Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Philosophy, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

As congestion management strategies begin to put more emphasis on person trips than vehicle trips, the need for vehicle occupancy data has become more critical. The traditional methods of collecting these data include the roadside windshield method and the carousel method. These methods are labor-intensive and expensive. An alternative to these traditional methods is to make use of the vehicle occupancy information in traffic accident records. This method is cost effective and may provide better spatial and temporal coverage than the traditional methods. However, this method is subject to potential biases resulting from under- and over-involvement of certain population sectors and certain types of accidents in traffic accident records. In this dissertation, three such potential biases, i.e., accident severity, driver¡¯s age, and driver¡¯s gender, were investigated and the corresponding bias factors were developed as needed. The results show that although multi-occupant vehicles are involved in higher percentages of severe accidents than are single-occupant vehicles, multi-occupant vehicles in the whole accident vehicle population were not overrepresented in the accident database. On the other hand, a significant difference was found between the distributions of the ages and genders of drivers involved in accidents and those of the general driving population. An information system that incorporates adjustments for the potential biases was developed to estimate the average vehicle occupancies (AVOs) for different types of roadways on the Florida state roadway system. A reasonableness check of the results from the system shows AVO estimates that are highly consistent with expectations. In addition, comparisons of AVOs from accident data with the field estimates show that the two data sources produce relatively consistent results. While accident records can be used to obtain the historical AVO trends and field data can be used to estimate the current AVOs, no known methods have been developed to project future AVOs. Four regression models for the purpose of predicting weekday AVOs on different levels of geographic areas and roadway types were developed as part of this dissertation. The models show that such socioeconomic factors as income, vehicle ownership, and employment have a significant impact on AVOs.

The diagnosis of a whiplash injury is a very subjective process. A claim of this type of injury is usually made on the basis of pain, which may or may not be accompanied by clinical signs of trauma. This study was aimed at providing a more objective, quantitative approach to identifying the potential for whiplash injury in a directfront-or-rear-end automobile collision. The Whiplash Injury Severity Estimator (WISE Index) was created using data obtained from Dr. Schneck's personal library of case files, including the collisionacceleration of the vehicle, and the height, weight, and sex of the occupant. Some extrapolated data was also used representing the low and high ranges of height, weight, and collision acceleration to increase the range of the WISE Index. Data was analyzed by the Dynaman computer program in conjunction with the Articulated Total Body Model, to calculate the response of the body to external forces and impacts. The dynamic response of the occupant, combined with preexisting medical statistics provided the information necessary to perform a regression analysis in MINITAB and thus construct the WISE Indices shown below. Male WISE Index (R&#178 = 0.993) &#163 = 0.2643 &#177 0.4071 |(accel,g)| -0.01428(PI) <1.1g<=accel<=5g; 22.4<=PI<=25.0 Female WISE Index (R&#178 = 0.978) &#163 = 0.6214 &#177 0.3429 |(accel,g)| -0.02929(PI) 0.8g<=accel<=5g 22.3<=PI<=31.0 Acceleration: Use the negative sign if it is a rear-end collision and the positive sign if it is a head-on collision. &#163 : A negative value means that potential injury results from backward head rotation, as in a rear-end collision. A positive value means that potential injury results from forward head rotation, as in a head-on collision. |&#163 | < 1 = &#34 Safe &#34 |&#163 | > 1 = &#34 Dangerous &#34 The WISE Index allows one to predict the potential for a whiplash injury, as well as the intensity of the injury, based solely on collision acceleration, height, weight, and sex of the occupant. It is anticipated that this work and future efforts in this area will provide the information base necessary for anyone to effectively evaluate the validity of an alleged whiplash injury. / Master of Science

The main purpose of the thesis is to discuss the accident models which underlie accident prevention in general and road safety in particular, and the consequences of relying on a particular model have for actual preventive work. The discussion centres on two main topics. The first topic is whether the underlying accident model, or paradigm, of traditional road safety should be exchanged for a more complex accident model, and if so, which model(s) are appropriate. From a discussion of current developments in modern road traffic, it is concluded that the traditional accident model of road safety needs replacing. An analysis of three general accident model types shows that the work of traditional road safety is based on a sequential accident model. Since research in industrial safety has shown that such model are unsuitable for complex systems, it needs to be replaced by a systemic model, which better handles the complex interactions and dependencies of modern road traffic. The second topic of the thesis is whether the focus of road safety should shift from accident investigation to accident prediction. Since the goal of accident prevention is to prevent accidents in the future, its focus should theoretically be on how accidents will happen rather than on how they did happen. Despite this, road safety traditionally puts much more emphasis on accident investigation than prediction, compared to areas such as nuclear power plant safety and chemical industry safety. It is shown that this bias towards the past is driven by the underlying sequential accident model. It is also shown that switching to a systemic accident model would create a more balanced perspective including both investigations of the past and predictions of the future, which is seen as necessary to deal with the road safety problems of the future. In the last chapter, more detailed effects of adopting a systemic perspective is discussed for four important areas of road safety, i.e. road system modelling, driver modelling, accident/incident investigations and road safety strategies. These descriptions contain condensed versions of work which has been done in the FICA and the AIDE projects, and which can be found in the attached papers.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

