Useful Links
recent additions
New on July 11, 2008
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 20, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Head-On Crashes on Freeways: Summary: Although a relatively small proportion of total fatalities, according to FHWA data head-on crashes on freeways and Interstates appear to be increasing in recent years. Head-on crashes can occur under a wide range of circumstances. The predominant geometric feature associated with such crashes is the median, including its width as well as the presence (or absence) of a barrier or similar device, and proximity to interchanges. There is evidence that such crashes are associated with high-risk driver behaviors, including excessive speeding and erratic maneuvers.
CROSS MEDIAN CRASHES: IDENTIFICATION AND COUNTERMEASURES The goals of this project were to review the state-of-art with regard to identifying highway sections where median barriers would be most effective, and if necessary, develop remedies for any identified deficiencies. The review concluded that, at present, no off-the-shelf method currently exists that adequately addresses this issue. A statistical technique was then developed for using crash records to estimate the frequency and rate of MCCs on each set of highway sections ...Estimates which allowed highway sections to be ranked with respect to estimated frequency of MCCs, estimated density of MCCs, or estimated MCC rate were computed, and the results of one such ranking were reported. Finally, a first version of a simulation model was developed for comparing the cost-effectiveness of barrier projects on different highway sections.
California Transit Links
Quick links to California transit agencies and systems, including larger agencies and local transit organized by county and city. Includes bus systems, ferries, airport transportation, paratransit, dial-a-ride services, trolley, commuter rail, and university, business, and shopping shuttles. From the American Public Transportation Association.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
Hands-Free L.A.: Your Guide
Series of news stories and commentary related to the California hands-free cellular phone laws that went into effect July 1, 2008. Features a Q&A about the law, reviews of hands-free devices (such as wireless headsets and speaker phones), and articles about fines, potential cancer risks from cell phone use, and driving safety. From the Los Angeles Times.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BOOSTER SEAT LAWS The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores possible factors that relate to the use and nonuse of child booster seats and examines the attitudes of law enforcement officers, parents, and caregivers concerning booster seat laws.
EFFECTIVENESS OF OREGON'S TEEN LICENSING PROGRAM A report from the Oregon Department of Transportation on the effectiveness of teen licensing laws that went into effect in 2000,expanding the provisional driving license program and establishing a graduated driver licensing program for all drivers under age 18.
ROAD CASUALTIES IN GREAT BRITAIN MAIN RESULTS: 2007 The U.K. Department for Transport has released the latest issue of its annual report on personal injury accidents on public roads (including footways) that were reported to the police.
New York Cycle Club List of Bicycling Safety sites: compiled on a page that also hosts links to a risk assessment survey. Contains a number of links to national, state and local resources about bicycle safety.
(These and previously added links can be found in the list below by topic.)
By Traffic Safety Topic
Click on the topics below to be taken to links pertinent to that subject or simply scroll down the page.
Governmental Agencies and Organizations
Older Adults and Safe Mobility
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Walkability, and Physical Activity
Public Health Preparedness and Bioterrorism
Transit and Rail
University-based organizations
Transportation
Injury Prevention & Control
Burden of Disease
Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: The Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have released TRB Special Report 287, Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a workshop held on January 26-27, 2006, in Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles Burden of Disease Study
National Center
for Health Statistics
San
Francisco Burden of Disease Unit
WHO
Burden
of
Disease
Unit
Child Passenger Safety
California Health Care Safety Net Institute - Preventing Child Injuries
CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - Child Passenger Safety Fact Sheet
July 2008: IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BOOSTER SEAT LAWS The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores possible factors that relate to the use and nonuse of child booster seats and examines the attitudes of law enforcement officers, parents, and caregivers concerning booster seat laws.
Injury Prevention (journal)
Injury Control Resource Information Network (ICRIN)
National Coalition for School Bus Safety
NHTSA - Child Passenger Safety
SafeUSA - Child Passenger Safety Fact Sheet
Data
2006 LARGE TRUCK CRASH OVERVIEW The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released a report that provides an overview of large truck crash data by trends, vehicles, drivers, and crash environment for 2006.
