Effects of extension ladder fly configuration on climbing safety.

Fall injuries often occur on extension ladders. The extendable fly section of an extension ladder is typically closer to the user than the base section, though this design is minimally justified. This study investigates the effects of reversing the fly on foot placement, frictional requirements, adverse stepping events (repositioning the foot or kicking the rung), and user preferences. Participant foot placement was farther posterior (rung contacted nearer to toes) in the traditional ladder compared to the reversed fly condition during descent, with farther anterior foot placements during ascent. The reversed configuration had similar friction requirements during early/mid stance and significantly lower frictional requirements during late stance. Increased friction requirements during late stance were associated with farther anterior foot placement and further plantar flexed foot orientation. The reversed fly had 5 adverse stepping events versus 22 that occurred in the traditional configuration. Users typically preferred the reversed fly. These results suggest that a reversed extension ladder configuration offers potential benefits in reducing fall-related injuries that should motivate future research and development work.

Cognitive load during driving: EEG microstate metrics are sensitive to task difficulty and predict safety outcomes.

Engaging in phone conversations or other cognitively challenging tasks while driving detrimentally impacts cognitive functions and has been associated with increased risk of accidents. Existing EEG methods have been shown to differentiate between load and no load, but not between different levels of cognitive load. Furthermore, it has not been investigated whether EEG measurements of load can be used to predict safety outcomes in critical events. EEG microstates analysis, categorizing EEG signals into a concise set of prototypical functional states, has been used in other task contexts with good results, but has not been applied in the driving context. Here, this gap is addressed by means of a driving simulation experiment. Three phone use conditions (no phone use, hands-free, and handheld), combined with two task difficulty levels (single- or double-digit addition and subtraction), were tested before and during a rear-end collision conflict. Both conventional EEG spectral power and EEG microstates were analyzed. The results showed that different levels of cognitive load influenced EEG microstates differently, while EEG spectral power remained unaffected. A distinct EEG pattern emerged when drivers engaged in phone tasks while driving, characterized by a simultaneous increase and decrease in two of the EEG microstates, suggesting a heightened focus on auditory information, potentially at a cost to attention reorientation ability. The increase and decrease in these two microstates follow a monotonic sequence from baseline to hands-free simple, hands-free complex, handheld simple, and finally handheld complex, showing sensitivity to task difficulty. This pattern was found both before and after the lead vehicle braked. Furthermore, EEG microstates prior to the lead vehicle braking improved predictions of safety outcomes in terms of minimum time headway after the lead vehicle braked, clearly suggesting that these microstates measure brain states which are indicative of impaired driving. Additionally, EEG microstates are more predictive of safety outcomes than task difficulty, highlighting individual differences in task effects. These findings enhance our understanding of the neural dynamics involved in distracted driving and can be used in methods for evaluating the cognitive load induced by in-vehicle systems.

What would affect drivers' stop-and-go decisions at yellow dilemma zones? A driving simulator study in Hong Kong.

Yellow dilemma, at which a driver can neither stop nor go safely after the onset of yellow signals, is one of the major crash contributory factors at the signal junctions. Studies have visited the yellow dilemma problem using observation surveys. Factors including road environment, traffic conditions, and driver characteristics that affect the driver behaviours are revealed. However, it is rare that the joint effects of situational and attitudinal factors on the driver behaviours at the yellow dilemma zone are considered. In this study, drivers' propensity to stop after the onset of yellow signals is examined using the driving simulator approach. For instances, the association between driver propensity, socio-demographics, safety perception, traffic signals, and traffic and weather conditions are measured using a binary logit model. Additionally, variations in the effect of influencing factors on driver behaviours are accommodated by adding the interaction terms for driver characteristics, traffic flow characteristics, traffic signals, and weather conditions. Results indicate that weather conditions, traffic volume, position of yellow dilemma in the sequence, driver age and safety perception significantly affect the drivers' propensity to stop after the onset of yellow signals. Furthermore, there are remarkable interactions for the effects of driver gender and location of yellow dilemma.

