Traffic Injury Prevention最新文献

{"title":"The prevalence and risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder following road traffic accidents in China: A meta-analysis.","authors":"Yanna Zhou, Juanita A Haagsma, Jan Busschbach, Rong Zeng, Zhihao Yang, Jindong Ding Petersen, Xiuquan Shi","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2531410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2531410","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>While the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after road traffic accidents (RTA) has been widely studied, there is a gap in research in the context of China. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a pooled estimation of PTSD prevalence after RTA based on Chinese data and compare it to existing international prevalence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic literature search of English and Chinese databases was performed from their inception dates to December 31, 2024. Chinese patients admitted to a hospital or emergency department after RTA, and without traumatic brain injury following RTA or without PTSD before RTA were included, regardless of type of RTA and whether fracture was sustained. Subgroup analyses were performed on the basis on demographics, assessment methods, income, and comorbidity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The inclusion criteria were met by 21 studies. The pooled prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) and PTSD was 30% (95% CI, 22%-37%) and 27% (95% CI,22%-32%), respectively, which is higher than the global prevalence of 16% ASD and 22% PTSD. The transition rate of ASD to PTSD was 77% (95% CI, 63%-91%). Females, older adults, and those with lower income had a higher prevalence of PTSD. In addition, the prevalence of PTSD increased with age. Older survivors with comorbidities including anxiety, depression, complication (such as pain, hemorrhagic shock, hypoxemia), diabetes, and hypertension were more likely to suffer from PTSD than older survivors without those comorbidities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>PTSD after RTA is common, with more than one in four RTA survivors reporting PTSD. Pooled prevalence was higher than that of meta-analysis that had no restrictions on world region.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805326","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":"Optimizing traffic accident loss predictions in China: Integrating importance indicator screening with the ET model for greater accuracy and stability.","authors":"Jian Liu, Bin Lyu, Rui Feng, Jingyuan Zhang","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2530074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2530074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to enhance the accuracy and stability of traffic accident loss prediction in China by utilizing machine learning techniques. Specifically, it explores the application of the Extra Trees model combined with feature importance screening to predict key accident indicators such as the number of accidents, deaths, injuries, and property losses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Relevant transportation industry indicators were collected from national statistical sources. A two-step feature screening approach was employed based on average importance and importance ratio to reduce dimensionality and improve model performance. The Extra Trees algorithm was used for prediction modeling, and prediction accuracy was evaluated across multiple experimental runs to assess stability. Additionally, correlation, regression effects, and global importance scores were calculated to quantify the influence of each indicator. Polynomial fitting was conducted to explore the relationship between key indicators and predicted values.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The proposed feature screening approach improved both the accuracy and interpretability of the prediction model. The average prediction errors for the number of accidents, deaths, injuries, and property losses were 4.66%, 1.92%, 10.03%, and 5.01%, respectively. Among all targets, the number of deaths showed the highest predictive accuracy. Polynomial fitting confirmed a strong relationship between selected indicators and predicted values, with a quadratic fit achieving an R² of 0.957. The analysis identified 30 influential indicators, of which 12 had multi-target effects. Highway mileage, grade highway mileage, and average freight distance emerged as the most impactful indicators, with global importance scores exceeding 9.5%. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that prediction stability could be maintained across different data intervals, with error fluctuations remaining within acceptable bounds.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study confirms the effectiveness of integrating feature importance screening with the Extra Trees model for predicting traffic accident losses. The methodology not only enhances prediction accuracy but also ensures stable performance across different accident indicators. The quantitative assessment of indicator importance offers valuable insights into the factors contributing to accident severity and provides a data-driven foundation for traffic safety policy and planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805323","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":"Research on the coordinated setting and evaluation model of variable speed limit signs and visual deceleration markings at the entrance section of undersea tunnels.","authors":"Fuquan Pan, Haowei Liu, Xiaojun Fan, Shuai Shao, Lixia Zhang, Chang Liu","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2532155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2532155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To improve traffic safety at the entrance section of undersea tunnels, this research analyzes the effectiveness of the coordinated setting of variable speed limit signs(VSLs) and visual deceleration markings(VDMs) at the entrance section of the undersea tunnels.