Traffic Injury Prevention最新文献

{"title":"Identification of accident-prone segments using APIU: A case study on highway safety analysis in China.","authors":"Yonghong Yang, Yu Zhang, Zhao Yang, Tao Zheng, Yixi Hu","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2425674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2425674","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study proposes the accident point interval unit (APIU) method combined with the characteristics of road traffic accidents. The aim is to automatically identify accident aggregation areas, providing basis for highway design and traffic management.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Historical accident data from a secondary highway in Guizhou Province and an expressway in Guangdong Province over 3 to 4 years were analyzed using APIU to identify accident-prone segments. A backpropagation (BP) neural network model was utilized to calculate the weight of the impact of the alignment on the occurrence of the accidents, which were then integrated with evaluation levels to formulate a risk index model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The APIU exhibited stability and consistency in identifying accident-prone sections, effectively accounting for the influence of adjacent road sections. The BP neural network model quantified the impact of road alignment on accidents, and the risk index model provided a comprehensive evaluation of road section risk. A significant risk zone was identified within 200 to 300 m before the accident staking point, validating APIU.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Using the APIU, accident-prone segments can be accurately identified. The risk indexes start rising within a specific range before the accident stakes, suggesting that road accidents are influenced by the geometric alignment preceding the accident point. Based on this insight, highway authorities can implement targeted safety measures and enhance signage in critical areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142803483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pedestrian Danger Index - a novel surrogate measure of pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings.","authors":"Paweł Dąbkowski, Piotr Olszewski, Witold Czajewski","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2435048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2435048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aims of the study are to assess pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings and to develop a new surrogate measure to evaluate risks associated with vehicle-pedestrian interactions. The primary goal of developing a novel safety metric was to provide quick insights into pedestrian safety levels and conduct site assessments rather than predictive analyses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Video surveys were conducted at multiple unsignalized crossing sites in Poland to record vehicle-pedestrian interactions. Vehicle and pedestrian trajectories were extracted using video image analysis. An interaction classification algorithm was introduced, based on relative movements of the two road users involved. Using selected video recorded interactions, an expert opinion survey was conducted in order to evaluate pedestrians' perceptions of risk. The level of risk was modeled with a \"danger degree function\", incorporating passing distance, vehicle speed, and deceleration.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analyses revealed that smaller passing distance and higher vehicle speeds are linked to increased danger levels. Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) was introduced as a new measure to assess pedestrian safety by averaging danger levels for all the observed pedestrian-vehicle interactions. Based on the sensitivity analysis, it is recommended to use a minimum of 4 survey days when calculating the PDI indicator.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The PDI offers a novel method for evaluating pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings, though it has some limitations. This user-friendly surrogate safety measure relies on three key variables for computation: passing distance, vehicle speed, and vehicle deceleration rates. The formulated PDI equation can be used for analyzing pedestrian crossings without traffic signals. Further research is recommended to refine the PDI and enhance its effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142803487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using anthropometry-based scaling to predict responses across sex in reclined frontal impact sled tests.","authors":"Jeesoo Shin, Jason Kerrigan, Martin Ӧstling","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2430584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2430584","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Field data studies have suggested greater injury risk in motor vehicle crashes for females compared to males. Data on female responses may provide more insight into these sex-based differences in injury risk, but few sled tests have been conducted with female subjects, with most cases being of either small or obese anthropometries. Since numerous sled tests have been conducted using mid-size male post mortem human subjects, anthropometry-based scaling of mid-size male responses is a potential approach to leverage this mid-size male data for a broader range of applicability. This study aimed to determine if scaling to predict female responses from male responses is suitable for a reclined condition and evaluate the effectiveness of varying anthropometry-based scaling techniques in predicting female responses from male responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from frontal impact sled tests conducted on four mid-size male and three mid-size female post mortem human subjects in a reclined posture were used. Geometric scaling using dimensional analysis (equal stress-equal velocity approach) was then implemented on the male data to test the effect various scale factors had on predicting female response. These scaling factors were based on mass, stature, torso height, torso volume, and torso volume at torso height.