Commercial vehicles and road safety in Pakistan: exploring high-risk attributes among drivers and vehicles

Professional Drivers’ Knowledge About the Influence of Medicines that May Impair Driving

More knowledge about the impact of medication on driving are indicative of a lower likelihood of having a motor vehicle crash. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge of professional drivers about the influence of driving impairing medicines in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 cities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, during first trimester of 2017, with 221 professional drivers, using questionnaire with 35 statements, where participants expressed their agreement according to Likert scale, from completely disagree to completely agree.

The average score related to the drivers’ knowledge was 131,58 (range from 49 to 175), 22,6% were unaware that some medicines may influence psychophysical abilities and ability to drive. A high percentage of participants in the study don’t know that a negative impact on the driving ability can be the result of the use of medicines from groups for which it is unexpected to have such effects, medicines that are dispensed without a medical prescription, herbal remedies, dietary supplements and medicines that affects eyesight or hearing. More than half didn’t know that medicines labeled with warning symbols Δ, ▲ and § are not allowed to be used immediately before or during driving.

Professional drivers’ knowledge about driving impairing medicines is not satisfactory. Labeling system of these medicines is inadequate. These findings could help to identify drivers, who are at increased risk for using potentially impairing medicines, to inform and educate them, and to prevent driving under the influence of medicines.

Characteristics and Causes of Particularly Major Road Traffic Accidents Involving Commercial Vehicles in China

Major accidents occurred frequently in the road transportation industry, and the resulting harm to drivers, property loss, and traffic interruption are very serious. This study investigated 11 particularly major accidents involving commercial vehicles in China, and performed analysis on accident characteristics regarding the time, location, types of vehicles, and accident causation at different levels based on the 24Model. Large buses and dangerous goods vehicles were involved in 10 accidents and they all occurred on a freeway. The months from May to August, especially during the time periods of 2:00–4:00 and 14:00–16:00 every day, were the most prone to accidents. The driver’s speeding and fatigued driving, and vehicle failure were the direct causes of most of the accidents. The defects in organizational safety management involved 12 system elements, such as safety accountability, education and training, etc. Procedures are of no use if they were not followed, and there was often no effective process to assess the implementation of procedures in many organizations. The weaknesses in organizational safety culture were the source of accidents, which was mainly manifested in members’ inadequate cognition of key elements in the aspects of safety importance, safety commitment, safety management system, etc. Understanding the characteristics and root causes of accidents can help to prevent the recurrence of similar mistakes and strengthen preventative measures in road transportation enterprises.

Visual assessment of commercial drivers in the South West Region of Cameroon

BACKGROUND

Driving is a visually intensive task. In Cameroon, where the burden of road traffic deaths is high, visual assessment is not universally performed before the issuance of driver licenses. This study aims to assess the visual status of commercial drivers (CDs) in the southwestern region of Cameroon, and to find its relation to road traffic crashes (RTCs).

METHODS

This work was a cross-sectional community-based study on CDs in Limbe and Buea. Questionnaires were used to assess sociodemographic parameters, the incidence of RTCs, and self-reported visual status. Visual acuity (VA) was measured using a standard Snellen chart at 6 m. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive methods: frequencies, the paired Student's t-test, and the chi-square test.

RESULTS

Two hundred seven CDs were enrolled in this study, all of which were male, with a mean age of 41.8 ± 12.1 years. A total of 15.0% had undergone an eye exam prior to licensure, and 3.4% had undergone an eye exam within the past 10 years. The VA in the better-seeing eye of participants was less than 6/9 and 6/12 in 14.1 and 10.6% of CDs, respectively. Seventy-five percent of CDs with self-reported poor vision and 95% of CDs with VA < 0.5 had a history of RTCs compared to 55.8% of CDs with self-reported good vision and 55.7% of CDs with VA ≥ 0.5 (p < 0.05). Injuries from RTCs were more common in CDs with self-reported poor vision (81.1%) and in those with VA < 0.5 (90.5%) compared to CDs who self-reported good vision (55.8%) and those with VA ≥ 0.5 (55.7%) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of CDs did not undergo a visual assessment before the issuance or renewal of their driver licenses. A substantial number of CDs had poor vision in their better-seeing eye and suffered from RTCs and related injuries, which suggests that the visual status of CDs in Cameroon is related to the gruesome number of road traffic crashes and deaths in the country. Therefore, concerned authorities should consider making vision tests a necessary requirement for the obtention of driver licenses.