California Traffic Deaths Trends: compiled by independent researcher Peter Roeper from California SWITRS data and data from the State of California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit. Has numerous links and analyses.
CRASHES VS. CONGESTION: WHAT'S THE COST TO SOCIETY? The American Automobile Association (AAA) has released a report that examines the costs of roadway crashes to society. According to AAA, the study is designed to raise awareness of the importance of transportation investments, and to provide policy makers, departments of transportation, and the public with information on the magnitude of the safety problem.
State Traffic Safety Information (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
Technologies for Improving Safety Data
The objective of this synthesis was to summarize the current
state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art use of technologies
for efficient and effective collection and maintenance of data
for highway safety analysis. (NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM).
Disparities in Traffic Safety
Building Bridges - Native Americans and Traffic Safety
California Office of Traffic Safety - "Youthquake" Article
Minority Health Project at University of North Carolina
Driver Behavior
Aggressive Driving Transportation Review The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a transportation review that explores the issue of aggressive driving. The review examines state legislative actions, the effectiveness of state enforcement programs, and federal actions associated with aggressive driving. Download report from NCSL>>
AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT: A COMPENDIUM OF WORLDWIDE EVALUATIONS OF RESULTS from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
THE CRASH AND OFFENCE EXPERIENCE OF DRIVERS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DRIVER INTERVENTION PROGRAM The Centre for Automotive Safety Research at The University of Adelaide has released a report that compares the crash and driving offence experience of two groups of offending drivers: those attending the Driver Intervention Program (DIP, a small-group workshop for disqualified drivers), and those who could have attended the DIP but chose not to and paid an expiation fee instead; both before and after they became eligible for the DIP.
April 25, 2008: ROAD COURTESY AND ROAD SAFETY The Centre for Automotive Safety Research at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has released a report that explores road courtesy and campaigns to promote road courtesy. For the purposes of this report courtes, refers both to behaviors (the presence of some and the absence of others) and to the attitudes and habits of mind that accompany behaviors.
GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING A HIGH-VISIBILITY ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE UNSAFE DRIVING BEHAVIORS AMONG DRIVERS OF PASSENGER AND COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released guidelines for implementing a selective traffic enforcement program (STEP).
July 2008: Hands-Free L.A.: Your Guide
Series of news stories and commentary related to the California hands-free cellular phone laws that went into effect July 1, 2008. Features a Q&A about the law, reviews of hands-free devices (such as wireless headsets and speaker phones), and articles about fines, potential cancer risks from cell phone use, and driving safety. From the Los Angeles Times.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
IMPROVING TRAFFIC SAFETY CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES: THE JOURNEY FORWARD - SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released an executive summary of an earlier released report that is a compendium of papers designed to expand the discussion and debate over traffic safety. The papers in the compendium address the "traffic safety culture" from a variety of perspectives. (January 2008)
National Institute for Driver Behavior
TRAFFIC SAFETY CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES: RESEARCH UPDATE: The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a selection of findings from the first of several surveys of the American public about a wide variety of issues related to traffic safety.
Governmental Agencies and Organizations
Bureau of Transportation
Statistics
California Department
of Health Services
California Office of
Traffic Safety
California Department of Motor Vehicles
Caltrans (California Department of Transportation)
California Highway Patrol
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
2007 INTERACTIVE HIGHWAY SAFETY DESIGN MODEL The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the 2007 version of
its Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM), which is a suite of
software analysis tools for evaluating safety and operational effects of
geometric design decisions on two-lane rural highways. IHSDM is a
decision-support tool. It checks existing or proposed two-lane rural
highway designs against relevant design policy values and provides
estimates of a design's expected safety and operational performance.
