Principal Component Clustering Analysis Method Applied to Road Traffic Safety

Background: Road traffic accidents have been one of the main causes of death worldwide. However, most of the crashes are both predictable and preventable. With the widespread use, mobile phone is considered as a major road safety risk. However, varieties of apps have recently been developed for improving the road traffic health and safety. Despite an increasing trend of these apps, there is no comprehensive analysis of their features and no taxonomy or classification of them based on the traffic safety theories or frameworks. The aim of this study was to explore characteristics of available mobile apps on the road traffic health and safety and classify them based on the Haddon’s Matrix. Methods: To conduct this research, a comprehensive and systematic review of the mobile applications developed for the road traffic health and safety was carried out through using the qualitative content analysis. Google Play was searched through using a combination of the keywords to retrieve the road traffic apps. In order to extract the app features, their description was examined, and their content was analyzed. Then they were classified in four main categories including Road Traffic Health & safety, Road Traffic Training, Road traffic Navigation, and Other Road Traffic apps. Finally, the Haddon’s matrix was applied to analyze and classify those mobile apps residing in two main categories of the traffic health & safety, and the traffic training. Haddon’s matrix is a relevant framework for structured analyses of traffic injury events. In the Haddon’s matrix, the contributions of human, vehicle/equipment and environmental factors to the injuries in the three phases pre-crash, crash and post-crash has been presented. Results: In this study, 916 mobile apps met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis.19 subcategories were identified for classifying the included apps based on their features and functionalities. In total, 620 of the mobile apps were grouped on the basis of Haddon’s matrix. About 61.76% of these apps were categorized as the traffic health & safety group. Among the subcategories of the traffic health & safety group, the highest number of apps (194) was the real-time traffic alerting apps. Behavior based feed-backing subcategory was ranked the second among the traffic health and safety apps with 75 apps. When the researchers applied factors and phases of Haddon’s framework for analyzing the apps, it was found that the Haddon’s factors have been taken into account in the apps grouped into two main categories of the apps including traffic training and traffic health & safety applications. The highest percentage of Haddon’s matrix factor considered for the intervention through the apps was related to the physical & social environment (23.69%) in the traffic training category. The features of 259 apps were classified in the Event/ Driving phase of Haddon’s matrix. Most of the apps in this phase was related to the real-time traffic alerting subgroup. These apps performed in real time while driving. The lowest number of the apps in driving phase was observed in the behavior based feed backing subcategory, which inform drivers about their driving behavior in real-time. Sixteen apps had features that categorized them in both Pre-event / Pre-driving and Event / Driving phases. In addition, 20 apps were found to have feature for intervening in both Event / Driving and Post-event / Post –driving phases. All 235 apps in the traffic training category were in pre-event/ pre-driving phase, which requires users to use these apps before driving. Conclusion: Applying Haddon’s matrix on analyzing and classifying the traffic health and safety apps revealed strengths and weaknesses of the existing related mobile apps in terms of the factors that must be considered for intervention toward prevention and reduction of road traffic accidents as the main public health issue.

There are more subjective factors and their weights can not been accurately decided in evaluation of road traffic safety. So, the matter element analysis model is applied in the paper to quantitate the evaluation indices, and the indices of road traffic safety are as the pending evaluation of multi-dimensional matter-element. And then, the weight coefficients of the evaluation indices is figured out from system of internal relations by applying the information entropy theory, and the subjective predilection of the evaluator is contained in the indices. Finally, the standard correlation of the evaluation of road traffic safety in Jiangsu Province is figured out and the level of the surrounding safety is gained. The result of the case is shown that the evaluation approach can accurately reflect the level of traffic safety development, so the approach is rational and feasible.