When unsafe conditions arise in a workplace, they may result in employee accidents and fatalities. However, if these problems are detected early, new hazard controls and safety initiatives can be introduced in order to actively reduce or prevent the occurrence of these events. Unfortunately, many safety systems currently monitor and report data that has been aggregated over long time periods, making it difficult to realize and respond to pattern shifts in a timely manner. When monitoring a process over time, a commonly used tool is statistical process control charting. Traditionally used in manufacturing, control charts indicate a deviation from historically "normal" or "in-control" behavior and have become increasingly common in healthcare and public health monitoring. This dissertation studies the use of control charts to monitor the frequency of occupational safety incidents, with the overarching goal of investigating the effects of data aggregation on the detection performance of these charts. Specifically, this dissertation 1) qualitatively establishes the need for more frequent monitoring of safety incidents; 2) investigates the comparative performance of control charts with aggregated and non-aggregated data for the detection of increased accident frequency, using a case study with data from an industrial partner; 3) more generally compares the performance of these charts for a Poisson process with a range of simulated process shifts; and 4) discusses the potential future challenges of including accident severity in quantitative safety monitoring systems. The comprehensive results indicate that lower degrees of data aggregation are preferred, and suggestions for better data collection and employee communication practices are offered to aid the transition for companies. / Ph. D.

Objetivos. Analisar investigações de acidentes e materiais didáticos e educativos, explorando aspectos da construção das análises e de atribuição de culpa. Métodos. Registros de investigações e materiais didáticos de empresas de Botucatu-SP, em 1997, obtidos de instituições e empresas, foram analisados, identificando-se fatores causais, recomendações e referências a comportamentos faltosos ou características da vítima. Árvores de causas foram checadas quanto a cuidados de linguagem, desenhos, interrupções da investigação, tipos de relações entre fatos e exploração para prevenção. Materiais educativos foram analisados, identificando-se concepções de acidente, orientações para investigações e recomendações. Bancos de dados foram formados e gerenciados com EPIinfo. Resultados. Foram analisadas 203 investigações. A média de “causas" por AT foi 1,68 e a de recomendações foi 1,4 por AT, com predomínio de referências a comportamentos ou características da vítima. A maioria das análises baseava-se em formulário obrigatório. Todas as árvores analisadas mostravam desrespeito flagrante a regras e princípios do método. Materiais didáticos veiculavam mesma concepção de acidente das investigações, método de análise centrado em comportamentos faltosos do operador, estímulo ao medo de lesões e recomendações para obediência a regras e uso de equipamentos de proteção. Conclusão. As investigações adotam concepção de acidente baseada na identificação de situações de desrespeito a regras idealizadas, atribuem culpa ao acidentado e não subsidiam a gestão de riscos nas empresas. A atribuição de culpa ocorre independentemente da natureza e/ou tipo de perigo presente nos acidentes. Tentativas de uso do método de árvore de causas mostraram distorções, revelando insuficiência no seu domínio. A construção da culpa foi reforçada por materiais didáticos e educativos. Descritores: Acidentes do trabalho, investigações de acidentes, vigilância de acidentes. / Objectives: To analyze accident investigations and teaching and educational materials exploring aspects of analysis construction and blame attribution. Methods: Investigation reports and educational materials of companies in Botucatu, SP, in 1997, obtained from institutions and companies were analyzed and causal factors, recommendations and references to faulty behavior or victim characteristics were identified. Causal tree were checked in regard to language, design, investigation interruptions, types of relations between facts and exploration for prevention. Educational materials were analyzed identifying the conception of accident, orientation for investigations and recommendation. Data banks were formed and managed by EPIinfo. Results: 203 investigations with an average of 1,68 causes and 1,4 recommendations were analyzed and revealed that references to victim’s behavior or characteristics prevailed. Most analyses were based on an obligatory form. All analyzed trees showed evident disrespect to rules and methodological principles. The educational and teaching materials convey the same accident concept as the investigations, the analyses method centered in the faulty behavior of the operator, stimulus of fear to injury and recommendation for obedience to rules and use of protection equipment. Conclusion: The investigations studied use an accident concept based on the identification of situations of disrespect to idealized rules, blame the injured subjects, and do not support the risk management in the companies. The blame bias occurs independently of the nature or kind of danger involved in the accidents. The attempts to use the causal tree method revealed distortions due to insufficient command. Educational materials strengthened the construction of blame.

