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Tamakloe R, Zhang K, Kim I. Temporal instability of the determinants of fatal/severe elderly pedestrian injury outcomes in intersections and non-intersections before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2024; 205:107676. [PMID: 38875960 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2024.107676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
This study examines the variability in the impacts of factors influencing injury severity outcomes of elderly pedestrians (age >64) involved in vehicular crashes at intersections and non-intersections before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. To account for unobserved heterogeneity in the crash data, a random parameters logit model with heterogeneity in the means approach is utilized to analyze vehicle-elderly pedestrian crash data from Seoul, South Korea, occurring between 2018 and 2022. Preliminary transferability tests revealed instability in factor impacts on injury severity outcomes, highlighting the need to estimate individual models across various road segments and time periods. Thus, the dataset was segregated by crash location (intersection/non-intersection) and period (before, during, and after COVID-19), with individual models estimated for each group. Results obtained from the analyses revealed that back injuries positively influenced fatalities at non-intersections after the pandemic and was negatively associated with fatalities at intersections before the pandemic. Additionally, several indicators demonstrated significant instability in their impact magnitudes across different road segments and crash years. During the pandemic, head injuries increased the probability of fatalities higher at non-intersections. After the pandemic, crosswalk locations decreased the possibility of fatalities more at intersections. Compared to intersection segments, the female indicator reduced the likelihood of fatal injuries at non-intersections more before, during, and after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, much older pedestrians experienced a greater decline in fatalities at intersections than non-intersections. This instability could be attributed to altered mobility patterns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the study findings highlight the variability of determinants of fatal/severe injury outcomes among elderly pedestrians across various road segments and years, with the underlying cause of this fluctuation remaining unclear. Furthermore, the findings revealed that accounting for heterogeneity in the means of random parameters enhances model fit and provides valuable insights for safety professionals. The factor impact variability in the estimated models carries significant implications for elderly pedestrian safety, especially in scenarios where precise projections of the effects of alternative safety measures are essential. Road safety experts can leverage these findings to refine or update current policies to enhance elderly pedestrian safety at intersections and non-intersections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuben Tamakloe
- Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Mobility, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 193 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34051, South Korea; Eco-friendly Smart Vehicle Research Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea.
| | - Kaihan Zhang
- Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Mobility, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 193 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34051, South Korea.
| | - Inhi Kim
- Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Mobility, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 193 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34051, South Korea.
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Wang H, Su X, Fan M, Schwebel DC. The more peers are present, the more adventurous? How peer presence influences adolescent pedestrian safety. TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH. PART F, TRAFFIC PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR 2024; 102:155-163. [PMID: 38559498 PMCID: PMC10977920 DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Objective Adolescence is a high-risk period for traffic injury. One factor that may impact adolescent safety in traffic is the presence of peers. We conducted a quasi-experimental research study to examine the impact of peer presence, peer familiarity, and peer group size on adolescent pedestrian risk-taking intentions in both sidewalk and street-crossing settings. Methods 607 students aged 12-18 years from Nantong city, China, completed a questionnaire that presented 20 traffic scenarios. The scenarios varied based on a 3 (peer group size: no peer vs. one peer vs. multiple peers) x 2 (peer familiarity: familiar vs. unfamiliar) x 2 (traffic setting: crossing the street vs. walking on the roadside) experimental design. Adolescents' responses indicated safer vs riskier intentions in each situation. Results Results found that: (1) Adolescents were safer when walking on the sidewalk than when crossing the street; (2) Whether crossing the street or walking on the sidewalk, adolescents' behavioral intentions were safer when there were peers present than when there were no peers present; (3) Adolescents' safety tended to be higher overall with unfamiliar peers than with familiar peers; (4) Adolescents were less safe when crossing the street with familiar peer(s) than with unfamiliar peer(s), but no differences emerged when walking on the sidewalk. Conclusions Adolescents report safer behavior when walking with a peer or peers compared with walking alone. Familiar peers reduce adolescents' safety of behavior intentions in traffic, especially when crossing the street.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huarong Wang
- Department of Traffic Psychology, Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, Nantong University, 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226019, China
| | - Xueyang Su
- Department of Traffic Psychology, Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, Nantong University, 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226019, China
| | - Mengmeng Fan
- Department of Traffic Psychology, Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, Nantong University, 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226019, China
| | - David C Schwebel
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1300 University Blvd, CH 415, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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Widodo AF, Chen C, Chan CW, Saleh W, Wiratama BS, Pai CW. Walking against traffic and pedestrian injuries in the United Kingdom: new insights. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2205. [PMID: 37946169 PMCID: PMC10634190 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17083-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies from Finland and Taiwan have shown that walking against traffic was beneficial for reducing pedestrian crashes and fatalities. This study examined whether such beneficial effects are consistent across various circumstances. METHODS This study aimed to investigate pedestrian fatalities in walking-against or with-traffic crashes by analysing the UK STATS19 crash data for the period between 1991 and 2020. We firstly employed Chi-square tests to examine risk factors for pedestrian injury severity. These variables were then incorporated into stepwise logistic regression models with multiple variables. We subsequently conducted joint effect analysis to investigate whether the beneficial effects of walking against traffic on injury severity vary across different situations. RESULTS Our data contained 44,488 pedestrian crashes, of which 16,889 and 27,599 involved pedestrians walking against and with traffic, respectively. Pedestrians involved in with-traffic crashes were more likely to sustain fatalities (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.542; confidence interval [CI] = 1.139-1.927) compared with those in walking against-traffic crashes. The detrimental effect of walking with traffic on fatalities appeared to be more pronounced in darkness-unlit conditions (AOR = 1.48; CI = 1.29-1.70), during midnight hours (00:00-06:59 am) (AOR = 1.60; CI = 1.37-1.87), in rural areas (AOR = 2.20; CI = 1.92-2.51), when pedestrians were elderly (≥ 65 years old) (AOR = 2.65, CI = 2.16-3.26), and when heavy goods vehicles were crash partners (AOR = 1.51, CI = 1.28-1.78). CONCLUSIONS Walking against traffic was beneficial in reducing pedestrian fatalities compared with walking with traffic. Furthermore, such a beneficial effect was more pronounced in darkness-unlit conditions, at midnights (00:00-06:59 am), in rural areas, when pedestrians were elderly, and when heavy goods vehicles struck pedestrians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhmad Fajri Widodo
- Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, 110, Taiwan
| | - Chenyi Chen
- Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, 110, Taiwan
- Research Center of Brain and Consciousness, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Chan
- Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, 110, Taiwan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, New Taipei City Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Wafaa Saleh
- Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Bayu Satria Wiratama
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta City, 55281, Indonesia
| | - Chih-Wei Pai
- Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, 110, Taiwan.
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