In recent years there has been serious concern on the increasing rate of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. Geographic Information System (GIS), a high performance computer based tool is useful in road traffic management and vehicular movement study. In this work, the GIS software was used to analyze and depicts the trend and characteristics of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. The data used in this study were obtained from Federal Road Safety Commission Dashboard (FRSC Planning Advisory Unit Analysis) for the year 2012 and 2013 and Nigerian Tribune Publication of Tuesday 3 rd April , 2012. The data obtained was entered and use to developed road traffic accidents information system (RTAIS). Analysis and capability of the developed system was illustrated and shown graphically. A total of 1,060,507 cases of road traffic crashes occurred between the year 1960 and 2012 of which 170,844 were fatal, 456,055 were serious and 428.790 were minor, claiming 322,427 lives. This study further revealed that Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja ranked first with 6.71% based on road traffic crash fatalities per 100,000 human populations on state by state with Kebbi state being the least (0.25%). The GIS –based analysis shows that category of vehicles involved in road traffic crashes in year 2012 on state basis varies with cars having the highest cases(4,632) followed by buses (2,239), motorcycles (1,807),truck(1,037) and tankers/trailers having the least(641). It is recommended that the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and other agencies linked with road traffic management and safety will find this study useful in identifying remedial measures for the improvement of safety on Nigerian roads. Key Words: Road Traffic, Accident, GIS, Vehicles Analysis, Nigeria

Worldwide, Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are the 8th leading cause of death, and leading killer of children and young adults. An additional 50 million people are seriously injured annually. We argue here that RTAs are also a leading - although rarely acknowledged - cause of preventable disability in low and middle-income countries. The Road Traffic Safety community pays little attention to people disabled in an RTA once they leave medical or rehabilitative care. Disability policy, advocacy and research groups rarely consider people disabled in RTAs as a discrete subgroup within the disability community. Furthermore, the costs and consequences of RTA-related disability are greatly underestimated. A scoping review and interviews with prominent road traffic safety and disability experts identified major conceptual gaps between the fields of Road Traffic Safety and Disability, including how people disabled in RTAs are identified, followed and provided with needed services and support. The current lack of 'joined up' thinking around those who survive an RTA with a disability represents a lost opportunity to more systemically address this major global health concern.

Road traffic (RTA) accidents are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in all parts of the world. As an epidemiological problem, the control of the host (accident victim), the agent (the vehicle) and environmental factors involved in their causation should be considered. The health personnel who look after accident victims need to know the injury types and their mechanisms encountered in RTA. The accident victim can be the occupant of a motorcar, a motorcyclist, pillion passenger, a cyclist or a pedestrian. Motorcar occupant can be the driver who may sustain injury to the wrists, forearm and pelvis or fracture of the ribs from the steering wheel. The driver and other front seat passenger can have lacerations on the face from hitting the windscreen, characteristic bruises and lacerations to the knees and skin from the dashboard or cervical spine injury through whiplash injury if there are no headrests on the seats. Backseat passenger may hit the back of the front seat or the sides of the car. Any of the occupants can be thrown out of the vehicle if the door springs open. Motor cyclists, pillion passengers, cyclists and pedestrians hit by a moving vehicle sustain primary and secondary impact injuries from the impact with the body of the vehicle, and or secondary injuries when they hit the ground or other object. Alcohol is an important factor in the cause of RTA, but additionally, some medical conditions such as advanced diabetes, hypertension, some prescribed drugs like tranquillisers and sedatives, stress and diseases that blunt locomotion and sensations in the elderly can influence the causation of accidents. Prevention will involve control of the host factors - illnesses, alcohol, accident repeaters and enforcement of driving regulations; agent factors - through better vehicle design using human engineering; and environmental factors through better road design and maintenance (Nig J Surg Res 2000; 2:100-104) KEY WORDS: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA), epidemiology, prevention

Traffic safety is considered as one of the important problems in the development of cities. Thus, a reliable estimation of traffic safety is crucial to be proposed. As predicting outcome indicators, two relative indicators, accident rate per 10000 cars and accident rate per 10000 capita, are introduced in this paper. Based on the theory of support vector machine (SVM), the improved SVM models are proposed. To improve the efficiency of learning, the least support vector machine (LSSVM) is introduced; to improve the model's robustness further, the weighted least support vector machine (WLSSVM) is introduced. As an example, using the traffic safety data collected from 2006 to 2010, the models' effectiveness and feasibility were verified by comparing and analyzing.