International
Council on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)
SAFETY COMPASS NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007 The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of
its Safety Compass newsletter. Articles in this issue include the following:
* A Successful Strategy to Improve Safety on Local Roads
* The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse
* Spotlight: Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day
* Federal Lands Barrier Guide
* Resources, Tools, Technology
Tire Safety in Hot Weather: NHTSA Urges Drivers To Check Their Tires During The Hot Weather A tire industry survey this year found 85 percent of drivers fail to properly check tire pressure. NHTSA estimates that crashes associated with tire problems take approximately 660 lives each year and injure 33,000 people.
National
Safety Council
National Center for Health Statistics
National Transportation
Safety Board
The
Traffic Alliance for a Safer California (TASC)
Transportation
Research Board
Surface Transportation Policy Project
US Census
Who's Who in Traffic Safety
WHO
Road Safety Legislation Database:
This database provides information
on road safety legislation in
countries around the world. The
data has been collected with
input from WHO partner organizations
around the world The database
contains information on legislation
around a number of risk factors
for road traffic injuries - speed
limits, seat belt and child restraint
use, helmet use, blood alcohol
limits, daytime running lamps,
mobile phone use. Information
on countries' lead agencies for
road safety is also provided.
Added August 2, 2006.
Impaired Driving
Alcohol-Related Injury and Violence
ALCOHOL-RELATED FATALITIES AND ALCOHOL INVOLVEMENT AMONG DRIVERS AND MOTORCYCLE OPERATORS IN 2005 The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis has released a Traffic Safety Facts Research Note that explores results from the 2005 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) indicating that there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2005, which the report describes as essentially unchanged from 2004.
CANDID Citizens Against Drug Impaired Driving
Injury Prevention Web's Links to Alcohol and Other Drugs
International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety
National Commission Against Drunk Driving
National Institute on Alcohol Use and Alcoholism
Injury Prevention and Control
APHA Injury Control and
Emergency Health Services
Alcohol-Related
Injury and Violence
Association of Schools of Public Health
California Health Care Safety Net Institute
Children's
Hospital of
Pittsburgh's
Injury Prevention
website
Healthy
People 2010
Injury
Prevention (journal)
Injury
Control Resource Information
Network (ICRIN)
Injury
Prevention Web
EPIC-Epidemiology
and Prevention for Injury
Control (CA Dept. Health Services)
The
Media and Injury Prevention
Program
Prevention
Institute
Prevention
Research Center
National
Center for Injury Prevention
and Control
National
Resource Center on Aging
and Injury
National
Safe Kids Campaign
Northern
Virginia Injury Prevention
Center
ROAD SAFETY AT WORK ONLINE LIBRARY created by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to house resources from around the world
related to the prevention of road traffic injuries and deaths while at
work. It contains information on best practices such as
engineering controls, policies, administrative procedures, and guidance
to employers or workers about safety on roads. The site also includes
materials that show evidence of implementation and evaluation of
success, and statistics about worker injuries and fatalities on roads.
Safe
Communities
Safe
USA
Trauma
Foundation
VINCENT
web
Older Adults and Safe Mobility
American Medical Association - Older Driver Safety
Driving Change and Taking Charge, older driver traffic safety videos produced by the California Highway Patrol Older Californian Traffic Safety Task Force.
Federal Highway Administration - Older Driver Facts
Federal Highway Administration Safety & Operations for Older Drivers
CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - Older Adult Drivers Fact Sheet
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: Older Drivers
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration - Older Road Users
National Resource Center on Aging and Injury
National Resource Center for Safe Aging
NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN AND AGING: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University has released a report that explores residential and travel choices of the elderly.
OCCUPANT PROTECTION ISSUES AMONG OLDER DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released a Tech Brief that explores what factors contribute to seat belt use and nonuse among adults age 65 and older. The Tech Brief also examines what can be done to increase seat belt use among older adults now and in the future.
PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL SAFETY FOR OLDER PERSONS (2.4 MB PDF) The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that examines walking speeds of pedestrians when crossing under signal control, the impact of age on walking speeds, and pedestrians' understanding of pedestrian countdown signals. The report also explores the impacts of countdown signals on pedestrian behavior and walking speeds, and theimpact of the amount of time allocated for pedestrian intervals on traffic operations including vehicle delay.
SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS WEBSITE The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, along with the Beverly Foundation and the Independent Living Partnership, have created a new website that focuses on supplemental transportation programs (STP). The site is designed to allow STP providers to discuss implementation of successful programs that provide transportation options to aging adults and those who can no longer drive.
TRANSPORTATION IN AN AGING SOCIETY: IMPROVING MOBILITY AND SAFETY FOR OLDER DRIVERS Transportation Research Board Special Report 218.
Pedestrian & Bicyclist Safety, Walkability, and Physical Activity
Active Living
by Design Active Living by Design is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a part of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This program establishes innovative approaches to increase physical activity and healthy eating through community design, public policies and communications strategies.
American
Planning Association's project to promote physical
activity
America
Walks America Walks is the voice of advocacy for local, state, and national issues. We are at the heart of a growing movement to create walkable communities across North America.
American
Council
for the
Blind--Pedestrian
Safety
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
Bicycle Helmet
Safety Institute
Center
for Disease Control's website promoting physical activity
February 29, 2008: DEVELOPING SCHOOL-BASED CYCLE TRAINS IN NEW ZEALAND Land Transport New Zealand has released a report that examines the characteristics of cycle trains and explores the process for setting up and operating them. A cycle train is similar in approach to the walking school bus - adult volunteers, or conductors, cycle along a set route to school, collecting children from designated 'train stops' along the way.
EFFECTIVENESS OF "CHILDREN AT PLAY" WARNING SIGNS: Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
April 2008: Free Pedestrian Safety Assessments for California Cities ITS Berkeley's Tech Transfer Program provides free Pedestrian Safety Assessments (PSA) to California cities upon request, thanks to funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
How Far, By Which Route, and Why? A Spatial Analysis of Pedestrian Preference The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies at the San José State University College of Business has released a report that examines the distance pedestrians walk to rail transit stations and the environmental factors that influence their route choice.
Impediments to Walking as a Mode Choice (PDF <300K) A report from Land Transport New Zealand. "The results of this survey show only four factors relevant to studying the choice of whether to walk or drive a short journey:
- the weather (fine or raining)
- the belief that park-and-rides are appropriately used by people who live close
- the availability of a car, and
- the belief that a park-and-ride provides convenience."
INTERIM REPORT TO THE U.S. CONGRESS ON THE NONMOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION PILOT PROGRAM SAFETEA-LU SECTION 1807 The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores the progress and initial results of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) and the four pilot communities' participation in the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) from its inception through May 2007. Section 1807 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), P.L. 109-59, established the NTPP in August 2005. Over the span of 4 years, the legislation provides $25 million in contract authority for each of the NTPP's four pilot communities (Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin) "to construct ... a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle trails, that connect directly with transit stations, schools, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers."
JourneyOn: JourneyOn is a unique journey planner for Brighton & Hove (U.K.) The planner helps you find a route across the city and tells you the cost, time and the number of calories you'd burn whether you walk, cycle, take the bus or go by car.
Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.
League of American
Bicyclists
Mean
Streets: Pedestrian Safety and Reform of the Nation's
Transportation Law
National
Bike Safety Network
July 2008: New York Cycle Club List of Bicycling Safety sites: compiled on a page that also hosts links to a risk assessment survey. Contains a number of links to national, state and local resources about bicycle safety.
October 2006: Pedestrian
Decision-Making of Adolescents Aged 11-15 Years, A U.K. Department
for Transport report that examines the role of skills, attitudes, and
perceived behavioral controls.
PEDESTRIAN FORUM - FALL 2007 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Topics include tribal school zone safety, speed campaigns and signal timing for older pedestrians.
PEDESTRIAN FORUM - WINTER 2008 The latest edition of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Pedestrian Forum Newsletter highlights efforts by the FHWA and its partners to improve the safety of walking and bicycling as a mode of transportation.
