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International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nics20
The decade of action for road safety – progress in research Geetam Tiwari Published online: 18 Jun 2014.
To cite this article: Geetam Tiwari (2014) The decade of action for road safety – progress in research, International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 21:2, 101-102, DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2014.925666 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2014.925666
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2014 Vol. 21, No. 2, 101 102, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2014.925666
EDITORIAL
Downloaded by [Computing & Library Services, University of Huddersfield] at 23:38 02 October 2014
The decade of action for road safety As we reach the half way mark of the decade of action for road safety (2011 2020) declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is interesting to note the importance of passive safety measures to achieve success in reducing the risk of road traffic crashes. There has been a continuous monitoring of the progress made in the decade of action for road safety by WHO in cooperation with their regional partners. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has issued a report on improving global road safety in advance of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. In the report, the Secretary-General highlights the global and national achievements towards improving the safety of roads and vehicles; legislation on key risk factors such as speeding, drunk-driving and the non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraints; and trauma care systems. In 2011, WHO identified five pillars of road safety road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response. The current issue of the journal brings original research around the five pillars of road safety from different parts of the world including Iran, the United States, Pakistan, Sudan, Sweden, Australia, Brazil, Japan and Greece. Junaid Bhatti of McGill University and Aizaz Ahmed of the Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation have presented a case study on evaluating the performance of a lead road safety agency (LRSA) in Pakistan. WHO has encouraged countries to identify an LRSA: in Pakistan, it was the National Road Safety Secretariat (NRSS). The work in the NRSS came to a halt with funding problems and this put an end to the national road safety plan, which had suggested multi-sectoral interventions and a review of road safety-related legislations. It is argued that LRSAs in developing countries must be legally protected, have permanent funding as well as have the resources to attract the required expertise through international cooperation. Safer roads and mobility is one of the important pillars identified by WHO. This is especially relevant for lowincome countries which are investing heavily in road building and highway construction. The study by Qiang Yang et al. examined driver behaviour on rural highways with and without curbs. This is an attempt to better understand driver behaviour on two-lane rural highways in the US before and after curb installation in a driving simulator. The study suggests that driver behaviours are influenced by various factors in a complex and inter-related manner. There were positive correlations between
Ó 2014 Taylor & Francis
progress in research
different aspects of driving performance including speed variability, lane position selection and lane position. It is likely that curbs have no influence on a driver’s selection of speed. Drivers do perceive the risk from curbs or the opposing traffic when selecting their lane position. The available space between the curb and the opposing traffic is crucial and has significant effects on driving behaviour. George Yannis et al. from the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens examined the impact of lowcost traffic engineering measures (LCTEM) on road safety in urban areas. A before-and-after analysis methodology was adopted with a large control group. Traffic calming measures such as speed humps, raised intersections and other such strategies adopted on the one-way, one-lane roads were studied. There was a statistically significant reduction in the total number of crashes which can possibly be attributed to the introduction of LCTEM in these urban areas. Additional measures are required to improve the driver behaviour of young drivers who ignore LCTEM. Also, it must be noted that these measures did not address the safety concerns of pedestrians and as such there was no significant reduction in their involvement in traffic crashes. Use of seat belts, child car restraints (CCRs) and helmets has shown to be very effective if protecting the vehicle user both car and motorised two-wheeler. However, compliance of these measures continues to be low in many countries. Three research studies included in this issue underline the need for mandatory laws for CCR, and use of helmets by motorised two-wheelers. Hamid Soori et al. discuss the opportunities and barriers of enacting mandatory CCR laws in Iran. During the last two decades, Iran has seen a sharp increase in the growth of the number of high-speed roads and highways in the country. The increase in the number of cars with low safety standards and no mandatory CCRs in place put children in the high risk category. Parents should be made to realise the importance of mandatory CCRs. Law enforcement officials, health professionals and community members must come together to make these restraints compulsory. Alireza Moghisi et al. have presented a paper on motorcyclists and helmet usage in 14 cities in Iran as part of a study of the impact of a safe community programme. They maintain that traffic mortality and morbidity claimed 5% of the gross national product and 1,200,000 lives in 2004. As such they believe that motorcycle users in Iran