Auditing learner driver information about floodwaters: An environmental scan of government issued resources in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Vehicles driving, or being swept, into floodwaters is a leading cause of flood-related death. Establishing safe behaviors among learner drivers may reduce risk throughout their driving lifetime. METHODS: An environmental scan of publicly available government issued learner and driver handbooks across the eight Australian jurisdictions was conducted to identify information provided regarding floodwaters. Search terms included 'flood,' 'rain,' 'water,' and 'wet.' A visual audit of flood-related signage was also conducted. RESULTS: Twelve documents, across eight jurisdictions, were analyzed. Four jurisdictions' documents provided no information on flooding. Of the four jurisdictions that provided information, content varied. This included highlighting risks and discouraging entering floodwaters in a vehicle, including penalties associated with travel on closed roads, to advising depth and current checks if crossing a flooded roadway, with recommendations based on vehicle size (preference given to bigger vehicles, i.e., 4wds). Information on flood-related signage was found in one jurisdiction. DISCUSSION: Learner and driver handbooks represent a missed opportunity to provide flood safety information. Currently, information is not provided in all jurisdictions, despite flood-related vehicle drowning deaths of drivers and passengers being a national issue. Where information is presented, it is limited, often lacks practical guidance on how to assess water depth, current, and road base stability, and could better use evidence regarding the psychological factors underpinning, and behavioral prompts for performing, or avoiding, risky driving behavior during floods. CONCLUSIONS: The provision and content of information in learner driver and driver handbooks must be improved, particularly within the context of increasing flooding and extreme weather associated with the effects of climate change. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: We encourage all jurisdictions to provide practical information that draws on evidence-based risk factors and empirically established psychological factors for behavioral change to help establish safe driver behaviors around floods in the formative years of learning to drive.

Meta-analysis of the safety effect of electronic stability control.

OBJECTIVE: Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a standard feature on most modern cars, due to its reported efficiency to reduce the number of crashes of several types. However, empirical studies of safety effects of ESC for passenger vehicles have not considered some methodological problems that might have inflated the effects. This includes self-selection of drivers who buy/use ESC and behavioral adaptation to the system over long time periods, but also the dominant method of induced exposure. This study aimed to investigate whether such methodological problems might have influenced the results. METHOD: A meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate whether there are systematic differences between published studies. Moderators tested included when the study was undertaken, the type of vehicle studied, the percent ESC in the sample, size of sample, the length of the study, whether matched or un-matched vehicles were studied, whether induced exposure was used, and two variants of types of crashes used as controls. RESULTS: The effects found ranged from 38% to 75% reduction of crashes for the main targets of singles, running off road and rollover crashes. However, these effects were heterogeneous, and differed depending on the methods used. Most importantly, information that could have allowed more precise analyses of the moderators were missing in most publications. CONCLUSIONS: Although average effects were large and in agreement with previous meta-analyses, heterogeneity of the data was large, and lack of information about important moderators means that firm conclusions about what kind of mechanisms were influencing the effects cannot be drawn. The available data on ESC efficiency are not unanimous, and further investigations into the effects of ESC on safety using different methodologies are warranted.

Standard Safety Procedure Before Therapeutic Administration of 223Ra-Dichloride.

223Ra-dichloride is an α-emitter therapy approved for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer with symptomatic bone metastases. 223Ra-dichloride is the first targeted α-therapy for this indication with evidence of benefit in overall survival. The administration is intravenous, and extravasation can cause severe injuries such as tissue necrosis. To prevent this side effect, some procedures can be performed according to the guideline of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine. Ionizing radiation is a well-established risk factor for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, but surprisingly there are few reports of local adverse effects related to extravasation of radiotherapies at the injection sites. Recently, a possible case of cutaneous cancer was observed after 223Ra-dichloride extravasation. Methods: To complement the prevention of extravasation, we developed a standardized technique to be performed before the injection of 223Ra. Results: Our technique was successfully applied to the study population, and no apparent extravasation was seen. Conclusion: Our study suggests that use of this standardized technique before administration of 223Ra is helpful in preventing extravasation during this treatment.

Gauging road safety advances using a hybrid EWM-PROMETHEE II-DBSCAN model with machine learning.

Introduction: Enhancing road safety conditions alleviates socioeconomic hazards from traffic accidents and promotes public health. Monitoring progress and recalibrating measures are indispensable in this effort. A systematic and scientific decision-making model that can achieve defensible decision outputs with substantial reliability and stability is essential, particularly for road safety system analyses. Methods: We developed a systematic methodology combining the entropy weight method (EWM), preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE), and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN)-referred to as EWM-PROMETHEE II-DBSCAN-to support road safety monitoring, recalibrating measures, and action planning. Notably, we enhanced DBSCAN with a machine learning algorithm (grid search) to determine the optimal parameters of neighborhood radius and minimum number of points, significantly impacting clustering quality. Results: In a real case study assessing road safety in Southeast Asia, the multi-level comparisons validate the robustness of the proposed model, demonstrating its effectiveness in road safety decision-making. The integration of a machine learning tool (grid search) with the traditional DBSCAN clustering technique forms a robust framework, improving data analysis in complex environments. This framework addresses DBSCAN's limitations in nearest neighbor search and parameter selection, yielding more reliable decision outcomes, especially in small sample scenarios. The empirical results provide detailed insights into road safety performance and potential areas for improvement within Southeast Asia. Conclusion: The proposed methodology offers governmental officials and managers a credible tool for monitoring overall road safety conditions. Furthermore, it enables policymakers and legislators to identify strengths and drawbacks and formulate defensible policies and strategies to optimize regional road safety.