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This research sets various parameters of VSLs and VDMs under the condition of a speed limit of 80 km/h. Twelve types of coordinated schemes of VSLs and VDMs are set. Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Undersea Tunnel entrance section was simulated using modeling tools such as UC-win/Road and Sketch Up. Twenty-four drivers were invited to conduct simulation experiments, and the vehicle speed reduction rate, vehicle deceleration, driver gaze point proportion, and pupil diameter data were collected. This research constructs an effectiveness evaluation model of the coordinated schemes on the basis of the entropy weight method and the matter-element extension model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The data analysis results show that as the coordinated distance between the VDMs and the VSLs increases, the vehicle speed reduction rate, vehicle deceleration, driver's gaze point proportion, and pupil diameter all increase accordingly. The effectiveness evaluation model results show that there are six schemes at the \"good\" and above level. The overall effectiveness is optimal for the scheme where the end of the VDMs is located 40 m behind the VSLs and the VDMs is a fishbone deceleration marking.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This research quantified the effectiveness of the coordinated setting of VSLs and VDMs at the undersea tunnel entrance section on driving safety. The results provide practical guidance for the design of undersea tunnel entrance section, indicating that the proper setting of traffic signs and markings can effectively control vehicle speeds and significantly improve tunnel traffic safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805324","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":"Belts on bones, not over the bump: reported seat belt use and positioning among pregnant and nonpregnant drivers and passengers in the U.S.","authors":"David G Kidd, Jessica S Jermakian, Sjaan Koppel","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2527850","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2527850","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Seat belts reduce the risk of crash-related injury and fatality and are important for pregnant occupants. Previous research is mixed on whether belt use increases during pregnancy, but has consistently found that pregnant occupants misposition their belts. This study examined reported seat belt use and positioning among pregnant and nonpregnant people in the U.S. to examine whether there are changes in use during pregnancy and rates of correct positioning.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of U.S. men and women who were at least 21 years old and drove or rode in a vehicle at least once per week and a comparison sample of pregnant people. Respondents were asked about the frequency of belt use, reasons for nonuse, belt positioning, and information received about belt use during pregnancy. The final sample included 1,187 nonpregnant respondents and 824 pregnant respondents.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 90% of nonpregnant respondents and 87% of pregnant respondents reported they always used a belt; this difference was not statistically significant. However, the odds that pregnant respondents \"always\" used a belt during pregnancy was twice that of \"always\" using a belt before pregnancy. Discomfort, forgetting, and traveling a short distance were common reasons why nonpregnant respondents did not use a belt. Discomfort, forgetting, and the baby's safety were common reasons for pregnant respondents. Pregnant respondents reported significantly more discomfort from the belt than nonpregnant respondents. Only 21% of pregnant respondents positioned the lap and shoulder belt correctly compared with 39% of nonpregnant respondents.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Reported seat belt use among pregnant people before pregnancy increased during pregnancy, but use during pregnancy did not differ from the nonpregnant sample. Most pregnant respondents reported always using a belt, but only a small proportion positioned it correctly. Discomfort is a key barrier to positioning a seat belt correctly, whether an occupant is pregnant or not. Restraint system design should be improved to accommodate larger abdomens and other physical changes associated with pregnancy. Educational campaigns should target nonpregnant and pregnant people with information about correct belt positioning and address misconceptions that belt use compromises fetal safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144776926","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":"Do visual guiding facilities in freeway tunnels affect drivers' perception of longitudinal safety distance? A simulation experiment.","authors":"Shoushuo Wang, Jialin Mei, Shiming He, Zhigang Du","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2528987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2528987","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The safety perception of longitudinal distance by drivers in tunnels is critical for road safety. However, existing studies mainly focus on the effects of visual guiding facilities on speed perception and vehicle position, with limited research on their impact on longitudinal distance perception. This study aims to evaluate the effect of different types of visual guiding facilities on drivers' safety perception of longitudinal distance in freeway tunnels.