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Predictions results varied, with lap belt force and forward excursions of bony landmarks yielding high overall prediction scores and vertical excursions of bony landmarks yielding lower overall prediction scores. Generally, the unscaled responses also yielded high prediction scores, and while scaling offered an improvement to the overall prediction score, this suggested that anthropometry-based differences may not fully explain male-female differences in reclined occupant response. Torso volume yielded the highest overall prediction score for the greatest number of responses, but the anthropometry measure that yielded the highest average overall prediction score across all responses varied.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Marginal differences in the predictive capabilities of the different anthropometry-based measures were found, but, in general, anthropometry was not able to fully explain differences in the responses observed between sex. Overall, this study highlighted the need for further whole body sled tests with mid-size female PMHS to further investigate male-female differences in occupant kinematics.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142774853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Online driver license renewal and road user injury and fatality in Washington State.","authors":"Alexander Evans, Yuhan Pan, Marco H Benedetti, Gary A Smith, Motao Zhu","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2426027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2426027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Washington State implemented a new policy in 2004 that allowed drivers younger than 70 years old to renew their driver license by mail or online at every other renewal. Drivers aged 70 years and older were still required to renew in-person every 6 years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether this policy change was associated with motor vehicle crash (MVC) injury and fatality among drivers, non-drivers, and all road users aged 45-69 years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Controlled interrupted time series analysis models were fit to compare injury and fatality rates for these road users affected by the requirement to older road users not affected by the requirement (70 years and older). Differential level and slope changes in injury and fatality rates were used to estimate associations with the change in the license renewal requirement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We did not find evidence that implementation of online driver license renewal in Washington was associated with increased injury or fatality rates among drivers, non-drivers, or all road users aged 45-69 years relative to those aged 70 years and older.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Allowing driver license renewal online or by mail at every other renewal appears to be a safe strategy for less restrictive driver licensing for drivers aged 45-69 years. Future research should continue to evaluate the potential impacts of in-person and online renewal policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142774848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Capturing signals of road traffic safety risk: based on the spatial-temporal correlation between traffic violations and crashes.","authors":"Rui Zhang, Bin Shuai, Pengfei Gao, Yulong Li","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2427270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2427270","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The paper aims to explore the possibility of using traffic violations as indicators for spatial-temporal risk of traffic safety within road network constraints, identify key types of traffic violations that indicate spatial-temporal risks in road traffic safety, and investigate their distribution patterns at the road section level.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Firstly, we employ the Ripley's K function with network constraints and utilize rigorous statistical inference to thoroughly examine the spatial-temporal correlation between various types of traffic violations and crashes, identifying key types that exhibit significant correlation with crashes. Secondly, we combine Ripley's K function with network constraints, Network Kernel Density Estimation, and Local Moran's Index, to identify high-incidence road sections of these violations. Building upon this foundation, we introduce the concept of Influence Intensity for Land Use Type, which leverages Point of Interest information to analyze the land use characteristics at the road section level, revealing the distribution patterns of these key traffic violations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analysis of actual data from Shenzhen, China reveals a total of 17 key traffic violations significantly correlated with crashes of varying severity across different time scenarios in the spatial ranges of 2.1-3.8 kilometers. These include types that are typically considered to have a relatively low likelihood of directly causing crashes that deserve more attention. These key traffic violations tend to aggregate in road sections categorized as \"Business & Finance\" and \"Public Transport Infrastructure.\" Furthermore, in contrast to weekdays, weekends witness a higher number of key traffic violation types with more pronounced spatial aggregation characteristics, and the land use type of aggregation areas shifts from \"Public Administration & Services\" to \"Public Green Spaces & Attractions\" and \"Residence & Living.\"</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrates that particular traffic violations can serve as signals for road traffic safety risk within specific space-time scopes, and the spatial-temporal aggregation patterns of these key traffic violations are closely linked to the urban land use. This finding can offer theoretical support for utilizing key traffic violations in real-time monitoring and early warning of road traffic crashes, while also providing inspiration for exploring the causes of these traffic violations from a land use perspective.