Once a driver, always a driver - Manual driving style persists in automated driving takeover.

As automated vehicles require human drivers to resume control in critical situations, predicting driver takeover behaviour could be beneficial for safe transitions of control. While previous research has explored predicting takeover behaviour in relation to driver state and traits, little work has examined the predictive value of manual driving style. We hypothesised that drivers' behaviour during manual driving is predictive of their takeover behaviour when resuming control from an automated vehicle. We assessed 38 drivers with varying experience in a high-fidelity driving simulator. After completing manual driving sessions to assess their driving style, participants performed an automated driving task, typically on a subsequent date. Measures of driving style from manual driving sessions, including headway and lane change speed, were found to be predictive of takeover behaviour. The level of driving experience was associated with the behavioural measures, but correlations between measures of manual driving style and takeover behaviour remained after controlling for driver experience. Our findings demonstrate that how drivers reclaim control from their automated vehicle is not an isolated phenomenon but is associated with manual driving behaviour and driving experience. Strategies to improve takeover safety and comfort could be based on driving style measures, for example by the automated vehicle adapting its behaviour to match a driver's driving style.

Parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and preschool children's outdoor play: An exploration of sex and safety type differences.

Despite the growing evidence on the influence of neighborhood safety on physical activity, few studies have specifically focused on preschool-aged children and differentiated the various domains of neighborhood safety. This study investigates the relationship between parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and preschool children's time spent outdoors and explores potential sex differences in this relationship. This study analyzed nationally representative data from 1656 Korean children (848 boys and 808 girls) aged 3, 5, 6 years collected over the course of three waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). Outdoor playtime was measured by maternal reports of the time their children spent playing outdoors on a typical weekday. Parental perceptions of neighborhood safety were assessed using two items that inquired about neighborhood safety in terms of crime and accidents, respectively. Fixed effects estimates revealed that parental perceptions of social safety were associated with an increase in children's outdoor physical activity (b = 3.778, p < 0.05), whereas perceptions of physical safety were not. Sex-stratified models showed that the association between parental perceptions of social safety and children's outdoor play was driven largely by boys (b = 8.498, p < 0.001), with no association observed for girls. The findings of this study underscore the importance of addressing the social safety of neighborhood environments to promote outdoor play in preschool children. Moreover, sex differences should be considered when developing interventions aimed at increasing physical activity among young children.

BDSM Safety in Pornography: Its Perceived Accuracy and Impact on Practitioners' Safe Word Practices.

As some BDSM activities can carry risk of temporary or permanent marks/injury, and even death, safety is a foundational principle to BDSM participation. Given the connection between BDSM and sex for some practitioners, pornography is a likely domain for learning about BDSM safety, given its easy accessibility online. However, it is unclear whether practitioners view BDSM safety depicted in pornography as accurate and whether it influences their own practices. Therefore, the current study surveyed self-identified BDSM practitioners' perceptions of pornography's accurate representation of communication, consent, safe words, negotiation, general safety, and how these perceptions relate to their use of safe words and safety training in their own activities. Results showed that (1) demographics nor BDSM-related attributes predicted perceived accuracy of BDSM safety depictions in pornography; (2) perceived accuracy of pornography's depiction of BDSM general safety and safe words did not predict practitioners' negotiation or use of safe words; however, years of BDSM experience did predict safe word usage; (3) submissive-related BDSM roles were more likely to use safe words than dominant-related BDSM roles; (4) those who participated in BDSM only in private were less likely to have CPR and/or first-aid training and more likely to have no other safety training; (5) those who believed pornography depicted BDSM safety mostly/very accurately were more likely to have no safety training; and (6) years of BDSM experience did not predict safety training. The impact of these findings on how we understand the influence of pornography on real-world BDSM practices are discussed.

A method for evaluating safety reliability of descend/ascend drop-weight system and mission abort decision for deep-ocean scientific human submersibles.