Downloaded by [Computing & Library Services, University of Huddersfield] at 23:38 02 October 2014
102
Editorial
are the most vulnerable group of road users. They conclude that there should be more community participation in educational campaigns that highlight the benefits of proper helmet use for motorcyclists. Eugenia Rodrigues et al. have made a study of trends in fatal motorcycle injuries in the Americas over a 12-year period. In this ecologic multi-national study, an attempt has been made to quantify the temporal trends and to estimate the association between motorcycle rider deaths and selected socio-economic indicators. There are important differences in magnitude of motorcycle-related fatalities between countries, with some nations having alarmingly high rates such as Paraguay, Brazil and Colombia. Overall there seems to be insufficient legislation and enforcement of helmet use. The other suggestions are that speed limits too are under-enforced; motorcycle drivers licensing procedures must be made more rigorous. Yoshinori Nakagawa and Kaechang Park of the Kochi University of Technology in Japan have made an investigation into elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are alleviated by passenger presence in their vehicles. The present study found that only male drivers in the middle cognitive level benefited from the presence of passengers in their vehicle. If future studies identify the mechanism by which the presence of passengers has a protective effect on these specific drivers then it would be possible to install systems in place of passengers to increase the safety factor. Multi-sectoral injury programmes can be effective in reducing all kinds of injury. The research studies focusing on community-based surveys and occupational injuries do not directly address the issue of road safety; however, they show ways of early identification of risk factors through better surveillance methods. Sally EtTayeb et al. present a household survey of injury incidence and risk factors in Khartoum, Sudan. The information for this study of non-fatal injuries was gathered in a community-based survey. The leading causes of injury were falls, mechanical forces and road traffic crashes. This is the first in-depth community-based survey of all injuries, including those that did not involve the use of health care services, in Sudan. This study should give an impetus to advocates of multi-sectoral injury prevention programmes; this study shows that structural injury prevention interventions are the need of the hour.
From the Department of Forensic Medicine in Monash University, Fiona Kitching et al. have made a presentation on pedestrian fatalities in workplace locations studied over a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2010. The dominant groups studied were farmers (28%), labourers (27%) and machinery operators and drivers (25%) across industries like agriculture, fishing, construction, transport and manufacturing. Pedestrian fatalities in the workplace continue even when some effective counter measures and implementation strategies are in place. There needs to be an enhancement in the implementation of current knowledge, an improvement in the data systems and a better sharing of relevant information across industries to protect and increase the safety of workers. Anna Schuh et al. from Virginia Tech have submitted an essay on control charts for accident frequency: a motivation for real-time occupational safety monitoring. The timely detection of changes in safety incident patterns is a vital component of occupational safety through better surveillance practices. This paper goes a long way to demonstrate how real-time monitoring instead of aggregated reporting can more quickly indicate accident rates so that best practices in hazard control are put in place. A simulated expected future performance shows that a quick implementation of hazard controls following a signal may lead to a greater reduction in the number of future accidents. Marlene Stenbacka and Bjarne Jansson of the Karolinska Insitutet have presented a paper on unintentional injury mortality being a longitudinal population-based study from Sweden. The study showed that boys with maladjusted behaviour problems showed a fourfold increased mortality rate. Most of the fatalities resulted from accidents, suicide, homicide, alcohol or substance abuse. The association between criminality and mortality seemed to be confounded by other behavioural risk factors including alcohol and drug abuse. Importance of research cannot be denied for achieving substantial progress in the decade of action for road safety. It is heartening to note that injury researchers are addressing the concerns around each ‘safety pillar’ identified by WHO; however, given the challenge of road safety, much more intensive research efforts are required. Geetam Tiwari
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nics20
The decade of action for road safety – progress in research Geetam Tiwari Published online: 18 Jun 2014.
