development of statutory provision in this area in the United Kingdom, culminating in the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the introduction of the far-reaching Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations of 1977. It then describes and analyses the reception of these provisions, and the philosophy which underpins them, in Australia. Thirdly, it attempts to identify and discuss some of the more important legal and practical implications of this kind of statutory provision. There is reason to suppose that some of these issues have not been analysed in sufficient detail in either Britain or Australia, but overall it is clear that a properly structured system of statutory safety representatives/com mittees can play an important and constructive part in helping to promote a proper awareness of health and safety issues in this country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-136
Author(s):  
Lidija Iordanskaja ◽  
Igor Mel’čuk

Abstract A formal linguistitic model is presented, which produces, for a given conceptual representation of an extralinguistic situation, a corresponding semantic representation [SemR] that, in its turn, underlies the deep-syntactic representations of four near-synonymous Russian sentences expressing the starting information. Two full-fledged lexical entries are given for the lexemes besporjadki ‘disturbance’ and stolknovenie ‘clash(N)’, appearing in these sentences. Some principles of lexicalization – that is, matching the formal lexicographic definitions to the starting semantic representation in order to produce the deep-syntactic structures of the corresponding sentences – are formulated and illustrated; the problem of approximate matching is dealt with in sufficient detail.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 838-847
Author(s):  
John H. Read

The two papers that follow report the results of painstaking epidemiological work on pedestrian accidents involving children. Because these papers relate the age of the child to specific behavior patterns that result in accidents and to specific injury patterns that result from such accidents, they would appear to offer a sound empirical base for the development of a variety of countermeasures, whether such countermeasures are intended to reduce accidents or to limit the severity of the resulting injuries. Unfortunately, however, the ability to generalize such data is extremely limited. A given pattern of child-pedestrian behavior is the result of a highly complex set of variables: the social class and ethnicity of the child, the ecological characteristics of the neighborhood and the broader community, the characteristics of the traffic pattern and the types and density of the vehicles that make it up, the current enforcement policy, climatic conditions, road and highway characteristics, and a host of other conditions that combine and interact in various ways. Consequently, few localities are sufficiently similar to justify the application of data from one to another. The injury patterns described by Ryan, for example, are those produced by Australian vehicles on children walking, playing, and cycling in a specific Australian city. It seems quite unlikely that the injury patterns produced in an American urban environment would resemble those that Ryan reports. Indeed, data from another Australian city might show striking differences. For the same reasons, such data as Read presents cannot be used reliably as a before-and-after measure to assess the effectiveness of a specific countermeasure. Any significant changes in the data after the introduction of a countermeasure might well be attributable not to the countermeasure itself but to changes in traffic patterns, ecology, the weather, or other events which operated to reinforce or counteract the countermeasure in question. The overwhelming obstacle to systematic research in vehicular accidents and on the assessment of countermeasure effectiveness is the investigator's inability to control the numerous variables that affect both the incidence and the consequences of accidents. The present papers, despite their inherently interesting data, are seriously limited by this problem.


Author(s):  
Obaidur Rahman Mohammed ◽  
D. V. Suresh ◽  
Hamid M. Lankarani

Abstract The increase in public transportation in the last decade has resulted in a larger pedestrian population and hence a larger number of pedestrian collisions. In the past, car-pedestrian accident prevention had been a challenge for automotive and transport safety members. Recent reports in car-pedestrian accidents have influenced many improvements to prioritize pedestrian protection for automotive industries. The number of pedestrian fatalities in U.S has raised in last decade proportionally, Car manufacturers, and transport investigation teams are implementing new product designs and adding new development methods to reduce the risk of pedestrian collisions. In this study, adult headform and upper legform is tested with a finite element vehicle model to examine the simulation results and injury behavior during impact. All finite element simulation tests are produced under Euro-NCAP Committee regulations. Finite element models are configured as per the regulation’s and testing criteria. Both upper legform impactor and adult headform finite simulation results are tested with assessing criteria limits. Finite simulation tests are carried on the LS-DYNA – Code platform. This comparative study between sedan and pickup finite vehicle models gives an injury risk prediction of pedestrian safety and assesses design parameters of automotive industries.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document