Examining the Effects of Gateway Width on Motorist Yielding to Pedestrians.

The gateway in-street sign configuration has been demonstrated to be a low-cost method for increasing motorist yielding the right of way to pedestrians at crosswalks. It has previously been hypothesized that the gateway is effective because it visually narrows a travel lane. In the present study, gateway widths (i.

The effects of pedestrian gestures on driver yielding at crosswalks: A systematic replication.

Applied research on decreasing pedestrian injuries often focuses on how to increase driver yielding behavior but rarely studies what pedestrians can do to increase their safety. There is a lack of empirical research focusing on how pedestrians can effectively signal their need to cross the street when there is no traffic light directing the pedestrian and oncoming traffic. As a replication and extension of Crowley-Koch et al.

The accuracy of mean corpuscular volume guided anaemia classification in primary care.

Background: Anemia can be categorized into micro-, normo- or macrocytic anemia based on the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). This categorization might help to define the etiology of anemia.

Methods: The cohort consisted of patients newly diagnosed with anaemia in primary care.

Examining generalization of motorist yielding at an adjacent crosswalk with variations of the gateway sign configuration.

The gateway sign configuration has been effective at increasing motorist yielding and reducing speeds at crosswalks. A gateway configuration uses in-street signs at a crosswalk on each edge of the roadway and on each lane line. Although this intervention is effective at increasing motorist yielding at uncontrolled crosswalks, the limits of the intervention have yet to be tested.

How does an increased freeway speed limit influence the frequency of crashes on adjacent roads?

Urban arterial roads carry the most traffic on urban road networks and experience the highest percentage of crashes in urban areas. Safety on urban arterials that are adjacent to a higher speed freeway may be impacted by speed spillover or adaptation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of raising freeway speed limits on the frequency of crashes on urban arterial roads adjacent to freeways (spillover effects).

Long-term outcomes in patients newly diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia in general practice: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To describe all iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)-related causes during follow-up of patients newly diagnosed with IDA and to assess whether a delayed colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis influences survival.

Design And Setting: Retrospective cohort study of patients from general practices in the Dordrecht area, the Netherlands.

Participants: Men and women aged ≥50 years with a new diagnosis of IDA (ie, no anaemia 2 years previously).

Diagnostics in anaemia of chronic disease in general practice: a real-world retrospective cohort study.

Background: Limited research has been performed that focused on the diagnosis of the underlying cause of anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) in general practice or on prevalence data of the underlying causes of ACD in general practice, although this is one of the most common types of anaemia.

Aim: To clarify the diagnostic strategies of GPs in patients newly diagnosed with ACD and to determine the most common underlying causes.

Design & Setting: Retrospective cohort study.

The effectiveness of a routine versus an extensive laboratory analysis in the diagnosis of anaemia in general practice.

Background We investigated the percentage of patients diagnosed with the correct underlying cause of anaemia by general practitioners when using an extensive versus a routine laboratory work-up. Methods An online survey was distributed among 836 general practitioners. The survey consisted of six cases, selected from an existing cohort of anaemia patients ( n = 3325).

Prevalence of potential underlying aetiology of macrocytic anaemia in Dutch general practice.

Background: Macrocytic anaemia (MCV ≥ 100 fL) is a relatively common finding in general practice. However, literature on the prevalence of the different causes in this population is limited. The prevalence of macrocytic anaemia and its underlying aetiology were analysed in a general practice population.

Time-series intervention analysis of pedestrian countdown timer effects.

Pedestrians account for 40-50% of traffic fatalities in large cities. Several previous studies based on relatively small samples have concluded that Pedestrian Countdown Timers (PCT) may reduce pedestrian crashes at signalized intersections, but other studies report no reduction. The purposes of the present article are to (1) describe a new methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of introducing PCT signals and (2) to present results of applying this methodology to pedestrian crash data collected in a large study carried out in Detroit, Michigan.

A comparison of gateway in-street sign configuration to other driver prompts to increase yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks.

Increasing motorists' yielding of the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks reduces the number of collisions between motorists and pedestrians. In this study we examined a gateway in-street sign configuration (1 in-street sign installed between the 2 travel lanes in each direction, and 1 on both edges of the roadway in each direction) on multilane roads. The first experiment compared the efficacy of adding multiple in-street signs used in a gateway configuration with a single sign between the 2 travel lanes in each direction.

The effects of external motivation and real-time automated feedback on speeding behavior in a naturalistic setting.

Objective: In this field experiment, the authors tested an alerting system and a monetary incentive system with the objective of reducing speeding more than 5 mph faster than the posted speed limit.

Background: Speeding is a factor in a significant number of traffic fatalities. The systems tested in this project have been evaluated outside but not within the United States.

The effects of a rectangular rapid-flashing beacon on vehicle speed.

In 2008, nearly 31% of vehicle fatalities were related to failure to adhere to safe vehicle speeds (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], 2009). The current study evaluated the effect of a rectangular rapid-flashing beacon (RRFB) triggered by excessive speed on vehicle speed using a combined alternating treatments and reversal design. The percentage of vehicles traveling above 41 mph (66 km per hour) decreased by 20%, and speed distributions showed a shift toward lower speeds during the RRFB condition.