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The experimental design considered the type of facility, including dot-shaped, linear, and ring-shaped visual guiding facilities. The linear visual guiding facilities are further categorized by length. The inter-facility spacing is treated as a variable parameter. Forty participants are involved in simulated experiments, during which subjective perceptions of longitudinal distance and perception reaction time data are collected. The impact of facility variables on safety perception of longitudinal distance is assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dot-shaped visual guiding facilities do not improve drivers' judgment of longitudinal distance. Ring-shaped visual guiding facilities have the most significant positive impact on drivers' safety perception of longitudinal distance. The effectiveness of linear visual guiding facilities increases with their length; shorter lengths are less effective.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To enhance drivers' perception of longitudinal distance in tunnel mid-sections, retroreflective rings with a spacing of no more than 200 meters should be installed. Additionally, longer vertical retroreflective stripes can be used to supplement this, with spacing ranging from 50 to 100 meters.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144776927","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":"Predicting distal tibia fracture type using demographic, vehicle, and crash factors via a random forest classification algorithm.","authors":"L Garrett Bangert, William Armstrong, Edward Shangin, Joel D Stitzel, R Shayn Martin, Anna N Miller, Luke E Riexinger, Ashley A Weaver, Caitlyn J Collins","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2527849","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2527849","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Distal tibia fractures occur in approximately 4% of police-reported crashes where at least 1 vehicle was towed in the U.S., and frequently result in complications like infection, nonunion, and osteoarthritis. This study used real-world crash data to train a random forest algorithm to predict distal tibia fracture types, identifying key demographic, vehicle, and crash factors contributing to the model predictions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) cases (2005-2024) with computed tomography (CT) radiology of a distal tibia fracture were identified. Frontal, non-rollover crashes with non-pregnant, non-ejected occupants older than 13 years were selected, resulting in 94 cases (90 unilateral, 2 bilateral fractures) included for analysis. Fractures were labeled by 3 trained researchers as extraarticular, partial articular, or complete articular using the AO Foundation-Orthopedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) compendium, which has an established relationship with clinical outcomes. An orthopedic surgeon graded a subset (<i>N</i> = 20) for validation. CIREN injury mechanisms and contributing factors - delta-v, vehicle model year, body type, and safety restraints, as well as occupant age, sex, BMI, and comorbidities - were collected to train a random forest classifier to predict AO/OTA fracture type. SHapley Additive exPlanations were used to examine how demographic, vehicle, and crash factors influenced the probability of random forest predictions, which allowed for the association of key factors from real-world crash data with AO/OTA fracture types.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The agreement between the 3 graders (Fleiss' Kappa of 0.78) and between the ground truth classifications and the orthopedic surgeon (Cohen's Kappa of 0.76) were substantial. Random forest correctly determined the AO/OTA distal tibia fracture type in 75.5% of cases. Toe-pan intrusion as a contributing factor and delta-v greater than 30 kph were associated with increased random forest prediction probability of complete articular fractures. Knee bolster airbag deployment was associated with decreased probability of partial articular fractures, often linked with rotational injury mechanisms, suggesting they induce increased mechanisms of compression. Concomitantly, the random forest found that rotational mechanisms were associated with increased probability of partial articular fractures.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite not using radiology, the random forest predicted distal tibia fracture type with similar accuracy to human graders, demonstrating the potential to support in areas like post-crash triage. Finally, the random forest characterized underlying relationships between factors from real-world crash data and AO/OTA fracture types, demonstrating its usefulness as an explanatory model.