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The main purpose of this research is to examine the effect of game-based learning on knowledge acquisition and retention of road rules. A secondary purpose of this study is to investigate possible gender differences related to such an approach. The third purpose is to explore the relationship between beliefs and knowledge acquisition. This quasi-experimental study employed pretest-posttests design involving 42 participants, randomly selected from people in Alberta, Canada. The participants took a pretest, played a game specifically designed to help players learn road rules, and then two posttests. The results show that gaming not only can improve players' knowledge of road rules and road safety but also can help players retain such knowledge. However, no gender difference was identified in knowledge gain after the gaming intervention.

The safety of pedestrians, such as workers who largely walk to and from work, has not been given sufficient attention, especially in the area of traffic safety in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Although the National Road Safety Strategy has a very strong emphasis on road safety education and publicity campaigns, the road safety knowledge may not have reached these vulnerable road users who most needed them. Moreover, little is known about the penetration rate of these campaigns and who have benefited or not benefited from them. On the other hand, the developing country, like Bangladesh, is heavily dependent on its Readymade Garment (RMG) workers for earning foreign currency, and walking is one of the major mode of transports of those workers. The objective of this study is to identify those who are not reach by the safety education. Results from a survey of 1020 RMG workers around Dhaka identified several socioeconomic, demographic, travel characteristics and accident experience that affect the most vulnerable segments who are left out of the system. The findings of this study would help the policy makers to arrange necessary road safety education for the most vulnerable cohorts of pedestrians to encourage the continued use of this sustainable mode of commute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research on the marginal effects of changes in the vehicle mix on road safety is presented. It is concluded that increasing the number of cars and buses would reduce the number of fatal crashes while increasing the number of motorcycles, trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans will increase the frequency of fatal crashes.

Walking, cycling, and feeder bus/tram for first- and last-mile (FLM) train access are often considered to have better health benefits, lower cost, and less environmental impacts than driving. However, little is known about the road safety impacts of these FLM access modes, particularly at a network level. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of train commuters' access modes on road safety in Victoria, Australia. Macroscopic analyses of crash outcomes in each zone (i.e., Statistical Area Level 1) were performed using negative binomial (NB) and spatially lagged X negative binomial (SLXNB), accounting for potential indirect effects of mode shares in adjacent zones. This macroscopic analysis approach enabled the consideration of the safety effects across the network. The results showed that the SLXNB models outperformed the NB models. Commuting by train, either with walking or car as FLM access mode, was negatively associated with both total and severe crashes. In addition, commuting by train with feeder bus/tram access mode was negatively associated with severe crashes. Interestingly, commuting by train with cycling access mode was negatively associated with total crashes, with a larger effect when compared to walking and car access modes. Overall, the results suggested promoting active transport as FLM train access mode would lead to an improvement in road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: Every year, about 1.24 million people are killed in traffic crashes worldwide and more than 22% of these deaths are pedestrians. Therefore, pedestrian safety has become a significant traffic safety issue worldwide. In order to develop effective and targeted safety programs, the location- and time-specific influences on vehicle-pedestrian crashes must be assessed. The main purpose of this research is to explore the influence of pedestrian age and gender on the temporal and spatial distribution of vehicle-pedestrian crashes to identify the hotspots and hot times.Methods: Data for all vehicle-pedestrian crashes on public roadways in the Melbourne metropolitan area from 2004 to 2013 are used in this research. Spatial autocorrelation is applied in examining the vehicle-pedestrian crashes in geographic information systems (GIS) to identify any dependency between time and location of these crashes. Spider plots and kernel density estimation (KDE) are then used to determine the temporal and spatial patterns of vehicle-pedestrian crashes for different age groups and genders.Results: Temporal analysis shows that pedestrian age has a significant influence on the temporal distribution of vehicle-pedestrian crashes. Furthermore, men and women have different crash patterns. In addition, results of the spatial analysis shows that areas with high risk of vehicle-pedestrian crashes can vary during different times of the day for different age groups and genders. For example, for those between ages 18 and 65, most vehicle-pedestrian crashes occur in the central business district (CBD) during the day, but between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., crashes among this age group occur mostly around hotels, clubs, and bars.Conclusions: This research reveals that temporal and spatial distributions of vehicle-pedestrian crashes vary for different pedestrian age groups and genders. Therefore, specific safety measures should be in place during high crash times at different locations for different age groups and genders to increase the effectiveness of the countermeasures in preventing and reducing vehicle-pedestrian crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to identify the factors differentiating between single heavy vehicle collisions at intersections and midblocks by using a binary logit model. Our results show that single vehicle crashes involving heavy vehicle at intersections are more likely to occur on main roads and highways, whereas crashes at midblocks are more likely to occur on divided two-way roads, roads with special facilities or features (e.g. bridge) and roads with a higher percentage of heavy vehicle traffic. Intersection crashes are also more likely to involve vehicles that are turning left or right, resulting in angle crashes and vehicle overturn, whereas midblock crashes are more likely to involve vehicles on higher posted speed roads. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The binary logistic model has been extensively used to analyze traffic collision and injury data where the outcome of interest has two categories. However, the assumption of a symmetric distribution may not be a desirable property in some cases, especially when there is a significant imbalance in the two categories of outcome. This study compares the standard binary logistic model with the skewed logistic model in two cases in which the symmetry assumption is violated in one but not the other case. The differences in the estimates, and thus the marginal effects obtained, are significant when the assumption of symmetry is violated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxis experience a higher risk of a motor vehicle crash partly because of their much higher levels of exposure on the roads. Although several studies have been conducted to examine the factors associated with the frequency and severity of taxi collisions, little research has been conducted to examine the differences in the factors associated with owner taxis and non-owner taxis. This study finds that collisions involving non-owners are more likely to be associated with poor or risky driving behaviors than collisions involving taxi vehicle owners. This result is consistent with the economic principles of moral hazard and adverse selection. Hence, policy makers responsible for traffic safety, taxi regulation or taxi operations should consider measures to reduce these market inefficiencies and improve the safety of not only taxi drivers but all road users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Motorcycle riders would be more vulnerable in the event of a crash because of their lack of protection which would often result in them suffering more severe injuries than car drivers. This paper estimated three crash severity models to identify factors that contributed to increasing the severity of motorcycle involved crashes in the Canadian City of Calgary. We found that results from the ordered logit model, heterogeneous choice model and partially constrained generalized ordered logit model produced estimates that were very similar which attested to their robustness. Injury severity tended to increase in neighborhoods with loops and lollipops types of streets or involved right-angle and left-turn-across-path crashes, a truck, unsafe speed or alcohol use but tended to decrease if the crash occurred in parking lots or during winter, involved a van or male rider, or a rider following-too-closely to the vehicle in front. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the effect of different urban street patterns on vehicle-pedestrian crash severity. Pedestrian crash data for the City of Calgary for the years 2003–2005 were used to estimate a partially constrained generalized ordered logit model. Besides street pattern, many variables related to drivers, road, environment and traffic characteristics were used as control variables. The results indicated that currently popular urban street patterns, like loops and lollipops design, were found to be associated with higher pedestrian crash severity, when compared to the traditional gridiron pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the population in most developed countries continues to age, there is an increasing concern about its effect on traffic safety, resulting in calls to tighten the licensing renewal policies for mature drivers. This study examines the licensing requirements in five Canadian provinces and their respective vehicle collision rates for ageing drivers. Contrary to expectation, we find a positive correlation between the stringency of the licensing system and the mean crash rates. Therefore, increasing the mandatory testing and licensing requirements is not recommended at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road crashes not only claim lives but also impose an economic burden on society due to loss of productivity. Researchers are continuously developing crash models to get a better understanding of the factors affecting crash occurrences and severity. The objective of this study is to explore the influence of neighborhood characteristics on crash injury using the City of Calgary as a case study. A logistic model is estimated using the data for single vehicle crashes for the years 2003-2005. Our results show that limited access street patterns are safer than the traditional grid-iron pattern but the effect is not significant. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article estimated a multinomial logit model to identify the factors determining the severity of pedestrian-vehicle crashes in South Korea. Our results showed that relative to minor crashes, fatal and serious crashes were associated with collisions involving heavy vehicles; drivers who were drunk, male or under the age of 65; pedestrians who were over the age of 65 or female; and pedestrians who were hit in the middle of the road, on high speed roads, in inclement weather conditions, at night, on road links, in tunnels, on bridges, or on wider roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Red light cameras are installed in many jurisdictions around the world to improve road safety by discouraging red light running behaviour at signalized intersections. In many jurisdictions, a smaller number of cameras are rotated among a larger number of locations to increase the effectiveness of the red light camera programs. This study outlines some arguments for deciding the best deployment strategy that can be used to rotate these cameras, focusing on the deterrent effects of enforcement and punishment on driver behaviour. A simple on-road experiment is then conducted to determine the effectiveness of three different rotation schemes. Our results suggest that not moving the cameras and keeping enforcement predictable yields a lower average violation rate than moving the cameras around and making enforcement uncertain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite their growing popularity in North America, little research has been conducted on understanding the effects of roadside memorials on drivers’ behaviour. In this study, we examined the short-term effects of roadside memorials on traffic speed and headways on a high speed intercity freeway as well as its long-term effect on traffic speed on a high speed urban freeway. Our study found that the placement of roadside memorials did not have any significant effect on traffic speeds or headways, either in the short or long term. Therefore, concerns about the negative effects on driver behaviour were not supported by this research, at least with regards to speeding and following too closely. However, no positive effects on safety were found either. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 50 years, the loops and lollipop design has become the basic building block of many urban neighborhoods. In the field of traffic engineering, this combination of cul-de-sacs and loop streets is designed to discourage through traffic and improve road safety and thus has the support of many traffic engineers. Perhaps due to its intuitive appeal, few studies were conducted to examine the impact of this design on road crashes. Using the City of Calgary in Canada as a case study, this study examines the effects of different neighborhood street patterns on the number of reported crashes. Our results suggest that currently popular road patterns such as warped parallel, loops and lollipops, lollipops on a stick, and mixed shapes are associated with fewer crashes than traditional gridiron pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite their growing popularity in North America, little research has been conducted on understanding the effects of roadside memorials on drivers’ behaviour. In this study, an online survey of 810 drivers found that public opinions on the policy options as well as drivers’ self-reported reactions to the presence of roadside memorials were fairly divided. In addition, an on-road experiment was conducted to examine the short term effects of roadside memorials at two intersections. Our results showed that the number of red light violations was reduced by 16.7% in the 6 weeks after the installation of the mock memorials compared to the 6 weeks before whereas the number of violations at two comparison sites experienced an increase of 16.8%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The safety effects of the ageing driving population have been a topic of research interests in health and transportation economics in recent years due to the ageing of the baby boomers. This study adds to the current knowledge by examining the marginal effects of changing the driver mix on injury crashes using data from the Canadian Province of Alberta between 1990 and 2004. Results from a Poisson regression model reveal that increasing the number of young and ageing drivers will result in an increase in the number of injury crashes whereas increasing the number of middle-aged drivers will result in a reduction. These results are in contrast to those obtained in a previous study on the marginal effects of changing the driver mix on fatal crashes in the Australian State of Queensland and some possible explanations for the differing results are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Leaving the scene of a crash without reporting it is an offence in most countries and many studies have been devoted to improving ways to identify hit-and-run vehicles and the drivers involved. However, relatively few studies have been conducted on identifying factors that contribute to the decision to run after the crash. This study identifies the factors that are associated with the likelihood of hit-and-run crashes including driver characteristics, vehicle types, crash characteristics, roadway features and environmental characteristics. Using a logistic regression model to delineate hit-and-run crashes from nonhit-and-run crashes, this study found that drivers were more likely to run when crashes occurred at night, on a bridge and flyover, bend, straight road and near shop houses; involved two vehicles, two-wheel vehicles and vehicles from neighboring countries; and when the driver was a male, minority, and aged between 45 and 69. On the other hand, collisions involving right turn and U-turn maneuvers, and occurring on undivided roads were less likely to be hit-and-run crashes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intelligent transportation systems have been promoted as a means to improve both the efficiency and safety of the road network. The effectiveness of advanced technologies in improving road safety has been an area of research which has thus far yielded mixed results. In order to ensure that advanced technologies deliver on their intended outcomes, more research has to be devoted to understanding road users' perceptions and reactions to these systems. This study examines drivers' perceptions of the use of dynamic message signs and their self-reported reactions to the messages displayed. In general, drivers support the use of highway electronic boards for traffic incident reports and weather information which have an impact on traffic delays and level of service. They also think that it is a good idea to display road safety messages and to remind drivers to drive safely and be courteous on the roads. Moreover, most drivers reported that they do read and think about the messages displayed and react positively to some of the road safety messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic injury is one of the most significant global public health issues of the 21st century. The extent to which negative, fear-evoking messages represent effective persuasive strategies remains a contentious public and empirical issue. Nevertheless, negative, fear-based appeals represent a frequently used approach in Australasian road safety advertising. The authors conducted a series of focus groups with 16 licensed drivers to explore the potential utility of appeals to emotions other than fear. More specifically, they sought to explore the utility of positive emotional appeals, such as those incorporating humor. The themes emerging from the qualitative analysis suggested that both emotion and the provision of strategies are key components contributing to the overall persuasiveness of a road safety advertisement. Overall, it appears there is support for researchers and health advertising practitioners to provide further attention to the role that positive emotional appeals might play in future campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary explores the efficacy of a road safety advertising campaign in changing drivers' perceptions and intentions to drink and drive. Using data collected via a survey on a sample of students at Lincoln University in New Zealand in October 1999, this study found that the campaign appeared to be successful in increasing the perceived apprehension and crash risks associated with drunk driving and decreasing the intentions of the drivers to drink and drive. However, contrary to expectation, the campaign did not elicit a stronger change in the target audience relative to the nontarget audience. There was partial evidence to support the publicity campaign, but some refinements could be made to increase its efficacy among the target audience. In particular, the level of fear arousal should be moderated and the audience should be provided with effective and viable coping strategies to address the threat associated with drunk driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of fear arousal and perceived efficacy on the acceptance and rejection of road safety advertising messages that are typical in Australia and New Zealand. Our results suggest that the level of fear arousal could be lowered without a significant effect on the message acceptance rates but could result in a lower rate of message rejection. Our results also suggest that the inclusion of explicit coping strategies in the road safety advertisements has a significant positive effect on message acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although a proficient knowledge of the road rules is important to safe driving, many drivers do not retain the knowledge acquired after they have obtained their licenses. Hence, more innovative and appealing methods are needed to improve drivers’ knowledge of the road rules. This study examines the effect of game based learning on drivers’ knowledge acquisition and retention. We find that playing an entertaining game that is designed to impart knowledge of the road rules not only improves players’ knowledge but also helps them retain such knowledge. Hence, learning by gaming appears to be a promising learning approach for driver education. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Collision odds associated with reversible lanes appear to be higher overall for all study effect estimates combined. • Collision odds were also higher for property damage only collisions, injury collisions and peak-period collisions. • Meta-regression showed that presence of left-turn restrictions, delineator correlated with a decrease in crashes. • Presence of dynamic traffic control and static traffic control were both correlated with an increase in crashes. • Cross-sectional/comparative studies also tended to find greater effects than simple before-after studies. A meta-analysis was performed to review the potential effects of reversible lanes on traffic safety. A systematic review resulted in ten U.S studies, with 155 estimates of safety effects, that were selected for inclusion in the analysis. These studies employed either a simple before-after comparison or a cross-sectional comparison methodology. Study results were extracted by transforming the collision rates and frequencies of these studies into a log-odds ratio. The results of the meta-analysis suggest that the odds of a collision occurring are 30.9% higher for roads with reversible lanes when compared to roads without the treatment. The odds of a property-damage-only collision are predicted to be 16.6% higher, and injury collisions are predicted to be 34.9% higher with reversible lanes compared to no-treatment. The odds of a collision occurring during the peak period are expected to be 46.2% higher, while the odds of an off-peak period collision occurring are expected to be 12.8% higher. These results were statistically significant, with the exception of the off-peak period collision result. A meta-regression was performed, which regresses variables related to study type, collision type and operational characteristics of the study locations on the extracted log odds ratio. Peak period operations were positively and significantly correlated with an increase in crashes. Presence of left-turn restrictions and/or delineator/barrier were negatively correlated with crashes, whereas the presence of dynamic traffic control and static traffic control were positively correlated with crashes. Finally, cross sectional studies tend to find greater effects than before-after studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]