Increasing following headway with prompts, goal setting, and feedback in a driving simulator.

We evaluated the effects of prompting, goal setting, and feedback on following headway of young drivers in a simulated driving environment and assessed whether changes produced in following headway were associated with reductions in hard braking when drivers were and were not using cell phones. Participants were 4 university students. During baseline, drivers spent half of the time talking on cell phones while driving.

Using accelerator pedal force to increase seat belt use of service vehicle drivers.

This study evaluated a device that applied a sustained increase in accelerator pedal back force whenever drivers exceeded a preset speed criterion without buckling their seat belts. This force was removed once the belt was fastened. Participants were 6 commercial drivers who operated carpet-cleaning vans.

A feedback intervention to increase digital and paper checklist performance in technically advanced aircraft simulation.

This study examined whether pilots operating a flight simulator completed digital or paper flight checklists more accurately after receiving postflight graphic and verbal feedback. The dependent variable was the number of checklist items completed correctly per flight. Following treatment, checklist completion with paper and digital checklists increased from 38% and 39%, respectively, to nearly 100% and remained close to 100% after feedback and praise for improvement were withdrawn.

Effects of pedestrian prompts on motorist yielding at crosswalks.

Pedestrian safety is a serious concern at busy intersections and pedestrian campuses across the nation. Although crosswalks and signs inform pedestrians where to cross, there is no standard protocol for pedestrians to signal drivers that they wish to use the crosswalks, except to stand in or at the crosswalk. We examined the effects of two pedestrian prompts, a raised hand and extended arm, on motorist yielding at uncontrolled crosswalks.

Increasing seat belt use in service vehicle drivers with a gearshift delay.

This study evaluated a device that prevents drivers from shifting vehicles into gear for up to 8 s unless seat belts are buckled. Participants were 101 commercial drivers who operated vans, pickups, or other light trucks from the U.S.

The effect of feedback on the accuracy of checklist completion during instrument flight training.

This study examined whether pilots completed airplane checklists more accurately when they receive postflight graphic and verbal feedback. Participants were 8 college students who are pilots with an instrument rating. The task consisted of flying a designated flight pattern using a personal computer aviation training device (PCATD).

Observations of how drivers fasten their seatbelts in relation to various startup tasks.

Observational data were collected to determine the percentage of drivers that followed various seatbelt buckling sequences. Observers scored the buckling sequence and recorded the time between various startup events and fastening the seatbelt of 1600 drivers in two urban areas, Pinellas County, Florida, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The results indicated that most drivers waited to buckle their seatbelt until after they started their vehicle or placed it into gear, with a substantial proportion buckling after placing the vehicle in motion.

Impact of a comprehensive safety program on bicycle helmet use among middle-school children.

A bicycle helmet program was evaluated in three middle schools using a multiple baseline across schools design. Two of the three schools had histories of enforcement of helmet use. During baseline many students riding their bikes to and from school did not wear their helmets or wore them incorrectly.

Recognition distance of pedestrian traffic signals by individuals with low vision.

Forty-one individuals with moderate-to-severe vision loss participated in a study to determine the minimum distance they required to correctly identify three different pedestrian traffic icon symbols, one of which was presented with an augmented light source. We found that subjects could identify the WALK icon without the augmented light source information, or animated eyes, from farther away than either the WALK icon with the augmented light source information or the DON'T WALK icon. These results differ from those of a previous study, which found that subjects could correctly identify the WALK icon with the augmented light source from a greater distance than the WALK or DON'T WALK icons without the augmented light source.

Evaluation of two methods of prompting drivers to use specific exits on conflicts between vehicles at the critical exit.

The Florida Department of Transportation used a series of changeable-message signs that functioned as freeway guide signs to divert traffic to Universal Theme Park via one of two eastbound exits based on traffic congestion at the first of the two exits. An examination of crashes along the entire route indicated a statistically significant increase in crashes at the first eastbound exit following the actuation of the system. Furthermore, all of the crashes occurred in close proximity to the exit gore (the crosshatched area at exits that drivers are not supposed to enter or traverse) at the first exit.

The effects of a seatbelt-gearshift delay prompt on the seatbelt use of motorists who do not regularly wear seatbelts.

A seatbelt-gearshift delay was evaluated in two U.S. and three Canadian vehicles using a reversal design.

Reducing conflicts between motor vehicles and pedestrians: the separate and combined effects of pavement markings and a sign prompt.

The effects of a symbolic "yield here to pedestrians" sign and advance yield pavement markings on pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts, motorists' yielding behavior, and the distance motorists' yield in advance of crosswalks were evaluated at multilane crosswalks at uncontrolled T intersections. In Experiment 1, the sign, when used alone, reduced pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and increased motorist yielding distance. The use of fluorescent yellow-green sheeting as the background of the sign did not increase the effectiveness of the sign.