China had experienced an enormous increase of traffic crashes as a result of the country's rapid growth of vehicle and highway mileage, now although traffic accidents have been greatly declined due to the promulgation and implementation of road traffic regulations, the mortality of traffic accidents is still high, so it is necessary to study the road traffic safety. Many studies have explored, to date, the issue of the traffic safety evaluation of road. But few analyse the cause of traffic safety related to inherent safety theory use in urban. The paper seeks to build an evaluation model of private cars, coaches and trucks from the perspectives of inherent safety. The evaluation index of traditional model traffic system has been built from the perspectives of human, vehicle, road and environment, this paper is based on the theory of inherent safety, the environment of different traffic carrier in which is different, and the drivers of different traffic carrier is also different, Therefore, by dividing the traffic carrier and using the theory of inherent safety to calculate the inherent safety impact factors of private cars, coaches and trucks respectively. Two methods are used for safety evaluation. The first method is based on the evaluation index and model established from the perspective of inherent safety. The second method is calculated by the traditional fuzzy matrix method. Finally, a comparative analysis of the two methods is carried out. It is possible to reduce the three types of road traffic accidents using the method, and in hopes of achieving an even safer traffic society in China.

The issue of the safety of pedestrians, in particular school-age children during their movement at nighttime is considered with the coverage of such aspects of road safety as road infrastructure, vehicle design, behavior of drivers and pedestrians, especially children directly as the most vulnerable road users, and educational activities. Particular attention is paid to the fact that road traffic is the most complex and difficult aspect of the environment that a child can experience, especially during in poor daylight and in darkness (because in the autumn and winter it gets dark very early and time when children should go to school or from school falls at this period of the day). In the paper is shown how the visibility zones for drivers of motor vehicles in the darkness and in bad weather conditions are changing. Also, in the paper is provided information about the visibility of pedestrians who use or do not use on the clothes the retro-reflective elements, at the use of dipped and distant headlights of the car. The legislation of Ukraine and European countries in this area, which in particular regulates the requirements for the use of retro-reflective elements, as well as the practice and recommendations regarding their use, are analyzed. At the same time, the paper conducted a review of existing decisions that ensure pedestrian safety and allow them to be more visible to drivers of motor vehicles, especially with the onset of dusk and at nighttime. The analysis of the recommendations contained in the Consolidated Resolution on Road Traffic (R.E.1) concerning the increase of road safety in the dark time of day is carried out. Recommendations on possible actions to enhance the safety of pedestrians at the national level, including school-age children during their movement at nighttime are given. Keywords: road safety, road traffic accident, vulnerable road user, pedestrian, vehicle, retro-reflective element.

In order to solve the problems of lacking of funds, limited national power, and the condition to be improved urgently of road traffic safety, the idea to establish the early warning system in road traffic safety by utilizing the theory of constraint is introduced. At first, the paper points out the coupling relations of the enterprise system and the road traffic system in three aspects, and affirm the probability of applying the constraint to the road traffic system; Secondly, the goal to make the safety economy effect maximization of road traffic system has been proved, and the base is established for recognizing the constraint by choosing the work indexes including reduced standard losses unit time, delayed traffic volume and operating expenses; Thirdly, the index, as describing the ability of road traffic, should be the traffic flow, which is used to recognize the constraint; fourthly, the early warning system based on recognizing the constraint in road traffic safety is established, which is composed of two subsystems of recognizing the constraint, constituting and actualizing the countermeasure; at last but not the least, we discuss the interrelated problems at present in the system by the difference between the early warning management system based on recognizing the constraint and the present management system.