Identifying high-risk commercial vehicle drivers using sociodemographic characteristics

Crash data, from the state of Kentucky, for the 2015-2016 period, show that per capita crash rates and increases in crash-related fatalities were higher than the national average. In an effort to explain why the U.S. Southeast experiences higher crash rates than other regions of the country, previous research has argued the regions unique socioeconomic conditions provide a compelling explanation. Taking this observation as a starting point, this study examines the relationship between highway safety and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, using an extensive crash dataset from Kentucky. Its focus is single- and two-unit crashes that involve commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and automobiles. Using binary logistic regression and the quasi-induced exposure technique to analyze data on the socioeconomic and demographic attributes of the zip codes in which drivers reside, factors are identified which can serve as indicators of crash occurrence. Variables such as income, education level, poverty level, employment, age, gender, and rurality of the driver's zip code influence the likelihood of a driver being at fault in a crash. Socioeconomic factors exert a similar influence on CMV and automobile crashes, irrespective of the number of vehicles involved. Research findings can be used to identify groups of drivers most likely to be involved in crashes and develop targeted and efficient safety programs.

The Road Traffic Injuries Research Network: a decade of research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries

Road traffic crashes have been an increasing threat to the wellbeing of road users worldwide; an unacceptably high number of people die or become disabled from them. While high-income countries have successfully implemented effective interventions to help reduce the burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in their countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not yet achieved similar results. Both scientific research and capacity development have proven to be useful for preventing RTIs in high-income countries. In 1999, a group of leading researchers from different countries decided to join efforts to help promote research on RTIs and develop the capacity of professionals from LMICs. This translated into the creation of the Road Traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) – a partnership of over 1,100 road safety professionals from 114 countries collaborating to facilitate reductions in the burden of RTIs in LMICs by identifying and promoting effective, evidenced-based interventions and supporting research capacity building in road safety research in LMICs. This article presents the work that RTIRN has done over more than a decade, including production of a dozen scientific papers, support of nearly 100 researchers, training of nearly 1,000 people and 35 scholarships granted to researchers from LMICs to attend world conferences, as well as lessons learnt and future challenges to maximize its work.

Trauma care in Germany: an inclusive system

BACKGROUND

Development of trauma systems is a demanding process. The United States and Germany both have sophisticated trauma systems. This manuscript is a summary of political, economic, and medical changes that have led to the development of both trauma systems and the current high-quality standards.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

We specifically asked three questions: (1) What tasks are involved in developing a modern trauma system? (2) What is the approach to achieve this task? (3) Do these systems work?

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of relevant articles by searching electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library) using the following search terms: "trauma system", "polytrauma", "trauma networks", and "trauma registry". Of 2573 retrieved manuscripts, the authors made a personal selection of studies. A personal study selection from our experiences was added when their contribution to the topic was judged important.

RESULTS

Worldwide, similar tasks concerning trauma care have to be addressed. In most societies, traffic accidents and firearm-related injuries contribute to a high number of trauma victims. The German approach has been to decrease the number of accidents through injury prevention and to provide better care by establishing an emergency medical system. For in-hospital treatment, clinical care has constantly improved and a close interaction with members from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association has helped a great deal to achieve these improvements. The German healthcare system was developed as a powerful healthcare tool covering patients from injury to rehabilitation. In addition, trauma and injury research has been strengthened to deal with various questions of trauma care.

CONCLUSIONS

Organized injury prevention programs and systematized professional patient care can address the issues associated with the global burden of trauma. These trauma systems require constant monitoring and improvement.