PEDESTRIANS 2007: TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2002 includes 16 papers that explore a healthier way to travel, level of service of the urban walking environment and pedestrian route choice behavior, estimating nonmotorized travel demand, pedestrian counting methods at intersections, deficiencies in Florida pedestrian crash data, and methods to prioritize pedestrian high-crash locations. (January 2008).
PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST INTERSECTION SAFETY INDICES: USER GUIDE (1.3 MB PDF) The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a user guide
designed to help practitioners use safety indices to identify which
crosswalks and intersection approaches have the highest priority for
in-depth pedestrian and bicycle safety evaluations, and subsequently use
other tools to identify and address potential safety problems. The user
guide is a companion to the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Intersection Safety
Indices: Final Report that explores the development of safety indices to
proactively prioritize intersection crosswalks and intersection
approaches for pedestrian and bicycle safety.
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY GUIDE FOR TRANSIT AGENCIES from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. An easy-to-use resource for
improving pedestrian safety, it includes a variety of approaches
to address pedestrian safety issues that are likely to arise near
transit stations, bus stops, and other such places . The guide provides references to publications,
guides, and other tools to identify pedestrian safety problems.
Surface Transportation Policy
Project's Report: "Pedestrian
Safety in California: Five Years of Progress & Pitfalls" Includes
California's most dangerous cities and counties for pedestrians.
Perils
for Pedestrians
WalkingInfo/BicyclingInfo
Walkable
Communities
Safe
Routes
to
School
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL: 2007 STATE OF THE STATES
Public Health Preparedness and Bioterrorism
Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness
California
Highway Patrol
Center for Infectious
Disease Research And Policy (CIDRAP)
CDC
Bioterrorism website
Centers
for Disease Control: Anthrax
Road Safety
Australia's Rural Road Safety Plan
February 8, 2008 Buses: MOVING THE BUS BACK INTO TRAFFIC SAFELYSIGNAGE AND LIGHTING CONFIGURATION PHASE I The National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida has released a report that explores efforts designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of bus pull-out bays. Efforts examined include lighting and signage on the back of the bus, roadway signs, and Florida yield-to-bus statutes.
Citizens for Highway 49 Safety (Grass Valley, CA)
CRAVE: Concerned Residents about Vasco Experiences (Bay Area, CA)
July 2008: CROSS MEDIAN CRASHES: IDENTIFICATION AND COUNTERMEASURES The goals of this project were to review the state-of-art with regard to identifying highway sections where median barriers would be most effective, and if necessary, develop remedies for any identified deficiencies. The review concluded that, at present, no off-the-shelf method currently exists that adequately addresses this issue. A statistical technique was then developed for using crash records to estimate the frequency and rate of MCCs on each set of highway sections...Estimates which allowed highway sections to be ranked with respect to estimated frequency of MCCs, estimated density of MCCs, or estimated MCC rate were computed, and the results of one such ranking were reported. Finally, a first version of a simulation model was developed for comparing the cost-effectiveness of barrier projects on different highway sections.
July 2008: TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 20, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Head-On Crashes on Freeways: Summary: Although a relatively small proportion of total fatalities, according to FHWA data head-on crashes on freeways and Interstates appear to be increasing in recent years. Head-on crashes can occur under a wide range of circumstances. The predominant geometric feature associated with such crashes is the median, including its width as well as the presence (or absence) of a barrier or similar device, and proximity to interchanges. There is evidence that such crashes are associated with high-risk driver behaviors, including excessive speeding and erratic maneuvers.
Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: The Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have released TRB Special Report 287, Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a workshop held on January 26-27, 2006, in Washington, D.C.
Insurance Information Network of California: The Role of Speed in Traffic Crashes
New Nov. 9: INTERSECTION DECISION SUPPORT: AN OVERVIEW The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies has released a report that explores a rural Intersection Decision Support System.
Road Safety Audits (RSAs): Road safety audits can be used in any phase of project development from planning and preliminary engineering, design and construction. RSAs can also be used on any sized project from minor intersection and roadway retrofits to mega-projects. (FHWA).