Human factors play a huge role in road traffic safety. Research has found that a huge proportion of traffic crashes occur due to some form of human error. Improving road user behavior has been the major strategy that has been emphasized for improving road traffic safety. Meanwhile, despite the training efforts, and testing for drivers, the global status of road traffic safety is alarming. This research highlights the seriousness of human factors on road traffic safety and provides actionable strategies to greatly reduce the negative impact of human factors on road traffic safety. Motor vehicle safety data that were made available online by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics were reviewed to evaluate the severity of traffic collisions. To evaluate the extent of human factors in motor vehicle traffic fatalities, data for Canadian motor vehicle traffic collision statistics were reviewed. The study confirms that human factors (such as driver distraction, fatigue, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol etc.) play a huge role in road traffic fatalities. The need for a reasonable degree of automation to help reduce the impacts of human factors on road safety and recommendations aimed at providing widespread support for a reasonable degree of automation systems in driving tasks are presented. Actionable strategies that can be implemented by policymakers to reduce global road traffic fatalities are also presented.

The article is devoted to a detailed analysis of the impact of international cooperation on improving road traffic safety in Ukraine. The author emphasizes that every year, approximately 1.3 million people die worldwide as a result of road traffic accidents, with tens of millions more suffering injuries of varying severity. This makes the issue one of the most pressing on the international agenda. In this regard, international cooperation in the field of road traffic safety is of paramount importance. One of the main topics of the article is the analysis of international agreements, such as the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which is a key document in regulating road traffic at the international level. The Convention establishes uniform standards for the participating countries, promoting the unification of traffic rules, which is especially important in the context of the globalization of transport systems. The article examines how Ukraine is gradually implementing the provisions of this Convention into its national legislation, which is an important step toward harmonization with international standards. The article also explores global initiatives such as «Vision Zero,» which aims to achieve zero road deaths. This initiative originated in Sweden and has spread to many countries in Europe and around the world. The article analyzes successful cases of this initiative’s implementation in EU countries, which have significantly reduced road mortality rates. Ukraine is also striving to adapt these standards, which could become a key factor in reducing road accidents on its roads. The research methodology outlined in the article is based on an in-depth analysis of legal acts, a comparative study of international and national road safety standards, and a review of successful international practices in this field. This approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of the role of international cooperation in improving national road traffic safety policies. In conclusion, the author emphasizes that international cooperation not only contributes to improving infrastructure and regulatory frameworks but also stimulates the further development of a road safety culture. For Ukraine, it is crucial to continue cooperation with international organizations and adapt global standards to its conditions. This will not only improve road traffic safety but also reduce the accident rate on its roads.

Introduction: Worldwide, road traffic accidents (RTAs) provide serious risks to public health in both developed and developing nations. For young people between the ages of 15 and 29, they are the seventh most common cause of death and the top source of injury. Overspreading, overtaking, poor road conditions, vehicle condition, driver competence, negligence and behavior, and breaking traffic laws and regulations are some of the many variables that contribute to vehicle collisions. Therefore, the aim objective of this study was to estimate human death per road traffic accident and identify its determinant factors in the North Shewa zone of Amhara regional stat of Ethiopia. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from Insurance Companies in Debre Birehan town from 01 Jan 2018– 31 Dec 2023. All road traffic accident cases from randomly selected districts of the North Shewa zone from 01 Jan 2018– 31 Dec 2023 were included in this study. A total of 894 traffic accident cases were recorded. Data were entered and cleaned using micro soft excels and exported to Stata version 17 for analysis. Zero Inflated Poisson regression was used, and IRR with 95% CI was reported. Results: The results showed that from the 100 traffic accident cases 26 individuals getting death which is a few higher than previous studies. Out of a total of 894 road traffic cases were happened, of whomb156 traffic cases results in 234 human deaths. From 100 road traffic accident cases 26 individuals getting death with 95% CI [21/100, 31/100]. ZIP regression model was selected as the best fitted model to analyze the road traffic data since there was inflation zero outcomes with no over/under dispersion in the data set. Conclusion: Driving experience in years, education level of drivers, driver-vehicle relationship, seat belt use while driving, speed in km/hr, level of driving license, purpose of the vehicle, and pavement roughness are significantly associated with the number of deaths per road traffic accident at the α = 0.05 level of significance. The need for enforcing drivers to obey traffic rules and strong prosecution of speed limits while driving on asphalt roads appear to be the most critical parts of interventions.

