Development of Functional Rubber-Based Impact-Absorbing Pavements for Cyclist and Pedestrian Injury Reduction

Cyclists, pedestrians and elderly people’s specific needs in urban road infrastructures are often neglected. They rarely benefit from safety measures or innovations. Inspired by playgrounds and aiming to reduce vulnerable road users (VRUs) injuries, the development of the rubber-based Impact-Absorbing Pavements (IAP) offers a possibility to rethink the design of urban pavements and address safety on roads, which constitutes a major challenge in terms of attaining more sustainable, resilient, and safe cities. Therefore, bituminous mixtures with four different crumb rubber contents, 0%, 14%, 28%, and 33% (in total weight), were produced by partial aggregates substitution using the dry process. After the assessment of the geometrical and volumetric properties, the mechanical performances were evaluated. Finally, the samples were tested to measure the abrasion and impact attenuation with the well-known Head Injury Criterion (HIC), at different temperatures from −10 to 40 °C, to obtain a wide range of values referring to possible weather conditions. A significant effect of the rubber percentage and layer thickness on impact attenuation was observed. All observations and results confirm the feasibility of the IAP concept and its positive effect on future injury-prevention applications.

Characteristics of bodily injuries of the pelvic girdle and lower extremities in car trauma

Background. Fractures of the pelvic girdle and lower extremities as a result of a road traffic accident are the most frequent localization of injuries in victims, however, the structure of pedestrian and intra-salon injuries has not been sufficiently studied. Objective - to study the nature of injuries in victims of a car injury to the pelvic girdle and lower extremities. Methods. Research material - 170 acts of primary forensic medical examinations of victims with fractures of the pelvic bones and long bones of the lower extremities, received as a result of a non-lethal automobile injury. An expert assessment of the nature of bodily injuries was carried out at the Kharkiv Regional Bureau of Forensic Medicine (KRBSFM) within a period of no more than 1 month after injury. Acts of primary forensic medical examinations were selected at random for the period February - June 2018. Research methods - retrospective analysis, descriptive statistics. Results. Among the injured as a result of a car injury - 129 (75.9%) pedestrians, 23 (13.5%) drivers, 14 (8.2%) front seat passengers and 4 (2.4%) rear seat passengers. Thus, pedestrians and car drivers are the most vulnerable to road traffic injuries; the most protected rear seat passengers. Men predominated among the drivers; in the remaining groups of victims, the gender distribution was generally even. Among the participants in the accident were mainly people of working age. Injuries to the chest (26.5%), head (25.9%), abdomen (16.5%) prevailed among the associated injuries. Conclusion. A distinctive feature of injuries sustained as a result of a collision of a pedestrian or a car with another car with a relatively low speed of movement was an isolated injury to the bones of the pelvic girdle or lower extremities, both during pedestrian and intra-salon trauma. All the victims had injuries of the integumentary system of various localization in the form of subcutaneous hematomas and abrasions (158; 92.9%), bruised lacerations (96; 56.5%), stamp injuries (62; 36.5%). The main mechanism of pedestrian injury is the direct impact of the traumatic force with the formation of primary injuries in the form of bumper fractures of the shin bones (35.9%), hip (22.4%) and pelvis (10%).