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of prescription medication and other drugs by New Zealand drivers with illegal blood alcohol levels.","authors":"Helen Poulsen, Onyekachi Raymond, Mary Jane McCarthy","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2418361","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2418361","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study examined the prevalence of the use of prescription medicines and other drugs by a selected subgroup of New Zealand drivers. The use of potentially impairing prescription drugs by the driving population is largely unknown. The population studied was drivers who were stopped by police, failed a breath alcohol test, elected to provide a blood sample for laboratory analysis, and had blood alcohol levels exceeding the legal limit.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Blood samples taken from 3,050 drivers during the period 2011 to 2015 were analyzed for the presence of alcohol (ethanol) and a range of both prescription and illicit drugs using liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (LC-TOFMS) and an immunoassay screen for cannabis use.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>One thousand two hundred thirty-five of these drivers had used alcohol in combination with potentially impairing drugs (41%) and alcohol only was detected in 1,815 of the samples (59%). Five hundred of the drivers had used prescription medication (16%), 816 had used cannabis (27%), and 81drivers had used other illicit recreational drugs (2.7%), all in combination with alcohol. The top 7 prescription medicines used in combination with alcohol were citalopram, fluoxetine, and venlafaxine (antidepressants); quetiapine (antipsychotic); diazepam (sedative); and tramadol (opioid).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Drug use did not correlate with the amount of alcohol consumed, and the use of multiple drugs in combination with alcohol was prevalent. Although this is a biased population sample, the results indicate the possible use of impairing prescription medication in the wider driving population and the need for more awareness of the potential impairment by all types of prescription medication.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unpacking the COVID-19 roadway fatality paradox: an analysis of motor vehicle crashes in Michigan 2019-2022.","authors":"Colleen M Peterson, Andrew Leslie, Patrick J Bowman, Carol A C Flannagan","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2427264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2427264","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Motor vehicle travel shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in fewer vehicle miles traveled yet paradoxically higher fatality rates. Anecdotally, the paradox was blamed on increases in risky behavior in the absence of regular traffic and enforcement. We examined three hypotheses to explain the fatality paradox using Michigan crash data: (1) lack of congestion led to higher-speed impacts; (2) increased risky driver/driving; and (3) low-risk driving miles decreased.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We examined changes in hypotheses-related crash factors and injury outcomes for the years 2019-2022; restricted to the duration of Michigan's stay-at-home order in 2020 (March 23 and June 1). First, we used logistic regression to evaluate the prevalence of the crash factors in all crashes and in severe/fatal crashes only in 2020, 2021; and 2022 compared to 2019. Second, to identify whether those crash factors differentially resulted in worse injury outcomes, we used logistic regression to evaluate whether odds of a severe/fatal crash occurring in March 23-June 1 across the years 2019-2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All three hypotheses tested to explain Michigan's traffic safety paradox had moderate to extensive support. Risky driving/driver factors were more prevalent during the 2020 stay-at-home order in all crashes; however, the risky driving factors were largely not more prevalent in severe and fatal injury crashes in 2020. In contrast, although less prevalent, many factors associated with the low-risk mileage and congestion hypotheses were more likely to result in severe and fatal outcomes during the stay-at-home orders in 2020. The prevalence of most congestion and low-risk miles factors remained less prevalent in 2020-2022 compared to 2019; while the prevalence of risky driving and driver factors in crashes had largely returned to 2019 levels or lower in 2022.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The overlapping contributions of the three different hypotheses explaining Michigan's pandemic traffic safety paradox underscore the complexity of roadway safety and the need for simultaneous investments in driving education, environmental infrastructure, and technology-based mechanisms of enforcement. In the post-pandemic new normal, system-wide changes from investments like these can encourage safer driving even in the absence of social pressure or physical law enforcement presence.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Texting, talking, trawling and tunes: Risk perceptions, phone dependence and different types of phone use while driving behaviors.","authors":"Verity Truelove, Levi Anderson, Steven Love, Tahlia Wyer","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2423008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2423008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate the links between specific types of mobile phone use while driving (MPUWD) behaviors (i.e., reading, writing, talking and using media on a hand-held phone) and risk perceptions (i.e., the perceived risk of legal and non-legal sanctions), as well as to understand the influence that a psychological dependence on phone use might have toward these relationships.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a variety of recruitment initiatives, a total of 821 drivers completed an online questionnaire about their phone use behaviors, MPUWD behaviors, and MPUWD risk perceptions. Participants were eligible if they were aged 18 years or over, held a Queensland (Australia) driver's license, and owned a mobile phone device.