Governance and Effective Management: Speed Management Demonstration Project, in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) has embarked on a challenging project aiming to demonstrate how to make road travel safer through speed management measures based on Safe System Approach (SSA) and Result Based Management (RBM). This follows from mounting concern in curbing a high death rate from motor vehicle crashes in recent years. However, despite the Government’s commitment to address this problem, there have been setbacks owing to the challenges of putting in place a strong collaborative framework involving all the agencies charged with responsibilities for road engineering, traffic law enforcement and public education. Iran has established a National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) to lead and coordinate actions. In implementing a demonstration project, specific partnership arrangements have been established at national and provincial levels, as well as pillar-based project teams in 3 provinces. This paper examines the governance structure and opportunities to strengthen the collaborative management of the project and how similar programs can be established and executed in other countries to improve road safety based on SSA and RBM.

Investigation of Contributing Factors to Traffic Crash Severity in Southeast Texas Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Driving is the essential means of travel in Southeast Texas, a highly urbanized and populous area that serves as an economic powerhouse of the whole state. However, driving in Southeast Texas is subject to many risks as this region features a typical humid subtropical climate with long hot summers and short mild winters. Local drivers would encounter intense precipitation, heavy fog, strong sunlight, standing water, slick road surface, and even frequent extreme weather such as tropical storms, hurricanes and flood during their year-around travels. Meanwhile, research has revealed that the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles driven in urban Texas became considerably higher than national average since 2010, and no conclusive study has elucidated the association between Southeast Texas crash severity and potential contributing factors. This study used multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to examine a group of contributing factors on how their combinatorial influences determine crash severity by creating combination clouds on a factor map. Results revealed numerous significant combinatorial effects. For example, driving in rain and extreme weather on a wet road surface has a higher chance in causing crashes that incur severe or deadly injuries. Besides, other contributing factors involving risky behavioral factors, road designs, and vehicle factors were well discussed. The research outcomes could inspire local traffic administration to take more effective countermeasures to systematically mitigate road crash severity.

What does it Take to Improve Road Safety in Asia?

Despite global, regional, and national efforts in reducing the number of road crashes, the number of fatalities from these crashes is increasing globally as well as in Asia. The Asia-Pacific region currently accounts for 60% of global road fatalities. There are wide variations in the number of road fatalities among the regions, subregions, and countries. Within Asia, the South and South-West Asia subregion has the highest fatality rate of 20.3 fatalities per 100,000 population followed by South-East Asia with a fatality rate of 17.8 per 100,000 population. This paper reviews and analyses the road safety situation and implementation of road safety policies and practices in Asian countries. Identified are distinct risk factors that demand priority consideration. Some of the actions suggested for improving road safety in Asia are: Ensuring the availability of accurate road safety data, addressing the challenges of Vulnerable Road Users and powered two-wheelers, changing behaviors of road users and long haul drivers, ensuring safety features in trunk routes, improving infrastructure and facilities for non-motorised and public transport in cities, prioritising safety in rural and remote areas, empowering road safety institutions with accountability, focusing on low-cost solutions, and advocacy and education.

The AAA Approach to Crash Investigation Reform – The Perspective from Road Policing Practitioners.

Professional road crash investigation, complemented by intelligent analysis and dynamic actions provide the foundation for road safety reform. However, to date, the real potential resulting from police investigative findings have not been fully realised due to the lack of streamlined connectivity from the crash scene to the reform process. Such deficiencies include inadequate investigations, inadequate data management, convoluted processes, system delays, inadequate analysis and limited immediate and mid-term actions which should be generated following thorough and efficient investigations. A review of processes across high, medium and low-income countries has identified a more effective approach to achieving results in road safety reform across all road safety disciplines. The simple AAA framework to ‘Acquire, Analyse and Action’ is presented as a contemporary model to ensure an evidence-based foundation drives road safety reform to identify root cause analysis locally, nationally and globally. This provides structure, discipline and purpose as well as technical skill and competence to achieve practical recommendations as preventative measures for crash reduction. A multi-disciplined expert review team to validate/assess/modify these recommendations in serious crashes ensures constructive countermeasures are prioritised and actioned. This facilitates a paradigm shift in thinking and analysis to achieve a continuous improvement process designed to reduce road trauma and save lives.

M7 to M2 Pre-congestion Speed Management

This paper explores the development and implementation of the M7 to M2 pre-congestion speed limit management trial conducted on workdays between 26th June 2018 and 31st December 2018. This trial was the first of its kind in NSW and was implemented using a live loop reporting system utilising key trigger values (specific loop metrics) to identify the opportune time to reduce speed limits prior to flow breakdown. Through measuring the rate at which speeds dropped during flow breakdown, the heatmap footprint of congestion, and the instance of congestion related crashes it was established the trial was able to have a calming effect on traffic flow and reduce the overall footprint of congestion.