Descend and ascend of deep-water human-occupied submersibles based on buoyancy changes are enabled using a denomination of dispensable drop-weights, and loss of buoyancy are managed using emergency drop-weights and jettisoning identified systems. Failing to release the drop weights or jettison results in submersible stranding on the sea floor, leads to emergency recovery, and hence the drop-weight configuration has to be highly reliable. The paper, for the first time, based on hydrostatic stability, descend/ascend velocity needs, ocean salinity profile and loss-of-buoyancy situations, proposes a novel on-demand reliability based methodology for determining the safe drop-weight configuration and degradation-based mission abort strategy for deep-ocean human submersibles. Probabilistic on-demand reliability analysis based on IEC61508 standards for safety-critical systems using component field-failure data is carried out and the drop-weight configuration essential to meet the human-rated safety integrity level 3 during all stages of the subsea mission is identified for the deep-ocean human scientific submersible Matsya6000, based on which a mission abort protocol is evolved.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of three different interventions on older driver safety over a 12-month period: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The growing population of older drivers presents challenges for road safety attributed to age-related declines and increased crash fatality rates. However, enabling older people to maintain their health and independence through continued safe driving is important. This study focuses on the urgent need for cost-effective interventions that reduce crash risk while supporting older drivers to remain driving safely for longer. Our study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of three behavioural interventions for older driver safety. These include an online road-rules refresher workshop, tailored feedback on driving performance and two tailored driving lessons. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-blind three-parallel group superiority randomised controlled trial will be conducted with 198 urban licensed drivers aged 65 years and older, allowing for 4% attrition. This sample size provides 80% power to detect a difference with an alpha of 0.05. Participants will be selected based on a standardised on-road test that identifies them as moderately unsafe drivers. Interventions, spanning a 3-month period, aim to improve driving safety. Their effectiveness will be assessed through a standardised on-road assessment of driving safety at 3 months (T1) and 12 months postintervention (T2). Additionally, monthly self-reported driving diaries will provide data on crashes and incidents.This trial has the potential to identify cost-effective approaches for improving safety for older drivers and contribute to evidence-based health policy, clinical practice and guidelines. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HC190439, 22 August 2019). The results of the study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and research conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12622001515785.

Toward Safe and Confident Silver Drivers: Interview Study Investigating Older Adults' Driving Practices.

BACKGROUND: As the aging population in the United States continues to increase rapidly, preserving the mobility and independence of older adults becomes increasingly critical for enabling aging in place successfully. While personal vehicular transport remains a popular choice among this demographic due to its provision of independence and control over their lives, age-related changes may heighten the risk of common driving errors and diminish driving abilities. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the driving practices of older adults and their efforts to maintain safe and confident driving habits. Specifically, we sought to identify the factors that positively and negatively influence older adults' driving performance and confidence, as well as the existing efforts put into sustaining their driving abilities. METHODS: We recruited 20 adults aged ≥65 years who remained active drivers during the recruitment from the greater New York area. Then, we conducted semistructured interviews with them to examine their perceptions, needs, and challenges regarding safe and confident driving. RESULTS: Our findings uncovered a notable disparity between older adults' self-perceived driving skills and the challenges they face, particularly caused by age-related limitations and health conditions such as vision and memory declines and medication routines. Drawing on these findings, we proposed strategies to bridge this gap and empower older adults to drive safely and confidently, including fostering a realistic understanding of their capabilities, encouraging open dialogue regarding their driving, encouraging regular assessments, and increasing awareness of available resources. CONCLUSIONS: This study uncovered a noticeable disparity between the perceived driving competence of older adults and the actual challenges they confront while driving. This divergence underscores a significant need for better support beyond the existing aid available to preserve older adults' driving skills. We hope that our recommendations will offer valuable insights for practitioners and scholars committed to enhancing the overall well-being and quality of life for older adults as they age in their homes.

A comparison of factors influencing the safety of pedestrians accessing bus stops in countries of differing income levels.

Pedestrian fatalities comprise a quarter of all traffic deaths in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The use of safer modes of transport such as buses can reduce road trauma as well as air pollution and traffic congestion. Although travelling by bus is safer than most other modes, accessing bus stops can be risky for pedestrians. This paper systematically reviews factors contributing to the safety of pedestrians near bus stops in countries of differing income levels. The review included forty-one studies from high (20), upper-middle (13) and lower-middle income countries (8) during the last two decades. The earliest research was conducted in high-income countries (HICs), but research has spread in the last decade. The factors influencing pedestrian safety fell into three groups: (a) characteristics of road users, (b) characteristics of bus stops and (c) characteristics of the road traffic environment. Pedestrians near bus stops are frequently exposed to a high risk of collisions and fatalities due to factors such as unsafe pedestrian behaviours (e.g., hurrying to cross the road), lack of bus stop amenities such as safe footpaths, high traffic speeds and traffic volumes, multiple lanes, and roadside hazards (e.g., parked cars obscuring pedestrians). Road crash statistics are commonly used to identify unsafe bus stops in HICs but the unavailability and unreliability of data have prevented more widespread use in LMICs. Future research is recommended to focus on surrogate safety measures to identify hazardous bus stops for pedestrians.