To cite this article: Geetam Tiwari (2014) The decade of action for road safety – progress in research, International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 21:2, 101-102, DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2014.925666 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2014.925666
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2014 Vol. 21, No. 2, 101 102, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2014.925666
EDITORIAL
Downloaded by [Computing & Library Services, University of Huddersfield] at 23:38 02 October 2014
The decade of action for road safety As we reach the half way mark of the decade of action for road safety (2011 2020) declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is interesting to note the importance of passive safety measures to achieve success in reducing the risk of road traffic crashes. There has been a continuous monitoring of the progress made in the decade of action for road safety by WHO in cooperation with their regional partners. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has issued a report on improving global road safety in advance of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. In the report, the Secretary-General highlights the global and national achievements towards improving the safety of roads and vehicles; legislation on key risk factors such as speeding, drunk-driving and the non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraints; and trauma care systems. In 2011, WHO identified five pillars of road safety road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response. The current issue of the journal brings original research around the five pillars of road safety from different parts of the world including Iran, the United States, Pakistan, Sudan, Sweden, Australia, Brazil, Japan and Greece. Junaid Bhatti of McGill University and Aizaz Ahmed of the Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation have presented a case study on evaluating the performance of a lead road safety agency (LRSA) in Pakistan. WHO has encouraged countries to identify an LRSA: in Pakistan, it was the National Road Safety Secretariat (NRSS). The work in the NRSS came to a halt with funding problems and this put an end to the national road safety plan, which had suggested multi-sectoral interventions and a review of road safety-related legislations. It is argued that LRSAs in developing countries must be legally protected, have permanent funding as well as have the resources to attract the required expertise through international cooperation. Safer roads and mobility is one of the important pillars identified by WHO. This is especially relevant for lowincome countries which are investing heavily in road building and highway construction. The study by Qiang Yang et al. examined driver behaviour on rural highways with and without curbs. This is an attempt to better understand driver behaviour on two-lane rural highways in the US before and after curb installation in a driving simulator. The study suggests that driver behaviours are influenced by various factors in a complex and inter-related manner. There were positive correlations between
Ó 2014 Taylor & Francis
progress in research
different aspects of driving performance including speed variability, lane position selection and lane position. It is likely that curbs have no influence on a driver’s selection of speed. Drivers do perceive the risk from curbs or the opposing traffic when selecting their lane position. The available space between the curb and the opposing traffic is crucial and has significant effects on driving behaviour. George Yannis et al. from the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens examined the impact of lowcost traffic engineering measures (LCTEM) on road safety in urban areas. A before-and-after analysis methodology was adopted with a large control group. Traffic calming measures such as speed humps, raised intersections and other such strategies adopted on the one-way, one-lane roads were studied. There was a statistically significant reduction in the total number of crashes which can possibly be attributed to the introduction of LCTEM in these urban areas. Additional measures are required to improve the driver behaviour of young drivers who ignore LCTEM. Also, it must be noted that these measures did not address the safety concerns of pedestrians and as such there was no significant reduction in their involvement in traffic crashes. Use of seat belts, child car restraints (CCRs) and helmets has shown to be very effective if protecting the vehicle user both car and motorised two-wheeler. However, compliance of these measures continues to be low in many countries. Three research studies included in this issue underline the need for mandatory laws for CCR, and use of helmets by motorised two-wheelers. Hamid Soori et al. discuss the opportunities and barriers of enacting mandatory CCR laws in Iran. During the last two decades, Iran has seen a sharp increase in the growth of the number of high-speed roads and highways in the country. The increase in the number of cars with low safety standards and no mandatory CCRs in place put children in the high risk category. Parents should be made to realise the importance of mandatory CCRs. Law enforcement officials, health professionals and community members must come together to make these restraints compulsory. Alireza Moghisi et al. have presented a paper on motorcyclists and helmet usage in 14 cities in Iran as part of a study of the impact of a safe community programme. They maintain that traffic mortality and morbidity claimed 5% of the gross national product and 1,200,000 lives in 2004. As such they believe that motorcycle users in Iran
