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Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-153). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-163).

D.Comm. / In Chapter 1 events relating to government motor transport in South Africa were discussed. It became clear that there was uncertainty regarding the best way forward for government motor transport. Conflicting information as to which was the best model emanated from institutions outside Gauteng: some institutions were outsourcing their fleets, whilst others were decentralising their fleets to user departments. In some cases there was a movement from a decentralised to a centralised system. All the above led to the question whether there was a better way of managing government motor transport and of making strategic decisions such as outsourcing or decentralising the fleet. It was stated in Chapter 1 that the approach to fleet management in Gauteng was not an all-encompassing process, thus giving rise to suboptimal decisions. In particular, problems had to be solved without the all-inclusive and focused management information that is needed to make informed decisions. Contradicting signals from institutions that operate government-owned fleets throughout South Africa further complicated the situation. This was causing further uncertainty as to the way forward. There was a need for a decision-making process and tool that takes into account the broader picture, including the interest of all important stakeholders. The chapter then highlighted the need to provide an overall strategic framework within which more informed decisions could be made. This would reduce uncertainty and provide a solid base from where government motor transport could be managed and developed. / Prof. G.C. Walters

OBJECTIVES: To compare morbidity and mortality between pediatric victims of motor vehicle collisions (MVC) who were unrestrained to those restrained and to describe compliance with child restraint usage in our population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective consecutive chart review study was performed on MVC victims 14 years old and younger who presented to our academic, level 1 trauma emergency department in 2003. Each patient's emergency department and hospital course was reviewed and data were collected. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for unrestrained children with respect to restrained children for fractures; intraabdominal injuries, intrathoracic injuries, intracranial injuries, admission, surgery, blood transfusion, intubation; and deaths. Hospital charges and length of hospital stay were compared between those unrestrained and restrained. Percentage of children unrestrained was determined. RESULTS: Of 336 patients, 81 (24%) were unrestrained. Mean hospital stay for unrestrained children was longer, 1.94 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75-3.12) versus 0.098 days (95% CI 0.02-0.21). Unrestrained victims had higher mean charges, $14,754 (95% CI $7676-$21,831) versus $1996 (95% CI $1207-$2786). Admissions (OR = 14.48, 95% CI 5.91-38.63), fractures (OR = 5.85, 95% CI 2.13-16.89), intraabdominal injuries (OR = 20.16, 95% CI 2.36-930.68), and intrathoracic injuries (OR = 13.09, 95% CI 1.26-647.05) were all more likely in unrestrained patients. No restrained child had intracranial injury, whereas 9/81 (11.11%) of unrestrained did. Odds were higher in unrestrained for surgery [OR = 13.09, 95% CI 3.30-74.33] and transfusion [OR = 27.61, 95% CI 3.56-229.85]. Ten out of 81 (12.35%) of unrestrained children required intubation versus none for restrained. The only 2 mortalities were unrestrained patients. CONCLUSION: Critical injuries and cost of care are higher in unrestrained than restrained children. Improved compliance with child safety restraint in southern Arizona should decrease childhood morbidity and mortality from MVCs.

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1999. / This investigation entails a study of motor vehicle theft and hijacking in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape for the period of 1 January till 31 December 1995. The present study is empirically founded and for this purpose an information schedule has been implemented to capture data from police case dossiers for statistical analysis and description. Data forthcoming from a previous Honours study in the Westem-Cape have also been incorporated for comparison purposes. The sample consists of 1331 cases of motor vehicle theft and hijacking in KwaZulu-Natal, while 372 cases in Western Cape were included in this investigation. Key findings emanating from this investigation are as follows: (1) White male victims in the age category 31-35 years were the most victimised through motor vehicle theft and hijacking in both Provinces. (2) The profile of the average offender of motor vehicle theft and hijacking comprises an unemployed African male person between 21-40 years. (3) The temporal frequency indicates that most people in KwaZulu-Natal were victimised during March, August and October, while October, September and May caused the most suffering for victims in the Western Cape. Thursdays and specifically early mornings in KwaZulu-Natal seems to be the most popular for motor vehicle theft and hijacking. In the Western Cape this tendency peaked in the early mornings of Fridays. (4) Toyota followed by Mazda, Nissan / Datsun and Ford sedan vehicles were the most popular objects for motor thieves and hijackers. The following recommendation have been made: (1) Greater community involvement in the prevention of these types of crime has become inevitable. In this regard empowerment of local communities through Community Police Forums could play an important role. Such involvement could stimulate greater crime awareness among the community. Shared responsibility as far as the security of people and their property is concerned, could positively influence successful order maintenance. (2) Security measures which including the installation of anti-theft devices should be prioritised by the public. (3) Specialised Vehicle Theft Units should, in the light of the low percentage motor vehicle theft cases referred to courts, be more efficient - considering the availability of modern technology. (4) Police involvement in crime syndicates should receive serious attention and, were applicable, be totally eliminated (5) Progress without research is futile. Greater liaison between the police and tertiary institutions (Criminology departments and the Technikon SA) will do much to stimulate scientific research in the interest of successful policing.

