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Predicting accident involvement with the motorcycle operator skill test
acting on the lateral lobes, or shearing stress producing relative displacement between lobes were postulated as major injury-producing mechanical factors. Approximately 350 kPa of belt pressure or 60% upper abdominal compression at 1.7 m/s was necessary to produce a hepatic surface injury, but the beagle may be predisposed to such injury compared to a human because of increased exposure of its abdomen to the belt webbing. Accordingly, this study does not assess the potential for a belt-induced liver injury to a restrained individual in a rapiddeceleration environment, nor does the study attempt to simulate the performance of any particular current or previous restraint system. Influence of juries in Side and 1. Bloch, Car Crash 291.
Arm Position on Thoracic InImpact. D. Cesari, M. Ramet, Proceedings of the 25th Stapp Conference, 1981, pp. 271-
The thorax is frequently involved in side impact accidents; in such accidents, injuries to the thorax are related to the intrusion. The position of the impacted side arm can affect the occurring of thoracic injuries in side impact. This study describes the results of 15 side impact thoracic tests performed on 8 cadavers; most of these tests were conducted with arm involvement (the upper arm was placed along the thorax and the impact was transmitted to the thorax through the arm). The results of these tests were compared to the results of 6 tests previously published, conducted without arm involvement (the impact was applied directly to the thorax). From these results, it appears that the arm offers a limited protection when it is placed along the thorax, by distributing impact forces on the chest, and that the BLUR criterion is not well correlated with thoracic injury severity.
Measurement of Effectiveness of Rear-TumSignal Systems in Reducing Vehicle Accidents from an Analysis of Actual Accident Data. G. W. Taylor and W. K. Ng, Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., 1981, Warrendale, PA. Winter 1982/Volume 13/Number 4
A study of vehicle accident data from insurance claim files was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of red and amber turn-signal systems in reducing rearend collisions. The effectiveness was measured in terms of the relative frequency of accidents involving these systems, with respect to a number of vehicle, environment, and driver factors. Control for vehicle exposure was made by comparing the nonturning accidents with the turning accidents for the relevant rear-turn signal systems. Analyses revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in rear-end accident rates between the red and amber turn-signal systems. On the basis of safety benefits, the results of the study did not appear to provide sufficient justification for changes to the present Motor Vehicle Safety Standards regarding the functional separation and color coding in a rear-turn-signal system.
A Method for Determining the Accident Potential of an Intersection. R. 1. Brown, Traffic Engineering and Control, 1981, 22(12), 648-651, This paper describes a study into the feasibility of predicting the accident potential at an intersection by the application of a model based on accident occurrence at individual conflict points within a four-legged intersection with two-way flow on each leg and which is controlled by traffic signals. The general objectives of this study were to develop a method that will serve as a means of rapidly ascertaining the safety performance of existing intersections and which, at the same time, can be used to predict the effect on safety performance of proposed road changes both from the point of view of the type of intersection and the volume and pattern of traffic movements at that intersection.
Predicting Accident Involvement with the Motorcycle Operator Skill Test. B. A. Jonah, N. E. Dawson, and B. W. Bragg, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 1981, 13(4), 307-318. The present study was conducted to assess 179
the predictive validity of the Motorcycle Operator Skill Test (MOST) developed by McPherson and M&night (1976). It was anticipated that among licensed motorcyclists those scoring higher on this off-road skill test would be less likely to become involved in an accident than motorcyclists scoring lower. A sample of motorcycle operator license applicants was administered the MOST in addition to the regular licensing test. These motorcyclists were contacted about a year later and queried about their riding experiences including motorcycle accidents. Driver records were also searched for 6 months after the motorcycl~t was licensed. Although bivariate analyses indicated that high scorers on the MOST were more likely to have had an accident than low scorers, multivariate analyses revealed no effect of test performance on subsequent accident involvement. However, accident likelihood was found to decrease as a function of age and increase as a function of vehicle distance traveled (i.e., exposure). Quantification of Side Impact Responses and Injuries. D. KffZl~er~s,R, h&tern, G. Schmidt, and R. H. Eppinger, Proceedings of the 25th Stapp Cur Crash Conference, 1981, pp. 28-30. Side impacts have been shown to produce a large portion of both serious and fatal injuries within the total automotive crash problem. These injuries are produced as a result of the rapid changes in velocity an automobile occupant’s body experiences during a crash. Any improvement to the side impact problem will be brought about by means that will ultimately modify the occupant’s rapid body motions to such a degree that they will no longer produce injuries of serious consequences. The study observed responses and injuries to 10 fresh unembalmed cadaveric specimens in lateral impact
180
tests conducted under 4 different conditions - 24 km/h (15 mph) lateral impact into a rigid wall, 32 km/h (20 mph) lateral impact into a rigid wall, and 32 km/h (20 mph) lateral impact into two different types of padding material. Examination of the data reveals that the acceleration response of several specimens are almost identical for a given impact condition and this is in contrast to the variability of trauma outcome for the same set of tests. This leads to the conclusions that an anthropomorphic test device can be built that incorporates the mechanical characteristics of a large portion of the population and that to use this device .to ascertain the injury risk to a iarge and diverse population at risk, the injury functions used to predict the hazard must not only have kinematic parameters as independent variables but other physical descriptors of the population as well.
Road Crashes and Injuries in Quebec (1974): Patterns Among Many Variables. R. R. Bowbeau, C. 1;. Nadeau, R. L. Latour, and U. Maag, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 1981, 13(#), 349-355. Data on 1008 Quebec road victims obtained from linkage of governmental records have led to different types of analyses. This article presents an application of correspondence analysis to these data. We have chosen one example with its specific results showing expected association between variables and new, unexpected associations which are plausible. The resulting patterns indicate a clear distinction between hospitalized and nonhospitalized victims and between a rural and an urban type of road crash. This multidimensional approach gives an overall picture of the patterns among the vehicles studied, indicating which subsets of variables might be investigated further.
