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There are many accidents in road traffic involving both heavy goods vehicles and passenger vehicles, and the interpretation of the causes of some accidents can be very difficult. The paper presents the results of an analysis of the road accident causes involving a truck and two passenger cars. The hypothesis was verified that the incident took place after the damage to the front wheel of the truck, which resulted in an uncontrolled change of the direction of its travel and leaving the lane in the opposite direction of the passenger cars. The damaged tire was inspected, and traces were described in the form of cracks on the side surface, irregular abrasion on the central part of the side surface and near the bead, as well as deformations resulting from damage to the cord. The thesis was made that the tire cracked as a result of its material structure defects. In order to verify it, bench tests were carried out on the deformation of the tire sidewall at various load conditions, which simulated driving with too little air pressure in the tire. Detailed studies of the fracture of the tire sidewall and the wires that make up its steel cord were carried out. Macroscopic examination of the cord wires on eight samples revealed the presence of corrosion changes that should not occur under normal operating conditions. The results of the research work indicate that tire rupture was caused by delamination of the material coatings and corrosion of the steel cord wires. These defects could have arisen due to the earlier cracking of the rubber layer and the ingress of moisture or as a result of the use of corroded steel cord wires in tire production. In the analyzed case, the driver could not regain control of the vehicle and avoid a collision with oncoming vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driver's reaction time is one of the most important parameters for the road preaccident analysis. There are known the results of tests, in which the value of this parameter was determined in expected and unexpected road situations. But in some cases, this time may be longer e.g. in situations in which the driver's attention may be distracted by keeping observations other than the area, in front of the car's surroundings. There are many manoeuvres, when the driver is obliged to observe many areas at the same time. Thus, his attention must be turned away from the main area - in front of the vehicle. The paper presents the results of tests involving the measurement of the driver's attention time focused on observing the surrounding other than the car's path. During the test, the driver's attention was focus on observing the side and back mirror, car radio and at the mobile phone. Certain values can be potentially considered as extending the typical driver's reaction time. The results of the presented tests have practical applications and can be used in the process of issuing opinions on traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of the research describing the changes of bicycle pedal angle relative to the ground, depending on the bicycle crank setting, and the impact of these parameters on detecting the reflective effect emitted by the reflective elements mounted on the bicycle pedals. The results of the road tests determining the cyclist detecting by a car driver, when bicycle is equipped only with bicycle pedals, reflective lights, illuminated with car's passing lights are also presented. The research described in this article has been carried out for the purpose of reviewing the causes of traffic accidents, occurring at night, in the areas not illuminated by the street lights, in which the cyclists using defective bicycles (according to the regulations) took part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]