Objetivos. Analisar investigações de acidentes e materiais didáticos e educativos, explorando aspectos da construção das análises e de atribuição de culpa. Métodos. Registros de investigações e materiais didáticos de empresas de Botucatu-SP, em 1997, obtidos de instituições e empresas, foram analisados, identificando-se fatores causais, recomendações e referências a comportamentos faltosos ou características da vítima. Árvores de causas foram checadas quanto a cuidados de linguagem, desenhos, interrupções da investigação, tipos de relações entre fatos e exploração para prevenção. Materiais educativos foram analisados, identificando-se concepções de acidente, orientações para investigações e recomendações. Bancos de dados foram formados e gerenciados com EPIinfo. Resultados. Foram analisadas 203 investigações. A média de “causas” por AT foi 1,68 e a de recomendações foi 1,4 por AT, com predomínio de referências a comportamentos ou características da vítima. A maioria das análises baseava-se em formulário obrigatório. Todas as árvores analisadas mostravam desrespeito flagrante a regras e princípios do método. Materiais didáticos veiculavam mesma concepção de acidente das investigações, método de análise centrado em comportamentos faltosos do operador, estímulo ao medo de lesões e recomendações para obediência a regras e uso de equipamentos de proteção. Conclusão. As investigações adotam concepção de acidente baseada na identificação de situações de desrespeito a regras idealizadas, atribuem culpa ao acidentado e não subsidiam a gestão de riscos nas empresas. A atribuição de culpa ocorre independentemente da natureza e/ou tipo de perigo presente nos acidentes. Tentativas de uso do método de árvore de causas mostraram distorções, revelando insuficiência no seu domínio. A construção da culpa foi reforçada por materiais didáticos e educativos. Descritores: Acidentes do trabalho, investigações de acidentes, vigilância de acidentes. / Objectives: To analyze accident investigations and teaching and educational materials exploring aspects of analysis construction and blame attribution. Methods: Investigation reports and educational materials of companies in Botucatu, SP, in 1997, obtained from institutions and companies were analyzed and causal factors, recommendations and references to faulty behavior or victim characteristics were identified. Causal tree were checked in regard to language, design, investigation interruptions, types of relations between facts and exploration for prevention. Educational materials were analyzed identifying the conception of accident, orientation for investigations and recommendation. Data banks were formed and managed by EPIinfo. Results: 203 investigations with an average of 1,68 causes and 1,4 recommendations were analyzed and revealed that references to victim’s behavior or characteristics prevailed. Most analyses were based on an obligatory form. All analyzed trees showed evident disrespect to rules and methodological principles. The educational and teaching materials convey the same accident concept as the investigations, the analyses method centered in the faulty behavior of the operator, stimulus of fear to injury and recommendation for obedience to rules and use of protection equipment. Conclusion: The investigations studied use an accident concept based on the identification of situations of disrespect to idealized rules, blame the injured subjects, and do not support the risk management in the companies. The blame bias occurs independently of the nature or kind of danger involved in the accidents. The attempts to use the causal tree method revealed distortions due to insufficient command. Educational materials strengthened the construction of blame.

City traffic planners are striving to adapt their infrastructure to not only increase the number of cyclists but also to ensure that city cycling is both enjoyable and safe. In Switzerland and in many other countries, it is suspected that only one of ten bicycle accidents is reported to the police [ 1-5]. Only knowing about 10% of the accidents, on top of the fact that there are luckily not many accidents from a statistical perspective, casts doubt about where efforts should be made to improve cycling infrastructure, and how effective the actions taken actually are. To deal with this lack of data, this paper proposes to use surveys of cyclists besides police records to obtain a more complete picture of the number and location of cycling accidents, including the ones not reported to police, and the locations that cyclists perceive as dangerous. The combination of survey and police reported data gives a considerably different and more complete impression of where there is potential to improve cycling infrastructure, when compared to that obtained using only police reported accidents. This work expounds how the survey responses about hazard perception and unreported accidents help provide a more complete overview of the accident potential of the existing cycling network and how they form a base of immensely useful inputs for planning improvements. [From: Introduction]

published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences