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The symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make driving risky, but little is known about the on-road driving behaviour of individuals with ASD. This study assessed and compared the on-road driving performance of drivers with and without ASD, and explored how the symptomatology of ASD hinders or facilitates on-road driving performance. Sixteen drivers with ASD and 21 typically-developed drivers participated in the study. Drivers with ASD underperformed in vehicle manoeuvring, especially at left-turns, right-turns and pedestrian crossings. However, drivers with ASD outperformed the TD group in aspects related to rule-following such as using the indicator at roundabouts and checking for cross-traffic when approaching intersections. Drivers with ASD in the current study presented with a range of capabilities and weaknesses during driving., Author(s): Derserri Y. Chee [sup.1] , Hoe C. Lee [sup.1] , Ann-Helen Patomella [sup.2] , Torbjörn Falkmer [sup.1] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Faculty [...]

This research lies within the framework of identifying and validating practical and cost-effective solutions that would contribute to reusing millions of tons of granular materials from abrasives spread every year in Quebec to ensure transportation safety in winter. The behavior of abrasives shows degradation of their inherent properties, essentially due to a transformation of their grading range that shrinks, resulting mainly from compressive stresses between the passing of traffic and the pavement. Nonetheless, they keep their mechanical properties classifying them in category 1 fines in the NQ 2560-11/2002 standard of the 'Bureau de normalisation du Quebec' in 2002. The results of physical characterization tests show a number of re-use possibilities in line with current laws, standards and regulations in Quebec. An application in asphalt mixes is successfully tested. Key words: abrasives, recycling, re-use, pavements, hydrocylone seperation, fines. Cette recherche s'inscrit dans le contexte de l'identification et de la validation de solutions pratiques et economiques qui permettraient de reutiliser des millions de tonnes de materiaux granulaires d'abrasifs epandus chaque annee au Quebec pour assurer la securite des transports en periode hivernale. Le comportement des abrasifs montre une degradation de leurs proprietes intrinseques, due essentiellement a une transformation de leur fuseau granulometrique qui retrecit, laquelle resulte des efforts principalement de compression entre le passage du trafic et la chaussee. Il n'en demeure pas moins qu'ils conservent des proprietes mecaniques qui les classent dans la categorie 1 des materiaux fins de la norme NQ 2560-11/2002 etablie par le Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (BNQ) en 2002. Les resultats des essais de caracterisation physique leur permettent un certain nombre de possibilites de reutilisation en adequation avec les lois, les normes et les reglements en vigueur au Quebec. Une application dans les enrobes est a ce titre testee avec succes. Mots-cles : abrasifs, recyclage, reutilisation, enrobes, hydrocylonage, fines., 1. Introduction L'epandage de materiaux abrasifs en viabilite hivernale est une necessite. Au printemps, les residus sont balayes mecaniquement et transportes le plus souvent dans des sites d'entreposage et d'enfouissement. [...]

