The association of light trucks and vans with paediatric pedestrian deaths

Understanding Head Injury Risks During Car-to-Pedestrian Collisions Using Realistic Vehicle and Detailed Human Body Models

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and long-term disability in road traffic accidents (RTAs). Researchers have examined the effect of vehicle front shape and pedestrian body size on the risk of pedestrian head injury. On the other hand, the relationship between vehicle front shape parameters and pedestrian TBI risks involving a diverse population with varying body sizes has yet to be investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively study the effect of vehicle front shape parameters and various pedestrian bodies ranging from 95th percentile male (AM95) to 6 years old (YO) child on the dynamic response of the head and the risk of TBIs during primary (vehicle) impact. At three different collision speeds (30, 40, and 50 km/h), a total of 36 car-to-pedestrian collisions (CPCs) were reconstructed using three different vehicle types (Subcompact passenger sedan, mid-sedan, and sports utility vehicle (SUV)) and four distinct THUMS pedestrian finite element (FE) models (AM50, AM95, AF05, and 6YO). We assessed skull stress and brain strains besides head linear and rotational kinematics. Our findings indicate that vehicle shape parameters especially bonnet leading edge height (BLEH), when being divided by the height of the Center of Gravity of the human body, correlated positively to head kinematics. The data from this study using realistic vehicle structures and detailed human body models showed that smaller BLEH/CG ratios reduced head injury criteria (HIC) and brain injury criteria (BrIC) values for the car center to mid-stance walking pedestrian impacts but with low-to-moderate R squared values between 0.2 to 0.5. Smaller BLEH/CG reduced head lateral bending velocities with R squared values of 0.57 to 0.63 for all impact velocities, and reduced HIC with R squared value of 0.62 for 50 km/h cases. In the future, simulations with realistic car structures and detailed human body models will be further used to simulate impacts at different locations and with various body shapes/postures.

Road Freight Transport Literature and the Achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals—A Systematic Review

Considering the importance of the road freight transport sector on the sustainability debate, the purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of the road freight transport literature to provide key information on the role that this field of knowledge must play in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To accomplish this, we performed a state-of-the-art review via systematic literature on 86 documents published during 2015–2020, with an emphasis on environmental, economic, and technical studies. Ultimately, this paper seeks to uncover research gaps and to suggest means in which the freight transport literature and the 17 SDGs may be faced by this field in future studies. the results showed that the SDGs were not target by the analyzed papers, and the sustainable development goals were not quoted at all. The only SDG fully contemplated was number 7—affordable and clean energy. The findings of this study suggest that this field should add research of SDGs 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 17 as priority areas to be further developed by the RFT literature to achieve SDGs goals.

What factors impact pedestrian and cyclist fatalities? A state level analysis

BACKGROUND

Pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities have increased since 2010 after a long downward trend. Trucks and SUVs, collectively called light trucks, have also increased in sales and size, which may affect pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, pedestrian and cyclist commuters vary by state and it has been speculated that an increase in such commuters may affect fatalities. Studying vulnerable road users can bestow clues on best practices for infrastructure and public health.

METHODS

State level pedestrian and cyclist fatality data was obtained from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration for 2018. Light truck registration by state was obtained from the Office of Highway Policy Information for 2018. Commuters who walk or bike to work were obtained from the American Community Survey from 2009 to 2011, from the latest Centers for Disease Control report. We performed multiple linear regression, accounting for total motor vehicle lane miles per 100 people, also obtained from the Office of Highway Policy Information for 2018. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess predictors for pedestrian and cyclist fatalities with the predictors variables of light truck registration, lane miles per 100 people, and proportion of commuters who are vulnerable road users. Secondary analysis included simple linear regression of the predictor variables against each other.