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144762347","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":"Characterizing suboptimal child passenger safety practices in crashes with fatalities: Child, driver, vehicle, neighborhood, and policy factors.","authors":"Arthi S Kozhumam, Mech Frazier, Mario M Landa, Sideeq Ibrahim, Michelle L Macy","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2526615","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2526615","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Suboptimal child passenger safety practices in the United States persist despite national guidelines, state laws, and safety benefits of child passenger restraint systems (CRS). Child passenger safety practices have not been characterized in a national crash dataset since 2011 updates to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. We sought to identify child, driver, vehicle, neighborhood, and policy-level factors associated with suboptimal child passenger safety practices in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) with a fatality. We additionally present identified hotspots of suboptimal practices for intervention targeting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional study of children <13 years old in passenger cars and light trucks with known restraint status and seating location from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database, 2011-2021.</p><p><strong>Outcome: </strong>Suboptimal practices defined as: 1) not using an age-appropriate CRS, 2) police reported misuse, or 3) front seat location.</p><p><strong>Predictors: </strong>Child age, prior driver traffic violations, vehicle occupancy, driver's ZIP Code-level Child Opportunity Index 3.0 (COI), state-level CRS and seatbelt fines, and state CRS law score by year. Geospatial hotspot analysis was conducted to identify counties with greater concentrations of suboptimal practices.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 52,318 passengers <13 years old, 38,372 (73.3%) had a known restraint [29.4% CRS, 50.7% seatbelt, 19.9% unrestrained] and seating position [15.2% in front seat]. Suboptimal practices were identified in 26,731 (69.7%) children with 4-7 and 8-12 year olds observed to have the highest proportion. The strongest predictors of suboptimal practices were child age 4-7 years (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.09-1.12) vs. <4 years and vehicle over capacity (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.11). There was a decrease in suboptimal child passenger safety practices with increasing vehicle model year, COI level, fines, and law scores. Seventy-five counties each were hotspots for overall suboptimal practices and for premature transitions, 45 were hotspots for riding unrestrained, and 64 were hotspots for traveling in the front seat.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings can inform targets for populations with higher need for efforts to promote child passenger safety including drivers of children 4-7 years old, traveling with more passengers than seating positions, or from low COI areas. Associations with fines and CRS law scores signal the positive impact of legislation to discourage suboptimal practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144762346","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":"Driving skills and self-regulation in older adults: the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Modesta Morkevičiūtė, Laura Šeibokaitė, Auksė Endriulaitienė, Rasa Markšaitytė, Tadas Vadvilavičius","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2524465","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2524465","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The age-related adaptive adjustments of driving behaviors, often referred to as self-regulation, are sometimes seen as a strategy to compensate for inferior driving skills. However, certain contradictions in the literature are observed that make such inferences less definitive. Data integration could aid in clarifying the link of interest. Against this background, we aimed at summarizing the existing evidence and determining the relationship between driving skills and self-regulation of driving in the sample of older people.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The current review was performed under the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA; Moher et al. 2009). Seven databases were used to search for papers: ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, APA PsycArticles, Academic Search Ultimate, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. Studies published from the beginning of available records up to May 2025 were included in the review. In the search process, the titles, abstracts and full-texts were analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Six papers were retained for the current review. The number of participants in the studies ranged between 61 and 888. A systematic review revealed mixed findings regarding the significance and direction of the relationship between driving skills and self-regulation of driving in older people. The results of the meta-analytic examination showed this relationship to be insignificant.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings obtained imply that the adjustment of driving behaviors may depend on some other factors rather than driving skills. On the other hand, older drivers may compensate for declining abilities by avoiding very specific driving situations. This has not always been analyzed in sufficient detail in past research and was therefore not thoroughly explored in this review. Hence, future studies should adopt a more nuanced approach to address the existing research gaps.