The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety impacts of unconventional outside left-turn lane at signalized intersections. New designed unconventional outside left-turn lanes are increasingly used at signalized intersections in urban areas in China. The unconventional outside left-turn lane design allows an exclusive left-turn lane to be located to the right of through lanes to improve the efficiency and increase the capacity of left-turn movements. However, the design also raises some concerns regarding potential negative safety impacts. The evaluation is conducted using an automated video-based traffic conflict technique. The traffic conflicts approach provides better understanding of collision contributing factors and the failure mechanism that leads to road collisions. Traffic conflicts are automatically detected and time to collision is calculated based on the analysis of the vehicles' positions in space and time. Video data are collected from a signalized intersection in Nanjing, China, where both traditional inside and unconventional outside left-turn lanes are installed on two intersection approaches. The other two approaches have only inside left-turn lanes. The study compared frequency and severity of conflict for left-turning vehicles as well as the percentage of vehicles involved in conflicts from the inside and outside left-turn lanes. The results show that the intersection approaches with outside left-turn lanes had considerably more conflicts compared to approaches without outside left-turn lanes. As well, the approaches with outside left-turn lanes had significantly higher conflict severity than the approaches without outside left-turn lanes. As such, it is recommended that the trade-off between the improved mobility and negative safety impact of outside left-turn lanes be carefully considered before recommending their installation. Key words: safety analysis, traffic conflicts, computer vision, outside left- turn lanes. Resume : L'objectif de cette etude est d'evaluer les repercussions sur la securite des voies tourne-a-gauche exterieures non conventionnelles aux carrefours a feux. On effectue l'evaluation a l'aide des techniques de conflit de circulation automatisees a partir d'enregistrements video. Les conflits de circulation sont automatiquement detectes et le temps avant la collision est calcule en fonction de l'analyse des positions des vehicules dans l'espace et le temps. On a recueilli des donnees video provenant d'un carrefour a feux a Nanjing en Chine, oU a la fois des voies traditionnelles interieures ainsi que des voies non conventionnelles tourne-a-gauche exterieures sont installees a deux approches de carrefour. L'etude a compare la frequence et la gravite des conflits des vehicules tournant a gauche ainsi que le pourcentage de vehicules impliques dans des conflits dans les voies de tourne-a-gauche interieures et exterieures. Les resultats montrent que les approches de carrefour ayant des voies de tourne-a-gauche exterieures avaient plus de conflits et une gravite de conflit plus elevee comparees aux approches sans voies de tourne-a-gauche exterieures. On recommande de soigneusement considerer le choix entre l'amelioration de la mobilite et les effets negatifs des voies tourne-a-gauche exterieures sur la securite avant de recommander leur installation. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : analyse de la securite, conflits de circulation, vision artificielle, voies tourne-a-gauche exterieures., Introduction China has seen significant increase in private vehicle ownership over the past two decades, which has resulted in high levels of traffic congestion. In many large cities in China, [...]

Objectives. We examined whether feedback from an event-triggered video intervention system reduced the number of safety-relevant driving errors made by newly licensed adolescents. Methods. We used a 1-group pretest--posttest quasi-experimental design to compare the rate of coachable error events per 1000 miles for 18 drivers who were aged 16 years. The intervention consisted of immediate visual feedback provided to the drivers and weekly event reports and videos provided to the drivers and their parents. Results. The number of coachable events was reduced by 61% overall during the intervention ([chi square]=11.42; P=.001) and did not significantly increase during the second baseline, which was assessed after the intervention ended ([chi square]=1.49; P=.223). The greatest reduction was seen in the category of improper turns or curves and for drivers identified at the first baseline as 'high-event' drivers. Conclusions. Our results show that immediate visual feedback for adolescents and cumulative video feedback for parents and adolescents during the early period of independent driving can have a dramatic influence on the rate of safety-relevant driving events. To the extent that such events are a proxy for crash risk, we suggest that feedback can enhance adolescent driving safety. (Am J Public Health. 2010;100:1101-1106. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.165829)

Background. Despite sensational news reports, few studies have quantified the rates of poor driving performance among older drivers and the predictors of poor performance. We determined the rate of running red traffic lights among older drivers and the relationship of failure to stop to measures of vision and cognition. Methods. Multiple measures of vision and cognition were collected at the baseline examination of a population of 1,425 drivers aged 67-87 years in greater Salisbury, Maryland. Each driver had real-time data collected on 5 days of driving performance at baseline and again at l year. Failure to stop at a red traffic light was the primary outcome. Results. Overall, 3.8% of older drivers failed to stop at red traffic lights, with 15% of those who ran the light having failed 10% or more of the traffic lights they encountered. A narrowing of the attentional visual field (AVF; the extent of peripheral vision in which objects are detected while attention is also centrally fixated) was associated with failure to stop at traffic fights at baseline and predictive 1 year later (incidence rate ratio = 1.09 per degree lost, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.16). Persons with smaller vertical AVF were more likely to fail to stop. No demographic or vision variable was related to failure to stop. Conclusions. Failure to stop at red lights was a relatively uncommon event in older drivers and associated with reduced ability to pay attention to visual events in the vertical field of vision. Key Words: Vision--Visual attention--Cognition--Driving--Older population. doi:10.1093/gerona/glp136