Dynamic responses of female and male volunteers in rear impacts.

Objectives: Whiplash injuries from vehicle collisions are common and costly. These injuries most frequently occur as a result of a rear impact and, compared to males, females have up to twice the risk of whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) resulting from vehicle crashes. The present study focuses on the differences in the dynamic response corridors of males and females in low-severity rear impacts.

Effects of road surface appearance and low friction warning systems on driver behaviour and confidence in the warning system.

Warning systems for slippery road conditions are a potential newcomer among driver support systems. A total of 75 participants drove in a high-fidelity driving simulator on roads with both visible and invisible ice, to investigate to which extent drivers rely on a low friction warning system. Three experimental groups with different versions of a low friction warning system and a control group without warning system were compared.

Driver sleepiness and individual differences in preferences for countermeasures.

The aim of the present national questionnaire study was to relate the use of sleepiness countermeasures among drivers to possible explanatory factors such as age, sex, education, professional driving, being a shift worker, having experience of sleepy driving, sleep-related crashes, problems with sleep and sleepiness in general and sleep length during working days. Also the attitude to countermeasures related to information or driver support system was studied. A random sample of 3041 persons was drawn from the national register of vehicle owners.

Young drivers--reduced crash risk with passengers in the vehicle.

Studies have shown that the effect of passengers on accident propensity among young drivers is ambiguous--in some cases positive and some negative. In Sweden, various kinds of information are compiled in registers, including a national accident database and exposure data collected in a national investigation of the driving habits of license holders. Access to such data offers a good opportunity to study crash risks related to driving with and without passengers.

Influence of stationary lateral vibrations on train passengers' difficulty to read and write.

Recent studies on train passengers' activities found that many passengers were engaged in some form of work, e.g. reading and writing, while traveling by train.

Practicing for and performance on drivers license tests in relation to gender differences in crash involvement among novice drivers.

Problem: Young male novice drivers are overrepresented in injury motor-vehicle crashes compared to females in the same category. This difference in crash involvement is often assumed to include factors such as overestimation, risk acceptance, and sensation seeking, but it can also be related to acquisition of knowledge, skills, insight, and driving experience. Therefore, this study explored possible gender differences among 18-24-year-olds in Sweden regarding practicing as learners, outcome of the driver's tests, and crash involvement during the first year after licensure.

Practicing in relation to the outcome of the driving test.

In Sweden, a written and a driving test must be passed for licensure, and these two examinations are the only means of verifying that learner drivers have acquired the competencies stipulated in the national curriculum. The present study investigated 18-24-year olds regarding the effects of personal background and mode of driver education instruction on the outcome of the driving test. This was done by analysing the following for individual subjects: data on practicing obtained using a questionnaire, and test results of license tests.

Safety halls--an evaluation.

Problem: In most countries, drivers licensing systems usually include teaching some aspects of using safety equipment (e.g., airbags and seat belts).

Predicting older drivers' accident involvement--Smeed's law revisited.

The present study used Swedish archival data on police-reported accidents and license statistics and Swedish questionnaire data on car use in order to test an underinvolvement hypothesis of older drivers' (65-84 years) accident involvement, postulating that the increase in older drivers' accident involvement is smaller than the increase in older drivers' presence in traffic. The results gave support to the hypothesis. Compared to the accident involvement trend in the general driver population, there was a relative decrease over time in older drivers' accident involvement per driver license and per active driver from 1983 to 1999.

Traffic sense--which factors influence the skill to predict the development of traffic scenes?

A study was conducted to evaluate the skill to predict the development of traffic situations. A stop-controlled intersection was filmed over several days, and 12 scenes with varying traffic complexity were selected. In half of the scenes, the traffic rules were violated, in half of the scenes, the rules were observed.

Accident involvement among learner drivers--an analysis of the consequences of supervised practice.

It is a well-known fact that experience is important for safe driving. Previously, this presented a problem since experience was mostly gained during the most dangerous period of driving-the first years with a licence. In many countries, this "experience paradox" has been addressed by providing increased opportunities to gain experience through supervised practice.

A comparison of headway and time to collision as safety indicators.

The two safety indicators "headway" and "time to collision (TTC)" are discussed and compared with respect to their usefulness in determining the safety of different traffic situations, like different locations in a junction. Over a 6-day-period traffic flow measures were taken in a four-way junction with stop signs on the minor road. It was found that for vehicles in a car following situation headway and TTC are independent of each other.

Perceived risk among parents concerning the travel situation for children with disabilities.

The aim of this study was to describe perceived risk among parents concerning the travel situation for children with disabilities, in addition to their self-reported knowledge of regulations and standards. The results from the present questionnaire study showed that entering and exiting the vehicles often required manual assistance and, thus, was perceived as risky, creating worry among parents. Parents were also worried about professional drivers' lack of knowledge about the child, incautious driving behaviour and lack of adequate safety measures.

Self-cementing properties of crushed demolished concrete in unbound layers: results from triaxial tests and field tests.

A 2-year study is underway to evaluate the expected growth in stiffness in layers of crushed concrete from demolished structures. This growth is said to be a result of self-cementing properties. The study consists of repeated load triaxial tests on manufactured specimens after different storing time together with falling weight deflectometer, FWD, measurements on test sections.

Sixteen years age limit for learner drivers in Sweden--an evaluation of safety effects.

Through a reform implemented in Sweden, September 1993, the age limit for practising car driving was lowered from 17 1/2 to 16 years while the licensing age remained 18. The purpose of lowering the age limit was to give the learner drivers an opportunity to acquire more experience as drivers before being allowed to drive on their own. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the reform in terms of accident involvement and data were therefore obtained from the national register of police reported accidents.

Influence of different conditions for tilt compensation on symptoms of motion sickness in tilting trains.

Increased speeds of trains can be achieved by using tilting trains that decrease the lateral acceleration experienced by passengers on curves, thereby allowing trains to run typically 25-30% faster on existing curved track and maintaining good ride comfort. Unfortunately, motion sickness in tilting trains is a major problem for some passengers. To investigate the incidence of motion sickness and the extent to which different tilt compensation strategies influence its occurrence, tests were conducted with a tilting train on a track with a large number of curves.