First-Stage Evaluation of a Prototype Driver Distraction Human-Machine-Interface Warning System

Recent advances in vehicle technology permit the real-time monitoring of driver state to reduce distraction-related crashes, particularly within the heavy vehicle industry. Relatively little published research has evaluated the human machine interface (HMI) design for these systems. However, the efficacy of in-vehicle technology depends in large part on the acceptability among drivers of the system’s interface. Four variations of the HMI of a prototype multi-modal warning system developed by the authors for driver distraction were evaluated in a truck simulator with eight car drivers and six truck drivers. Driver acceptance of the HMIs was assessed using the System Acceptability Scale; and salience, comprehension and perceived effectiveness of components of the HMIs (modality, intensity of warning) were assessed using likert scales. The results showed that participants considered the HMIs to be acceptable and useful, and that the warning components were largely noticed, understood correctly, and perceived to be effective. Although this study identified no major design flaws with the recently developed HMIs, further simulator testing with a larger sample size is recommended to validate the findings. On-road evaluations to assess the impact of the HMIs on real world safety are a necessary pre-requisite for implementation.

Economic impact of 30km/h - Benefits and Costs of Speeds in an urban environment

Speed has fundamental economic costs which are hidden for many stakeholders. On the other hand, the economic benefits of speed are highly visible and strongly promoted by benefiting stakeholders and indeed carefully considered in cost-benefit assessments by road operating agencies. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to explore and present the benefits and costs of low speed roads in urban environments.

Characteristics of Fatal Road Traffic Crashes Associated with Alcohol and Illicit Substances in Queensland (2011-2015)

Psychoactive substances affect driver behaviour in different ways, some of which can increase the risk of traffic crashes. This study investigated coroners findings for fatal road traffic crashes in Queensland for crash factors and driver behaviours associated with and without the presence of alcohol or illicit drugs. A total of 701 coroners reports for the period of 2011 to 2015 were analysed revealing 306 fatal incidents involving the detection of either alcohol or target illegal drugs (e.g., methamphetamine, THC [cannabis], cocaine or MDMA). Alcohol was most often detected (223 cases; 72.9% of the drug and alcohol sample and 31.8% of the entire sample), and a majority of fatalities involving alcohol (n = 114, 51% of alcohol cases) were at high range BAC levels (>.150g/100ml). Of these, 37 (32.5% of high range and 16.6% of alcohol cases) were detected with illicit drugs. Single vehicle and multi-vehicle crashes were evenly represented, although males were overrepresented in all crash types. Alcohol and poly drug consumption were more likely to be associated with single vehicle crashes (81.7% and 64.6% respectively), while detections of methamphetamines and THC in isolation without other substances were slightly overrepresented by multi-vehicle crashes (58.6% and 59.4% respectively). Single vehicle crashes usually involved speeding, loss of control and failure to negotiate a curve while multi-vehicle crashes were disproportionately represented by reckless driving and misjudging traffic conditions. Overall, an important theme to emerge was the contribution of illicit drugs and alcohol to the majority of single vehicle crashes, highlighting the increased risk of this type of crash for drivers who are positive with these substances.

Speed Management in Iran: A Review Process

The level of road trauma is high in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with the Islamic Republic of Iran having a particularly high fatality rate at 20.5 per 100,000 population. The Government, assisted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), committed to implementing demonstration projects in three provinces that will form the basis of road safety actions to be advanced by the WHO across the Region. In recognition that speed management is a pivotal factor in achieving a safer road and traffic system, and as a component of the project, a review was carried out in 2019 by a team of international experts in the field in collaboration with national consultants. This review was undertaken in consideration of the Safe System Approach and the Results-Based Management Approach. The findings of this review and their implications for future actions in Iran are discussed in this paper.

Safety Effectiveness Evaluation of Raised Pedestrian Crossings in Ho Chi Minh City

Traffic crashes are one of the immediate and long-term serious problems all over the world including Vietnam. Speed is one of the direct causes of a crash. In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has synchronously implemented many measures to manage speed, in particular, a pilot implementation of raised pedestrian crossing measures at many locations in the city. Technical efficiency assessment of this measure is necessary to help the city build more scientific evidence for scaling up successful measures. This study was conducted at four locations on Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, with four vehicle groups including motorbikes, cars, trucks, and buses. The results indicate that this measure had a positive effect on V85 speed with four group of vehicles at 35.5km/h or more. The effectiveness was stronger for greater widths of raised pedestrian crossing i.e., more effective at 10.5m of raised pedestrian crossings width than 7.5m. This measure reduces V85 speed of vehicles by nearly 14% on 10.5m of raised pedestrian crossings width, and positive impacts are highest for cars (13.93%), and lowest for trucks (6.54%). While traffic volume and the surrounding context may impact on the result, they are not considered in this study. These results provide important scientific evidence for scaling up this measure city wide in the future.