Investigating Implicit and Explicit Communication of Highly Automated Vehicles in Japan: How do Light-band eHMIs affect Pedestrians' Willingness to Cross, Trust and Perceived Safety?

In the near future, pedestrians will face highly automated vehicles on the roads. Highly automated vehicles (HAVs) should have safety-enhancing communication tools to guarantee traffic safety, e.g., vehicle kinematics and external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs). Pedestrians, as highly vulnerable road users, depend on communication with HAVs. Miscommunication between pedestrians and HAVs could quickly result in accidents, and this, in turn, could cause severe impairments for pedestrians. Light-band eHMIs have the potential to enhance traffic safety. However, eHMIs have been less explored in Japan so far. As a first-time approach, this experimental online study shed light on the effect of a light-band eHMI on Japanese pedestrians (N=99). In short video sequences, the participants interacted with two differently sized HAVs equipped with light-band eHMI. We investigated the effect of vehicle size (small vs. large), eHMI status (no eHMI vs. static eHMI vs. dynamic eHMI), and vehicle kinematics (yielding vs. non-yielding) on pedestrians' willingness to cross, trust, and perceived safety. To investigate possible side effects of eHMIs, we also included experimental conditions in which the eHMI mismatched the vehicle's kinematics. Results revealed that Japanese were more willing to cross the street and indicated higher trust- and safety ratings when they received information about the vehicle's intention and automation status (dynamic eHMI) compared to when they received no information (no eHMI) or only about the vehicle automation status (static eHMI). Surprisingly, Japanese participants tended to rely on the eHMI when there was mismatching information between eHMI and vehicle kinematics. Overall, we concluded that light-band eHMIs could contribute to a safe future interaction between pedestrians and HAVs in Japan under the requirement that the eHMI is in accordance with vehicle kinematics.

Monitoring day and dark traffic collisions in Toronto neighbourhoods with implications for injury reduction and Vision Zero initiatives: A spatial analysis approach.

The City of Toronto adopted a Vision Zero strategy in 2016 that aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from vehicular collisions. The strategy includes policies to improve lighting to reduce collision risks, and past research has suggested lighting as a road safety factor. We apply Bayesian spatial analysis (including Poisson log-normal regression modelling, shared component spatial modelling, and Bayesian spatiotemporal modelling) to publicly available data on traffic collisions where persons are killed or seriously injured (KSI) based on Day/Dark conditions. We assess (1) links between KSI risk and socioeconomic and built environment factors, (2) spatial distributions of relative Day & Dark KSI risk, and (3) area-specific trends in space and time for Day-Dark KSI risk change across Toronto neighbourhoods. Our analysis does not find significant associations between socioeconomic/built environment factors and KSI risk, but we uncover neighbourhoods with heightened Dark KSI risk and pronounced Day-Dark KSI changes compared to Toronto's mean area trend. Findings highlight the need for increased policy attention for impacts of lighting on collisions and provide insight for focus regions for improved Vision Zero policy development.

The efficacy of training to improve road safety in elderly pedestrians: A systematic review.

Elderly pedestrians are involved in disproportionately more vehicle-pedestrian crashes than younger age groups. Training programs have been found to be effective in training children in pedestrian behaviours that improve their safety, however there is no consensus on whether older adults benefit from training. This systematic review aimed to identify whether training is effective for older adult pedestrians through analysis of training type, modalities, and the lasting effects of training. A systematic search of Medline, PsycINFO, and Scopus was conducted in March 2022 and updated in September 2023. Eight studies met the criteria all of which were high quality. Four distinct training types were found: physical (e.g., training physical strength or balance), behavioural (e.g., training specific pedestrian safety behaviours), cognitive (e.g., training reaction time and executive functioning), and educational (training knowledge about pedestrian safety behaviours). Physical training types were found to be most effective, followed by behavioural, cognitive, and educational respectively. Twelve pedestrian behaviours were measured across the eight studies. Reaction time was the most effectively trained outcome, followed by missed crossing opportunities. Errors of stimuli, median accepted time gap, initiation time and crossing were not effectively trained. The effects of training were maintained at follow-up for missed crossing opportunities only. There was preliminary evidence of potential efficacy of training for specific pedestrian safety behaviours, however, the long-term efficacy of training was not promising. Theory-driven research is needed to better understand why some behaviours are more trainable than others. More research is also needed to determine the real-world generalisability if training is to be recommended for older adult pedestrians.