Rural Passenger Safety - Texas A&M University
RURAL SAFETY WEBSITE The University of Minnesota has created a new website associated with its Center for Excellence in Rural Safety. Go to Web site>>
RURAL AND URBAN SAFETY CULTURES: HUMAN-CENTERED INTERVENTIONS TOWARD
ZERO DEATHS IN RURAL MINNESOTA The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS)
has released a report that explores the potential contribution of rural
driver attitudes and behavior that may be a causal factor in rural
highway crashes. According to the CTS, the total number of annual
traffic fatalities and the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled
are considerably higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. The
report includes policy suggestions for developing safety interventions
that are designed for the psychosocial factors that define the rural
culture. (January 2008).
Federal Highway Administration's Rural Transportation Planning Workshops
Seat Belt Use
March 2007: UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVATORS AND SITUATIONAL
SAFETY BELT USE
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a
report that explores whether unconscious defense mechanisms can be overcome
to encourage the full-time use of safety belts. The report includes
a literature review on the role of unconscious motivators in response to
safety threats, as well as the results from a meeting of experts in fields
such as psychology, communication, and sociology on the role of unconscious
defense mechanisms in full-time use of safety belts. Download
NHTSA Report in PDF format>>
Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign
Nov. 9: EVALUATION OF THE MAY 2005 CLICK IT OR TICKET MOBILIZATION TO INCREASE SEAT BELT USE: A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on the May 2005 mobilization. Includes three case studies.
February 8: THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATION, ENFORCEMENT, AND SANCTIONS ON SAFETY BELT USE TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 601: The Impact of Legislation, Enforcement, and Sanctions on Safety Belt Use explores the effectiveness of mandatory approaches to increase safety belt usage.
National Safety Belt Coalition
Statistical Methods
February 29, 2008: STATISTICAL METHODS, SAFETY DATA, ANALYSIS, AND EVALUATION 2007 TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2019 includes 30 papers that explore modeling crash frequency by severity, time series analysis of road risk, crash data analysis using bootstrapped maximum likelihood method, time series analysis of the effect of holidays on daily traffic counts, regression-to-mean effect in traffic safety evaluation, roundabouts, and the safety impact of improved signal visibility. This issue of the TRR also examines automated analysis of road safety with video data, route safety assessment, crash prediction models, innovative time series analysis of road marking retroreflectivity and crashes, prediction of fatality rates, safety index of two-lane rural highways, safety planning study of urban freeways, signalized intersection right-angle crashes, and the impact of active speed limiters. In addition, this issue reviews the identification of intersections for red light cameras, animal-vehicle collisions, reliability of road safety estimates, estimating safety benefits of shoulder rumble strips, identifying sites with specific accident types, safety prediction models, the safety effectiveness of changes in shoulder width, relationships between crash involvement and temporal-spatial driving behavior activity patterns, and digitizing information on crash locations.
Statistical Methods and Crash Prediction Modeling TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1950 contains 10 papers that cover topic such as using decomposition in exposure, accident risk, and fatality risk; negative binomial regression techniques; estimating crash modification factors of signal installation; models of injury count by severity; effects of sample size on goodness-of-fit statistic and confidence intervals of crash prediction models; accident prediction models; using macrolevel collision prediction models in road safety planning; and calibration of safety prediction models for planning transportation networks. The TRR: Journal also includes the draft prototype chapter for rural two-lane highways of the "Highway Safety Manual." More>>
Teen Drivers
February 2007: Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens: Results from a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/State Farm Insurance national survey and focus groups of high school students in the U.S. Go to report page>>
July 2008: EFFECTIVENESS OF OREGON'S TEEN LICENSING PROGRAM A report from the Oregon Department of Transportation on the effectiveness of teen licensing laws that went into effect in 2000,expanding the provisional driving license program and establishing a graduated driver licensing program for all drivers under age 18.
Also, Governors Highway Safety Association reaction to the report as it pertains to graduate licensing laws and other policies. Go to Association page>>
A GUIDE FOR REDUCING COLLISIONS INVOLVING YOUNG DRIVERS: TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 19, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Young Drivers provides strategies that can be employed to reduce collisions involving young drivers. (January 2008)
November 2006: Evaluating Driver Education Programs: Comprehensive Guidelines The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that provides background for planning and conducting evaluation of beginner driver education, and for integrating evaluations into program development and policy. The report explores a range of evaluations and is written primarily for program evaluators, researchers, and other technical audiences. Actual tools, such as surveys, focus group guides, and log books that can be used or adapted for evaluating beginner driver education programs, are included in the publication. More>>
November 2006: Methods for Reaching Young Adults with Traffic Safety Messages: a summary released by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Includes descriptions of campaigns by state DOTs, commerical media outlets and federal agencies.
November 2006: Turning Young Drivers Into Survivors: A new FHWA outreach campaign educates teens on work zone safety. More>>
DRIVER EDUCATION: THE PATH AHEAD TRB’s Transportation Research Circular E-C101 includes a series of papers that were presented at a workshop held on September 12–13, 2005, in Washington, D.C. Issues covered by papers in the circular include novice drivers, content of driver education, instructional methods for young drivers, student competency measures, novice driver training effectiveness evaluation, and the future of driver education.
Transit and Rail
American Public Transportation Association
Bay Area Transportation
and Land Use Coalition
A BETTER WAY TO GO U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), has released a report that explores the potential future role that rail, rapid buses, and other forms of public transit could play in America’s future transportation system.
July 2008: California Transit Links
Quick links to California transit agencies and systems, including larger agencies and local transit organized by county and city. Includes bus systems, ferries, airport transportation, paratransit, dial-a-ride services, trolley, commuter rail, and university, business, and shopping shuttles. From the American Public Transportation Association.
Source: Librarians' Internet Index (LII)
COMPILATION OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY DEVICES IN USE AT GRADE CROSSINGS The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has released a report that explores the state of the practice of pedestrian accommodation at rail grade crossings, including pedestrian-only crossings.
Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database
Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Library
University-based Organization Links
Transportation
Iowa State--Center for Transportation Research and Education
U of Florida--Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program
Northwestern-- Traffic Institute and Center for Public Safety
Penn State--Crash Safety Research Center
U or North Carolina--Highway Safety Research Center
WalkingInfo/BicyclingInfo at UNC-HSRC
U of Michigan--Transportation Research Institute
San Diego State--California Institute of Transportation Safety
Texas Transportation Institute
California
PATH
UC
Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies
University
of California Transportation Center
DOT University Transportation Centers
ITS
Research Centers of Excellence
Texas
A&M (RCE
Clearinghouse)
University
of Michigan
Virginia
Tech
University
of Minnesota
Injury Prevention and Control
UCSF--San
Francisco
Injury
Center
U
of
North
Carolina--Injury
Prevention
Research
Center
Harvard--Harvard
Injury
Control
Research
Center
UCLA--Southern
California
Injury
Prevention
Research Center
Johns
Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy
U of Washington--Harborview
Injury Prevention Research Center
U of Iowa--UI
Injury Prevention Research Center
U of Alabama--UAB Injury
Control Research Center
Emory University--Center
for Injury Control also Emory University School of Public Health Nutrition Environments Measures Survey: a training program on the nutrition environment measures for researchers and community advocates and leaders so they can use the tools for research and action in their own communities.
Vehicle safety
IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 4 This issue of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Status Report magazine issue explores the use of cell phones by teens while driving.
April 25, 2008: IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 3 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores vehicle crash avoidance features.
February 8, 2008: IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 43, NO. 1 The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores travel speeds on the nation's roadways and consequences of exceeding posted speed limits.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety STATUS REPORT: VOL. 42, NO. 11:The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores vehicles passenger protection in front, side, and rear crashes based on IIHS tests. (January 2008).