Alexander R. Maistros

A comparison of contributing factors between alcohol related single vehicle motorcycle and car crashes

INTRODUCTION Alcohol related crashes have accounted for approximately 35% of fatal crashes per year since 1994 nationwide, with approximately 30% involving impairment over the legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.08%. Educational campaigns and law enforcement efforts are two components of multi-faceted programs aimed toward reducing impaired driving. It is crucial that further research be conducted to guide the implementation of enforcement and educational programs. METHOD This research attempts to provide such guidance by examining differences in alcohol-involved crashes involving motorcycles and passenger cars. Prior safety research has shown that motorcyclists follow a significantly different culture than the average passenger car operator. These cultural differences may be reflected by differences in the contributing factors affecting crashes and the severity of the resulting injuries sustained by the driver or motorcyclist. This research is focused on single-vehicle crashes only, in order to isolate modal effects from the contribution of additional vehicles. The crash data provided for this study are from the Ohio Department of Public Safety from 2009 through 2012. RESULTS The injury severity data are analysed through the development of two mixed logit models, one for motorcyclists and one for passenger car drivers. The models quantify the effects of various factors, including horizontal curves, speeds, seatbelt use, and helmet use, which indicate that the required motor skills and balance needed for proper motorcycle operation compounded with a lack of mechanical protection make motorcyclists more prone to severe injuries, particularly on curves and in collisions with roadside objects. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The findings of this study have been incorporated into combined motorcycle and sober driving educational safety campaigns. The results have shown to be favorable in supporting national campaign messages with local justification and backing.

A comparison of overtime patrol stops made inside and out of cluster identified hotspots

ABSTRACT Objective: The annual rate of impaired driving crashes in the United States has remained nearly constant over the last decade. While engineers, educators, enforcement, and emergency response personnel have worked diligently in their combined efforts to reduce the loss of life, there is still significant progress to be made. One area of recent interest is the use of data driven enforcement. The basis for data driven enforcement is the use of statistical clustering to identify geographic areas that represent the location of problem identification for various criminal or traffic offenses. In the case of impaired driving fatalities, the clustering represents locations with high rates of impaired driving crashes. Law enforcement officers and supervisors may allocate resources towards more specifically and efficiently addressing problem areas. Methods: While data driven enforcement has been proven to be an effective tool in addressing crime and traffic safety problems, it has been a slow process for agencies to adopt data driven techniques. This study aims to explore the difference in traffic stops made inside and outside of hotspot identified areas. The study uses data from the Stark County Operating a Vehicle Impaired Task Force between 2013 and 2014. Results: The analysis determined that stop occurring in hotspot defined areas are more likely to result in impaired driving arrests and seatbelt citations. Additionally it is found that the average cost of impaired driving arrests is significantly cheaper for stops occurring inside of hotspot areas. Conclusion: Clustering as a means of directing law enforcement efforts are a way to increase the productivity and benefits of law enforcement agencies with limited finances or personnel. From this study it is seen that traffic stops made within defined cluster or hot spot areas are more effective in resulting in OVI arrests.

A comparison of contributing effects on 2-vehicle alcohol-related crashes between impaired and nonimpaired operators

ABSTRACT Objective: Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime that places the lives of all motorists in danger. Though it is a largely preventable act, impaired driving has accounted for 31 to 38% of fatal crashes across the country over the last decade. When an impaired operator crashes his or her vehicle, there is often a second unit, of which the operator is not impaired, involved in the crash. Methods: This research looks at approximately 14,000 2-unit crashes involving an impaired operator in the State of Ohio from 2008 through 2012. The research is focused on determining the effects of crash and operator characteristics in 2-unit alcohol-related crashes through the use of 2 mixed logit models. Results: It is found that several factors have similar effects on the injury severities of both the impaired and nonimpaired operators, including head-on crashes, the use of seat belts, and the deployment of airbags. There are, however, several factors that affect the 2 operators differently. It is found that the impaired operators injury severity is based on the type and, more important, the size of the vehicle he or she is driving, the roadway geometry, and the speed of the vehicle driven by the nonimpaired operator. The nonimpaired operator is equally affected by the speed of the impaired vehicle as much as his or her own speed, and the nonimpaired operators injury severity is virtually independent of the type of vehicle being driven. Conclusions: Researchers may disseminate the results to community groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Safe Communities to increase awareness of the dangers of drunk driving in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes.

Preliminary Investigation of Circumstances Contributing to Fatal Crashes Involving Law Enforcement Officers

Over the past several decades, the number of fatal crashes in the United States has steadily declined. This decline is the result, at least in part, of the combined efforts of the three Es: engineering, education, and enforcement. Although these overall trends have shown promising results, there remain specific groups with alarming fatal crash rates. One of these groups, in particular, is law enforcement officers. Because police officers are a unique group with very particular job requirements, these crashes must be evaluated separately from crashes involving the general population. This study investigated 3 years of police-related fatal crash data to determine what contributing circumstances needed to be further investigated to reduce the trend in crashes. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System were used to develop a logistic regression model to determine the statistically significant factors in 220 fatal crashes involving law enforcement officers from 2010 through 2012. It was found that a crash was less likely to be fatal if the officer was wearing a seat belt and if there was more than one occupant in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Conversely, the law enforcement officer was more likely to be the fatality when the crash was speed-related.

An Investigation Into Motorcycle Crashes in Work Zones

Objective: There were 454 motorcycle crashes in work zones within the state of Ohio between January 2006 and July 2012. Pavement degradation derived from work zones tend to have a hazardous effect on motorcycles and their safe passage. The objective of this study is to research the work zones where motorcycle crashes have taken place in order to determine any contributing factors. Methods: This study incorporates the collection of motorcycle crash data, including construction documents associated with the work zones in which the crashes occurred. Crash documents from the Ohio Department of Public safety and the Ohio Department of Transportation are used to identify the initial factors to be studied. Results: Construction documents associated with 183 of the crashes are able to be retrieved. From these documents, the frequency of associated crashes and rates of fatalities per work type are able to be determined. Conclusions: It is found that work types that take place on lower functional class roadways, such as sewer repair, are found to have higher fatality rates. In contrast, those work zones on higher functional class roadways often incorporate speed calming measures and have a clear division between the traveled way and the actual construction work.

Case Study Evaluation of Saturation and Corridor Enforcement Patrols

Alcohol-related crashes in the United States have consistently accounted for roughly 30% of traffic-related fatalities in the past two decades. The combined efforts of researchers, educators, and law enforcement are needed to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. Saturation patrols and corridor patrols are two tools that law enforcement agencies may use in their continued efforts. In the current economic climate, local law enforcement agencies and coalitions must operate as efficiently as possible. As a case study, this study focused on the patrol efforts of a task force dedicated to reducing operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI) violations in Stark County, Ohio. Hot spot analysis was used to evaluate the at-risk areas in the county and to determine the need for saturation patrols and corridor patrols to cover the at-risk locations effectively. Performance results were found to be unique to each patrol style. Average stops per hour were found to be significantly higher for corridor patrols, whereas the stops per OVI arrest were found to be more efficient for saturation patrols.