RESULTS

The multiple regression model, including proportion of light truck registration, lane miles per 100 people, and proportion of commuters who are vulnerable road users, accounted for 18% of the variability in the outcome variable (p = 0.03). An increased number of vulnerable road users were negatively associated with pedestrian and bicyclist fatality. Additionally, there appeared to be an association between motor vehicle lane miles per 100 people and proportion of light truck registrations that was also significant (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The variables affecting vulnerable road user deaths are important to understand given their increased risk exposure on the road. This state level study identifies a potential protective variable with increased vulnerable road users being associated with a decrease in pedestrian and bicyclist death rates. Additionally, light truck proportions do not appear to have a significant effect on death rates.

The effects of primary prevention policies on mortality from motor-vehicle crashes among children in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Every year, 4500 children die in motor-vehicle crashes in the United States, with estimated costs of more than $40,000 and $240 billion in productivity losses. The majority of deaths and injuries are associated with improper use of restraint devices, alcohol, high speeds, and built environments.

METHODOLOGY

This is a retrospective study using U.S. panel data from 1997 through 2005. Data sources included the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Atlas of Presidential Elections, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This study used conditional fixed effects negative binomial regression to analyze the effect of the covariates on mortality by state and year.

RESULTS

A total of 32,893 children died in motor-vehicle crashes (MVCs). States that allowed fines greater than $50 for lack of restraint use experienced significant reductions in mortality as well as states with laws allowing the use of red light cameras. Graduate licensing programs requiring a minimum age of 16 for the intermediate-level experienced mortality reductions as much as 90% compared with a minimum age of 14. Higher posted speeds were associated with higher mortality rates, particularly on local roads.

CONCLUSION

This research focuses on the effects injury prevention laws have on mortality, but not on how effectively these laws are implemented and/or enforced. Results may be useful to policy-makers and public health practitioners involved in injury prevention and public health. Practical applications: Design appropriate education and training programs in road safety, implement effective road safety interventions and improve traffic safety legislation.

SUV driving "masculinizes" risk behavior in females: a public health challenge

Involvement of sport utility vehicles (SUV) in accidents especially with children is of increasing importance. Studies have indicated a more risky behavior in SUV drivers. We conducted an observational study focusing on traffic violations, car type, and the gender of the driver in Vienna. The study was conducted on five weekdays at the beginning of school term. Three busy intersections were selected.Drivers of 43,168 normal cars and 5653 SUVs were counted at the intersections during the observation period. In total 13.8% drivers were unbelted, 3.1% were using a handheld mobile phone, and 2.5% violated traffic lights. These frequencies were significantly higher in SUV drivers than in normal passenger car drivers. This "SUV effect" also occurred in women for all violations, although male drivers violated traffic laws more often than female drivers. However, for driving unbelted the difference between males and females was smaller in SUV drivers.

Analysis of child-vehicle collision injuries by vehicle type

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the severity of injuries to each body region of child pedestrians struck by different types of vehicles.

METHODS

We collected in-depth data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis on pedestrians younger than 13 years with any bodily injuries from collisions with vehicles between 1993 and 2004.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight patients with a mean age of 6.9 ± 2.4 years were included in the study. In collisions, vehicles caused higher Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores than those from impact with the road. Injury Severity Score and AIS values were higher with one-box or sports utility vehicles compared with those in sedan vehicles, but the differences were not statistically significant. The mean AIS score of head injuries was significantly higher with one-box or sports utility vehicles than that with sedans (1.6 ± 2.1 vs 0.5 ± 1.1, P < .05). The mean AIS score of the lower extremities was significantly higher with sedans than that with one-box or sports utility vehicles (1.2 ± 1.0 vs 0.5 ± 0.9, P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The type and severity of injuries in child-car collisions vary by type of vehicle and pedestrian kinematics.

Effects of vehicle size on pedestrian injury pattern and severity: prospective study

BACKGROUND

The type of injuries caused by sport utility vehicles may be different from those caused by small passenger cars. We studied prospectively the effects of the offending vehicle type and design on severity and pattern of pedestrian injuries.

METHODS

All injured pedestrians admitted to the two major trauma centers of Al-Ain city were studied prospectively during the period of April 2006 to October 2007. Patients were classified into two groups according to the offending vehicle type: small vehicle and sport utility vehicle. These two groups were compared regarding the distribution of injury and its severity.