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144683605","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":"Vehicle blind zones and pedestrian safety at intersections: identifying high-risk scenarios using mathematical simulations.","authors":"Sushant R Jagtap, Jessica S Jermakian","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2520915","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2520915","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study presents a novel simulation-based methodology to systematically assess how vehicle blind zones, intersection geometry, and the speed and direction of both vehicles and pedestrians interact to influence pedestrian visibility at intersections. Focusing on a diverse set of vehicle designs and intersection scenarios, the framework identifies high-risk situations where blind zones may critically impair a driver's ability to detect and respond to crossing pedestrians.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Blind zone data from 20 vehicles representing a range of classes were used. A custom simulation code modeled interactions between crossing pedestrians and vehicle blind zones in four intersection geometries: baseline, narrow lane, wide lane, and offset crosswalk. For each geometry, vehicle speed (4.2 m/s or 15 km/h, 5.6 m/s or 20 km/h, 6.9 m/s or 25 km/h), vehicle trajectory (straight, left, right), and turning trajectory (sharp, average, wide) were simulated. Crossing pedestrians were modeled for two travel directions (from the driver-side and passenger-side A-pillar) at three speeds (0.8, 1.2, 1.8 m/s). Output metrics included time the pedestrian spends in the blind zone, percentage of crossing time in the blind zone, and available driver reaction time once the pedestrian is visible to the driver.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Vehicle blind zone areas ranged from 242 to 478 m². Pedestrians were predominantly obscured during left-turn maneuvers, especially when approaching from the driver-side A-pillar, resulting in an average time in the blind zone of 1.7 s compared with 0.8 s for passenger-side approaches. Lower vehicle speeds combined with fast pedestrian speeds further increased this duration, while higher speeds reduced the available driver reaction time. Intersection geometry and turning radius also affected these metrics. Regression analyses indicated that although blind zone area did not predict total obscuration time, it was significantly associated with delayed pedestrian entry/exit and longer available driver reaction time.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study used a novel simulation methodology to demonstrate that vehicle blind zones can critically affect pedestrian visibility, particularly in left-turn scenarios involving driver-side pedestrian approaches. While blind zone area is an important metric, finer design features (e.g., A-pillar dimensions) and dynamic factors such as vehicle speed, turning behavior, and intersection layout play a crucial role in determining pedestrian visibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144664077","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":"Repositioning forward-leaning booster-seated child occupants in frontal-oblique low-acceleration impacts.","authors":"Valentina Graci, Madeline Griffith, Thomas Seacrist","doi":"10.1080/15389588.2025.2526611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2025.2526611","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Recently, pre-pretensioner equipped seatbelts (PPT) were found to be effective in repositioning forward-leaning adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the PPT on booster-seated forward-leaning children during sled-simulated frontal oblique low-acceleration impacts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eight child volunteers (mean: 6.6 ± 0.5 years, four males, four females; weight 24.2 ± 2.1 kg; seated height 64.4 ± 3.9 cm) were seated on a low-acceleration impact sled in a high-back belt-positioning booster seat (BPB) on a rear vehicle bench seat restrained with a three-point seatbelt with a PPT. Volunteers were exposed to a far-side impact 30° from frontal (peak acceleration 1 g, duration 265 ms). Four randomized testing conditions were examined and repeated twice: seatbelt conditions with PPT (85 N at 250 ms prior sled onset) and without PPT; and a standard and a forward-leaning posture. A 3D motion capture system captured participants' kinematics. Repeated measure three-way ANOVAs tested the effect of seatbelt condition, posture, and repetition on head and trunk peak forward displacement. All displacements were measured relative to the initial position.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The PPT reduced peak forward head displacements in both standard (PPT 103 ± 21 mm vs no-PPT 165 ± 19 mm) and forward-leaning (PPT 42 ± 37 mm vs no-PPT 138 ± 25 mm) postures (<i>p</i> < .001). In the forward-leaning posture with the PPT, the maximum trunk displacement was the initial position: the peak trunk displacement during the sled pulse was less forward than the initial trunk position. Overall, the peak forward trunk displacement was greater in the standard posture (50 ± 37 mm) than in the forward-leaning posture (29 ± 45 mm) (<i>p</i> < .001) and was greater without the PPT (79 ± 13 mm) than with the PPT (1 ± 18 mm). Reduced values with the PPT were also found in the lateral head and trunk displacements (<i>p</i> < .005) regardless of initial posture.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The PPT reduced head and trunk displacements in forward-leaning postures and prevented the trunk from moving further forward from the initial forward-leaning position. A PPT, with a relatively low force of 85 N, has the potential to reduce out-of-position postures in booster-seated children in nonstandard seating positions.</p>","PeriodicalId":54422,"journal":{"name":"Traffic Injury Prevention","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144664075","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}