Journal of Safety Research
Arm Position on Thoracic InImpact. D. Cesari, M. Ramet, Proceedings of the 25th Stapp Conference, 1981, pp. 271-
The thorax is frequently involved in side impact accidents; in such accidents, injuries to the thorax are related to the intrusion. The position of the impacted side arm can affect the occurring of thoracic injuries in side impact. This study describes the results of 15 side impact thoracic tests performed on 8 cadavers; most of these tests were conducted with arm involvement (the upper arm was placed along the thorax and the impact was transmitted to the thorax through the arm). The results of these tests were compared to the results of 6 tests previously published, conducted without arm involvement (the impact was applied directly to the thorax). From these results, it appears that the arm offers a limited protection when it is placed along the thorax, by distributing impact forces on the chest, and that the BLUR criterion is not well correlated with thoracic injury severity.
Measurement of Effectiveness of Rear-TumSignal Systems in Reducing Vehicle Accidents from an Analysis of Actual Accident Data. G. W. Taylor and W. K. Ng, Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., 1981, Warrendale, PA. Winter 1982/Volume 13/Number 4
A study of vehicle accident data from insurance claim files was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of red and amber turn-signal systems in reducing rearend collisions. The effectiveness was measured in terms of the relative frequency of accidents involving these systems, with respect to a number of vehicle, environment, and driver factors. Control for vehicle exposure was made by comparing the nonturning accidents with the turning accidents for the relevant rear-turn signal systems. Analyses revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in rear-end accident rates between the red and amber turn-signal systems. On the basis of safety benefits, the results of the study did not appear to provide sufficient justification for changes to the present Motor Vehicle Safety Standards regarding the functional separation and color coding in a rear-turn-signal system.
A Method for Determining the Accident Potential of an Intersection. R. 1. Brown, Traffic Engineering and Control, 1981, 22(12), 648-651, This paper describes a study into the feasibility of predicting the accident potential at an intersection by the application of a model based on accident occurrence at individual conflict points within a four-legged intersection with two-way flow on each leg and which is controlled by traffic signals. The general objectives of this study were to develop a method that will serve as a means of rapidly ascertaining the safety performance of existing intersections and which, at the same time, can be used to predict the effect on safety performance of proposed road changes both from the point of view of the type of intersection and the volume and pattern of traffic movements at that intersection.
Predicting Accident Involvement with the Motorcycle Operator Skill Test. B. A. Jonah, N. E. Dawson, and B. W. Bragg, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 1981, 13(4), 307-318. The present study was conducted to assess 179
the predictive validity of the Motorcycle Operator Skill Test (MOST) developed by McPherson and M&night (1976). It was anticipated that among licensed motorcyclists those scoring higher on this off-road skill test would be less likely to become involved in an accident than motorcyclists scoring lower. A sample of motorcycle operator license applicants was administered the MOST in addition to the regular licensing test. These motorcyclists were contacted about a year later and queried about their riding experiences including motorcycle accidents. Driver records were also searched for 6 months after the motorcycl~t was licensed. Although bivariate analyses indicated that high scorers on the MOST were more likely to have had an accident than low scorers, multivariate analyses revealed no effect of test performance on subsequent accident involvement. However, accident likelihood was found to decrease as a function of age and increase as a function of vehicle distance traveled (i.e., exposure). Quantification of Side Impact Responses and Injuries. D. KffZl~er~s,R, h&tern, G. Schmidt, and R. H. Eppinger, Proceedings of the 25th Stapp Cur Crash Conference, 1981, pp. 28-30. Side impacts have been shown to produce a large portion of both serious and fatal injuries within the total automotive crash problem. These injuries are produced as a result of the rapid changes in velocity an automobile occupant’s body experiences during a crash. Any improvement to the side impact problem will be brought about by means that will ultimately modify the occupant’s rapid body motions to such a degree that they will no longer produce injuries of serious consequences. The study observed responses and injuries to 10 fresh unembalmed cadaveric specimens in lateral impact
180
tests conducted under 4 different conditions - 24 km/h (15 mph) lateral impact into a rigid wall, 32 km/h (20 mph) lateral impact into a rigid wall, and 32 km/h (20 mph) lateral impact into two different types of padding material. Examination of the data reveals that the acceleration response of several specimens are almost identical for a given impact condition and this is in contrast to the variability of trauma outcome for the same set of tests. This leads to the conclusions that an anthropomorphic test device can be built that incorporates the mechanical characteristics of a large portion of the population and that to use this device .to ascertain the injury risk to a iarge and diverse population at risk, the injury functions used to predict the hazard must not only have kinematic parameters as independent variables but other physical descriptors of the population as well.
Road Crashes and Injuries in Quebec (1974): Patterns Among Many Variables. R. R. Bowbeau, C. 1;. Nadeau, R. L. Latour, and U. Maag, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 1981, 13(#), 349-355. Data on 1008 Quebec road victims obtained from linkage of governmental records have led to different types of analyses. This article presents an application of correspondence analysis to these data. We have chosen one example with its specific results showing expected association between variables and new, unexpected associations which are plausible. The resulting patterns indicate a clear distinction between hospitalized and nonhospitalized victims and between a rural and an urban type of road crash. This multidimensional approach gives an overall picture of the patterns among the vehicles studied, indicating which subsets of variables might be investigated further.
Journal of Safety Research