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>First, a repeated measures ANOVA showed that participants engaged in and perceived each of the four MPUWD behaviors differently. Of note, writing MPUWD behaviors were engaged in the least frequently and perceived as the riskiest, while using media was engaged in the most frequently and perceived as the least risky. Second, cross-tabulations and concurrent chi-square tests showed that there were significant differences in the MPUWD behaviors of pre-defined \"likely dependent\" phone users, compared to \"likely non-dependent\" users. In fact, likely dependent users were up to three times more likely to engage in MPUWD behaviors frequently compared to the latter group. Finally, structural equation modeling indicated that likely phone dependency directly predicted risk perceptions, and indirectly predicted MPUWD behaviors <i>via</i> the effects they had toward risk perceptions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of this study have suggested people hold unique perceptions about different types of MPUWD behaviors. It is also suggested that problematic phone use may play a role in not only the engagement in different types of MPUWD, but also the effectiveness of road safety countermeasures aimed at reducing this behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142734702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of load limiting the shoulder-belt on right-front passenger kinematics in oblique-offset and NCAP frontal crash tests.","authors":"David C Viano","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2419776","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2419776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The effect of shoulder-belt load-limiting was evaluated on right-front passenger kinematics in 90 km/h oblique OMDB (offset moving deformable barrier) impacts and compared to kinematics in 56 km/h NCAP crash tests. The study focused on the influence of webbing pulling out of the retractor increasing forward excursion of the upper torso and head.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>18 OMDB crash tests were conducted by NHTSA at 90 km/h. The barrier was aligned at a 15 deg angle to the left (345 deg PDOF) with 35% overlap of the struck vehicle. The kinematics and biomechanical responses of the 50^th THOR passenger dummy were analyzed. The tests included 3 onboard video cameras covering the front occupants. The lap and shoulder belt loads were measured and displacement of the shoulder belt was available for most tests. The responses were compared to those in 11 NCAP frontal impacts at 56 km/h with a 5^th Hybrid III passenger.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The delta V was 62.6 ± 2.8 km/h in the passenger car OMDB tests. The pretensioners and airbags deployed by 40 ms. The pretensioner pulled in -62 ± 29 mm of webbing at 13-15 m/s. With the retractor locked, belt loads increased as the passenger moved forward and inboard. The load-limiter paid out 280 ± 67 mm of shoulder belt webbing at 6-11 m/s and peak load of 4,170 ± 557 N. The shoulder belt slipped off the shoulder at 97 ± 10 ms. By 120 ms, the left shoulder impacted the center of the instrument panel and the head either impacted the panel or perched on the left edge of the airbag with the head rotated 80-135 deg about the z-axis (eyes right). There was 187.3 ± 37.4 mm of loose webbing after the test. Similar dummy responses were seen in the SUV and truck tests. In contrast, the passenger kinematics were centered on the airbag in NCAP tests without impact on the interior.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Excursion of the upper torso with the load-limiting shoulder belt enabled the belt to slip off the right shoulder in ODMB tests. The passenger flexed forward around the lap belt with impact on the center of the instrument panel. The upper torso lacked sufficient restraint with the level of load limiting in the tests. The belts were loose after pretensioning and load-limiting reducing the restraint effectiveness if there were a second or third impact or rollover in the collision sequence.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142734700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the barriers and facilitators of helmet use among motorcyclists: A qualitative study.","authors":"Ehsan Vesali-Monfared, Majid Barati, Leili Tapak, Forouzan Rezapur-Shahkolai","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2024.2416465","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2024.2416465","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Road traffic injuries (RTIs) have been identified as a major public health problem worldwide. Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of injuries and fatalities in road traffic crashes. Not using a helmet and head and neck injuries are the main causes of death and disability among them. This study explores barriers and facilitators of helmet use among motorcyclists.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative approach to conventional content analysis was employed in this research. The purposive sampling method, with maximum diversity, was used to select participants among motorcyclists and traffic police officers in Qom City, Iran. To collect data and reach data saturation, 41 face-to-face semistructured interviews with 29 motorcyclists and 12 traffic police officers were conducted using the interview guide.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean and standard deviation of age were 32.6 ± 8.6 for the motorcyclist group and 34 ± 7.9 for the police group. Through qualitative data analysis, the codes were extracted from the collected data and categorized into 2 categories including barriers and facilitators. In the category of barriers 5 subcategories were identified including nonadherence to the helmet law, unpleasant feeling, psychological characteristics, economic factors, and helmet quality. In the category of facilitators, 3 subcategories were identified including education and information campaigns, encouragement and increase motivation, and policymaking and legislative measures.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Police supervision and law enforcement can be effective in improving the behavior of helmet use. Also, to create and increase the motorcyclists' motivation to use helmets, economic and cultural incentives and social participation can be used to facilitate acceptance of the law regarding helmet use. Furthermore, quality improvement of helmets to remove barriers and physical problems such as heat, visual and auditory restrictions, head movement restrictions, and weight can be very useful. The findings of this study can help to develop more appropriate and context-based interventions to increase helmet use and therefore to prevent RTIs in the community.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142734701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}