RESULTS

The anatomical distribution of injury in a descending order were the lower extremities (56.3, 67 %), head (53.8, 57.1 %), face (37.5, 57.1 %), and upper extremities (32.5, 28.6 %) in small vehicle and sport utility vehicle groups, respectively. No significant statistical difference has been found between the two groups regarding the anatomical distribution and severity.

CONCLUSIONS

The vehicle size and design did not affect the anatomical injury distribution and severity in our setting. High-impact speed may overcome the vehicle type when it comes to injury severity and pattern of distribution.

An analysis of head impact severity in simulations of collisions between pedestrians and SUVs/work utility vehicles, and sedans

OBJECTIVE

To describe the determinants of the severity of the head kinematics of a pedestrian when struck by common sport utility vehicles (SUV) and work utility vehicles (WUVs) to assess how effective assessment protocols are in assessing injury risk for SUVs and work utilities.

METHODS

Three hundred twenty-four simulations of pedestrian collisions with SUVs, work utility vehicles, and sedans were performed using several vehicle geometries, pedestrian orientations, speeds, and braking levels. Contact stiffnesses in the models were based on impact test results with exemplar vehicle structures. A single contact characteristic was used for all head-to-hood contacts to allow the effects of other factors on head injury risk to be compared. Simulations of standard headform tests on the same hood characterized the structure from a subsystem test perspective.

RESULTS

Head injury criterion values were higher in SUV/WUV simulations than sedan simulations because of high neck tension rather than through higher contact forces with the hood. In fact, the severity of the impact between the head and hood was slightly less in SUV/WUV simulations. Sedan and SUV/WUV simulations produced lower head injury criterion (HIC) values than did the subsystem tests.

CONCLUSIONS

High bonnet leading edges led to increased neck loads in these simulations of pedestrian collisions. Neck loads were influential on head injury risk in the SUV/work utility simulations but not in sedan simulations. Subsystem impact tests may overestimate head impact risk from the hood itself but fail to capture a potentially important injury mechanism in collisions with vehicles with high leading edges and thus fail to differentiate completely risks posed by such vehicles. These results may have implications for the interpretation of pedestrian subsystem test results: a given HIC value in an SUV/WUV test may represent a relatively higher risk of injury than the same results recorded in a sedan test.

Do light truck vehicles (LTV) impose greater risk of pedestrian injury than passenger cars? A meta-analysis and systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Pedestrian crashes present a growing challenge for public health trauma and road safety researchers around the world. They are associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and cost, yet there is an international lack of published work on the topic, especially when compared with vehicle occupant safety studies. Our review attempts to quantify the risk of fatal injury among vulnerable road users. The specific objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to quantify and compare the impact of light truck vehicles (LTVs) versus conventional cars on pedestrian fatal injury.

METHODS

A protocol was developed using methods of the Cochrane Collaboration. We conducted a search for the studies in bibliographic databases that included ATI (Australian Transport Index); Cochrane Injuries Group Specialized Register; EMBASE; ERIC; MEDLINE; National Research Register; PsycINFO; Road Res (ARRB); SIGLE; Science (and Social Science) Citation Index; TRANSPORT (NTIS, TRIS, TRANSDOC, IRRD). Web sites of traffic and road accident research bodies, government agencies, and injury prevention organizations were searched for grey literature. Reference lists from selected papers or topic reviews were scanned for potentially relevant papers.

RESULTS

Our initial search identified 878 potentially eligible studies. After thorough review by three of the researchers a total of 12 studies were included in the systematic review, 11 of which were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled odds ratio for the risk of fatal injury in pedestrian collisions with LTVs compared to conventional cars was odds ratio 1.54, 95 percent confidence interval 1.15-1.93, p = 0.001. Thus, the risk for pedestrians of sustaining fatal injury is 50 percent greater in collisions with LTVs than in collisions with conventional cars.

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that LTVs pose a greater risk of pedestrian injury death compared to conventional cars. These findings have important implications for the automotive industry and the safety of vulnerable road users.