Sophia Vardaki

Highway Geometric Design from the Perspective of Recent Safety Developments

In a safe-system approach to road safety, problems are dealt with by considering how several components of the road transportation system interact rather than implementing countermeasures in isolation. In this paper, the authors propose that relevant information from the fields of the safe-system approach, including user-centered design and road safety auditing, be integrated into highway geometric design guidelines. A framework is proposed for integrating safety and human factor issues into highway geometric design guidelines. Key issues to be addressed include safety training of highway design engineers, three-dimensional highway design and implementation of a safe system. The safe system approach has already been applied in several states and countries, and has the potential to be implemented in other places.

Investigation of Actual and Perceived Behavior of Older Drivers on Freeways

Actual performance of older drivers was investigated on tasks such as freeway driving, exit finding, lane changing, and freeway entering and exiting and correlated with driver (performance) self-assessment. The focus is on safe driving and potentially compensatory behavior being exhibited by older drivers; for this, results of an on-road experiment with 40 older drivers were used. Results indicated that compensation on the freeway is correlated to decreased performance in various driving dimensions; some performance problems revealed in the present study might be corrected by training in proper ways to adapt and in safe driving practices. Results regarding the analysis of actual driving performance on the freeway and perceived self-assessed performance indicate that older drivers are aware of their performance inadequacies on the freeway and reveal some drivers’ perception for improvements in the design of freeway exits. These findings are of particular importance in freeway design and older driver education and assessment.

Parameters affecting seat belt use in Greece

The objective of this research is the exploration of seat belt use in Greece and particularly the identification of the parameters affecting seat belt use in Greece. A national field survey was conducted for the analytical recording of seat belt use. A binary logistic regression model was developed, and the impact of each parameter on seat belt use in Greece was quantified. Parameters included in the model concern characteristics of car occupants (gender, age and position in the car), the type of the car and the type of the road network. The data collection revealed that in Greece, the non-use of seat belt on the urban road network was higher than on the national and rural road network and young and older men use seat belts the least. The developed model showed that travelling on a national road is negative for not wearing the seat belt. Finally, the variable with the highest impact on not wearing a seat belt is being a passenger on the back seats.

Simulator Measures and Identification of Older Drivers With Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study examined whether a sign recall task on a driving simulator, self-report of driving ability, or age predicted differences in performance between drivers with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and control participants. For the dependent measure, gathered using a driving simulator, working memory was subjected to interference at varying levels of driving task demands. Reliable between-groups differences in sign recall accuracy were demonstrated; recall declined under higher task demands. Recall scores, self-reported frequency of avoiding driving, and driver age did not predict MCI; only self-reported decline in global driving ability was significant. Findings support the use of driving simulators in practice and suggest that screening for age-related cognitive impairment should incorporate self-reported changes in driving proficiency for early identification of drivers who merit medical review. The results, although exploratory, have implications for practitioners.

A Statistical Analysis of Motorcycle Helmet Wearing in Greece

This article reports on a study of motorcycle helmet use in Greece. The authors remind readers that wearing a helmet is the single most effective way of reducing head injuries and fatalities resulting from motorcycle crashes. They conducted an on-site observational survey and then developed a binary logistic regression model to analyze the data. The independent variables used were time of the day, motorcycle type, road type and riders’ characteristics (gender, age and position on the motorcycle, i.e., driver or passenger). Pseudo-elasticity values for all variables were calculated in order to quantify the impact of each variable on helmet use. The authors found low rates of helmet use. However, the rates were higher in rural than in urban areas and higher for drivers of large motorcycles. The authors conclude that motorcycle helmet wearing should be rigorously enforced at a population level. Community education campaigns for motorcyclists should also be promoted and public awareness of the crash risk associated with riding without a helmet should be increased.

Education and Training of Road Safety Auditors on the Implementation of Human Factors Principles in Safe Road Design

Highway engineers are required to have the appropriate knowledge and tools to enable them to perform effectively in their work but must also be aware that road safety is everyone’s responsibility. The Greek road safety audit training program and educational materials developed for the training of engineers of highway projects who want to be certified as road safety auditors is the first official systematic effort for the training and certification of highway engineers working in the private and public sector. This paper presents the training objectives and an overview of the topic of ‘Human factors in safe road design’ of the training course and the educational material, which represents a new area in the training of highway engineers.

Addressing education and training needs of road safety auditors

Abstract According to national (Greek) and European legislation on road infrastructure safety management, road safety auditing is mandatory for the Trans-European Road Network. This paper presents the development of a training course and educational material for candidate road safety auditors in Greece, aiming to adequately prepare them to conduct road safety audits. In particular, the principles upon which the road safety audit training course is based, the learning objectives, the course outline and the proposed framework of the curriculum are presented. The training course takes into consideration recent developments in road safety, as well as local conditions and needs. Because it places emphasis on the implementation of the Safe System and human factors in road design, it may contribute to the development of a positive safety culture among highway professionals involved in the road design and road operation process. The process of its development may be regarded as a proposal for good practice for the development of professional development training programmes, addressing the relevant training needs and achieving the relevant training objectives.

Powered two-wheeler rider eye-height determination

Abstract Vehicle driver and powered two-wheeler (PTW) rider eye-height (EH) is one of the key factors in highway design, as it can determine sight distances, which is a key factor in geometric design. Different vehicle types and driving conditions can affect the EH. While a large number of studies have focused on the determination of passenger car and truck driver EH, only a small number of studies have attempted to determine the EH of two-wheelers. The objective of this research is to investigate the parameters that affect PTW rider EH and determine appropriate values. A multiple-camera experimental design was developed for the measurement of PTW EH. Two arteries with different characteristics (one freeway and an urban arterial) were chosen for the data collection. The collected data are analyzed and conclusions are drawn regarding the rider EH for different PTW types and classes using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey “honest significant difference” (HSD) method. The relation between EH and speed is specifically investigated and it is concluded that rider EH is not negatively correlated with PTW speed. Directions for future research are outlined; these include additional studies under different conditions the collection of richer data sets (e.g. including data on the riders and the PTWs).