Vulnerable road users, including motorcyclists, account for more than half of all road traffic fatalities worldwide. Communication actions are an essential part of prevention both in Africa and in the world. This study aimed to review the available scientific studies on the effectiveness of communication actions for the reduction of road traffic accidents among motorcyclists. We carried out an automatic search on PubMed using an equation and a manual search on Google Scholar using keywords and the bibliographic references of the studies generated by the automatic search. Using this strategy, 155 articles were identified, 16 of which were eliminated as duplicates. Thus, 139 were screened by reading the titles, abstracts, and full-texts. In the end, 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. The included articles provided evidence of the effectiveness of communication actions on the reduction of risk factors for the occurrence or severity of road traffic accidents. However, communication actions alone seem insufficient to achieve a sustainable and significant reduction in road traffic accidents, road traffic injuries, or road traffic fatalities. This confirms the need to integrate all road safety promotion strategies to act simultaneously on the various risk factors for the occurrence or severity of road traffic accidents and thereby significantly reduce their incidence and associated consequences.

Road traffic accidents, the leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults are being recognized as a growing public health problem in Jamaica. The study examines road traffic accident injuries and fatalities in Jamaica among road users, as well as by categories of fatalities, gender, motor-vehicle, time-of-day and location. In the period 2001 to 2005, the highest number of victims was between 20 – 29 years of age. Of the 1,856 road traffic accident victims from 2001 to 2005, the highest number occurred in 2002 (408), while the least in 2005 (326). There was a greater incidence of road traffic accidents during daytime between 0600h and 1800h (53.2%) and mainly on weekends (52.6%). Pedestrians were the most likely victims of road traffic accidents, thus accounted for 30.2% (667), followed by private motor car drivers 16.9% (374) and private motor car passengers 16.6% (368). The study concludes that road traffic injuries impacts on long and short-term wealth, affecting families and public health.

Introduction: An accident has been defined as: “an unexpected, unplanned occurrence which may involve injury”. WHO defined in 1956 accident as an “unpremeditated event resulting in recognizable damage”. According to another definition, an accident is that occurrence in a sequence of events which usually produces unintended injury, death or property damage. There are different types of accident: i) RTA (Road Traffic Accident), ii) Industrial accidents, iii) household accidents, iv) sport accidents, Accident in public places etc.2 In many countries motor vehicle accidents rank first among all fatal accidents.1 Epidemiology: Some people (young male)¹ are more prone to accidents than others and susceptibility is increased by the effect of alcohol and other drugs as well as physiological state such as fatigue. Majority of accidents are preventable. Road traffic accidents have emerged as a major global public health problem of this century & are now recognized as “veritable neglected pandemic”. RTA is essentially caused by 1) Rapid increase in personalized modes of transport (agent); 2) A lack of road discipline (host) and 3) Improper roadway features (environment). The majority of Road traffic injuries occur in low-and middle-income countries.3 Males are more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes than females. During 2002 there were almost 1.19 million deaths from road accidents in the world. In addition, for every death there are as many as 50-100 minor injuries and 10-20 serious injury requiring long periods of expensive care, nursing and treatment.1 WHO said, without sustained action, RTA are predicted to become the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.4 In Bangladesh, around 8 persons die in road accident every day.5