Downloaded by [Computing & Library Services, University of Huddersfield] at 23:38 02 October 2014
102
Editorial
are the most vulnerable group of road users. They conclude that there should be more community participation in educational campaigns that highlight the benefits of proper helmet use for motorcyclists. Eugenia Rodrigues et al. have made a study of trends in fatal motorcycle injuries in the Americas over a 12-year period. In this ecologic multi-national study, an attempt has been made to quantify the temporal trends and to estimate the association between motorcycle rider deaths and selected socio-economic indicators. There are important differences in magnitude of motorcycle-related fatalities between countries, with some nations having alarmingly high rates such as Paraguay, Brazil and Colombia. Overall there seems to be insufficient legislation and enforcement of helmet use. The other suggestions are that speed limits too are under-enforced; motorcycle drivers licensing procedures must be made more rigorous. Yoshinori Nakagawa and Kaechang Park of the Kochi University of Technology in Japan have made an investigation into elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are alleviated by passenger presence in their vehicles. The present study found that only male drivers in the middle cognitive level benefited from the presence of passengers in their vehicle. If future studies identify the mechanism by which the presence of passengers has a protective effect on these specific drivers then it would be possible to install systems in place of passengers to increase the safety factor. Multi-sectoral injury programmes can be effective in reducing all kinds of injury. The research studies focusing on community-based surveys and occupational injuries do not directly address the issue of road safety; however, they show ways of early identification of risk factors through better surveillance methods. Sally EtTayeb et al. present a household survey of injury incidence and risk factors in Khartoum, Sudan. The information for this study of non-fatal injuries was gathered in a community-based survey. The leading causes of injury were falls, mechanical forces and road traffic crashes. This is the first in-depth community-based survey of all injuries, including those that did not involve the use of health care services, in Sudan. This study should give an impetus to advocates of multi-sectoral injury prevention programmes; this study shows that structural injury prevention interventions are the need of the hour.
From the Department of Forensic Medicine in Monash University, Fiona Kitching et al. have made a presentation on pedestrian fatalities in workplace locations studied over a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2010. The dominant groups studied were farmers (28%), labourers (27%) and machinery operators and drivers (25%) across industries like agriculture, fishing, construction, transport and manufacturing. Pedestrian fatalities in the workplace continue even when some effective counter measures and implementation strategies are in place. There needs to be an enhancement in the implementation of current knowledge, an improvement in the data systems and a better sharing of relevant information across industries to protect and increase the safety of workers. Anna Schuh et al. from Virginia Tech have submitted an essay on control charts for accident frequency: a motivation for real-time occupational safety monitoring. The timely detection of changes in safety incident patterns is a vital component of occupational safety through better surveillance practices. This paper goes a long way to demonstrate how real-time monitoring instead of aggregated reporting can more quickly indicate accident rates so that best practices in hazard control are put in place. A simulated expected future performance shows that a quick implementation of hazard controls following a signal may lead to a greater reduction in the number of future accidents. Marlene Stenbacka and Bjarne Jansson of the Karolinska Insitutet have presented a paper on unintentional injury mortality being a longitudinal population-based study from Sweden. The study showed that boys with maladjusted behaviour problems showed a fourfold increased mortality rate. Most of the fatalities resulted from accidents, suicide, homicide, alcohol or substance abuse. The association between criminality and mortality seemed to be confounded by other behavioural risk factors including alcohol and drug abuse. Importance of research cannot be denied for achieving substantial progress in the decade of action for road safety. It is heartening to note that injury researchers are addressing the concerns around each ‘safety pillar’ identified by WHO; however, given the challenge of road safety, much more intensive research efforts are required. Geetam Tiwari