Few attempts have been made to use physical and physiological driver characteristics to predict driver drowsiness. As a result, a reliable drowsy driver detection system has yet to be devised. Thus, the primary objectives of this research were to determine whether driving characteristics and response variables could be used to detect eyelid closure associated with drowsiness, and. to provide ‘potential measures of driver· drowsiness. In. the study, eyelid closure was defined as the measurement standard of drowsiness. Eyelid closure, in studies conducted at Duke University, was a reliable measure of drowsiness. A computer simulated nighttime driving task introduced 90 minutes of typical highway driving to twenty driver/subjects seated ixx a moving-base driving simulator. Each driver/subject drove under two conditions--rested and after 19 hours of being awake. During the 90 minutes of driving, two types of low-level stimuli, steering wheel torque and front wheel displacement, were applied to the simulation. Responses to these stimuli as well as driving I measures from the intervals between stimuli were analyzed for variations associated with eyelid closure. Seventeen dependent variables were investigated. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

Working to increase seatbelt usage among teenagers in rural settings: The Drive Alive Program (Under the direction of Dr. Monica Swahn) Background: Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Teens are less likely to wear seatbelts than other age groups and more likely to be involved in a crash. The Drive Alive program was designed to improve seatbelt usage among teens. Purpose: This analysis aims to evaluate seatbelt use among teen drivers in a rural setting. Specifically, are there differences between males and females in terms of seatbelt use? Are drivers more likely to wear their seatbelts than passengers? Methods: Data was gathered from observational surveys (N= 3,743). Surveys were gathered by trained observers in South Georgia from 2010-2011. Records were analyzed in SPSS using three categories: occupant, sex, and belt use. The null hypotheses for this study are: 1) there is no significant difference between male and female drivers or passengers in seatbelt usage; and, 2) there is no significant difference between driver and passenger seatbelt usage. Results: Descriptive analyses were computed to determine average seatbelt use across all occupants. Chi Square for Independence tests were computed to determine differences between drivers and passengers and males and females. Females were significantly more likely than males to wear their seatbelt (Females, 70%; Males, 59%). There were no significant differences in seatbelt use for drivers and their passengers. Conclusions: Results for females being more likely to wear seatbelts is consistent with the literature. Future research might include comparison between schools with different versions of the program. Programs to increase seatbelt usage among teens should include parents, education, enforcement, teen-led activities, and partnership with educators and community organizations. Save the lives of young drivers by modeling seatbelt wearing, appropriately implementing comprehensive seatbelt use improvement programs, and enforcing the law. These simple measures will improve seatbelt use and reduce roadway fatalities.

D.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Driving is a complex visuomotor task, and the study of eye movements can provide interesting and detailed insights into driving behaviour. The aim of this thesis was to understand (a) what methods are useful to assess driving behaviour, (b) the reasons we observe differences in eye movements when driving, and (c) offer a possible visual training method. The first experiment compared drivers' eye movements and hazard perception performance in an active simulated driving task and a passive video driving task. A number of differences were found, including an extended horizontal and vertical visual search and faster response to the hazards in the video task. It was concluded that when measuring driving behaviour in an active task, vision, attention and action interact in a complex manner that is reflected in a specific pattern of eye movements that is different to when driving behaviour is measured using typical video paradigms. The second experiment investigated how cognitive functioning may influence eye movement behaviour when driving. It was found that those with better cognitive functioning exhibited more efficient eye movement behaviour than those with poorer cognitive functioning. The third experiment compared the eye movement and driving behaviour of an older adult population and a younger adult population. There were no differences in the eye movement behaviour. However, the older adults drove significantly slower, suggesting attentional compensation. The final experiment investigated the efficacy of using eye movement videos as a visual training tool for novice drivers. It was found that novice drivers improved their visual search strategy when driving after viewing videos of an expert driver's eye movements. The results of this thesis helps to provide insights into how the visual system is used for a complex behaviour such as driving. It also furthers the understanding of what may contribute to, and what may prevent, road accidents.