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An important pedestrian skill that young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) (mental retardation) find difficult is the ability to find a safe place to cross the road. Safe pedestrian behaviour relies on cognitive skills, including the ability to focus attention on the traffic environment and ignore irrelevant stimuli. Individuals with ID consistently demonstrate selective attention deficiencies. Other factors such as individual differences in cognitive style might play a role in road safety. The aims of the present study were to test any possible significant relationship between attention, cognitive style and identification of safe and dangerous road-crossing sites in preadolescents with ID. Participants were 40 boys with mild ID. Attention and field dependence-independence were assessed using the visual attention subtest of the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment and the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), respectively. The participants were subdivided into two groups, matched on IQ. The two groups differed significantly in mean score on the visual attention subtest and on the CEFT. Analysis of variance showed that preadolescents with higher scores on both tests performed better than those who were more filed dependent and less attentive. Attention and cognitive style should be considered in the planning of road safety training for individuals with ID. (Contains 4 tables.)

Bicycling is a popular recreation activity and mode of transportation among the American workforce. While safety standards are key factors in reducing risk for a cycling fatality, contextual factors also play a role. State-level data for this study were retrieved from the U.S. Census Bureau, the League of American Bicyclists, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Trend analysis was conducted via ANOVA and the trajectory of the pedalcyclist fatality rate (PFR) from 2011 to 2013 was determined. Linear regression was conducted and the influence of socioeconomic variables on PFR between 2011 and 2013 was determined. The average statelevel PFR increased between 2011 and 2013; however, the trend was not statistically significant. Regression analysis showed that socioeconomic variables were significant predictors of PFR, after controlling for relevant covariates. To improve cycling safety, states should not only adopt legislation and infrastructure that support cycling but also consider implementing innovative road-safety educational programs in resource-deprived areas.

This study examined parental perceptions of the benefits and barriers to bicycle helmet use and their level of knowledge about bicycle safety issues. A school-based bicycle safety education program was taught to first- and second-grade students in a rural/suburban school district by a graduate nursing student. Pender's Health Promotion Model was the theoretical framework used to guide this research study. A parent Bicycle Helmet Questionnaire (BHQ) developed by the author was the tool used to gather data. The study determined that parents of children in schools that received the educational intervention prior to completing the questionnaire had significantly higher knowledge level scores and that the majority of parents were in favor of bicycle helmet legislation for children. The implications from this research study include the importance of bicycle safety education interventions for students and parents and the need to implement bicycle helmet legislation. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

Explains the variables involved when stopping a car on various types of pavement, braking schemes and additional concerns. (RT)

To improve school bus safety it is important to improve school bus data collection. Includes discussion of danger potential of older bridges and the importance of school bus drivers. (MD)

Educating traffic knowledge and safe behaviours to children is an effective strategy for improving their traffic safety. However, due to the physical and cognitive limitations of children, implementing a proper and effective education and training programme can be complicated. It is thus vital to investigate how the effectiveness of such programmes can be improved. To this end, 200 children aged 6–9 years were asked to participate in this study. Different characteristics of the children and their parents were obtained using several forms and questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was then used to analyse the importance of contributing factors. The difference between the score of each child before and after completing the education programme was defined as their traffic educability. The results showed that children who do better in school, children who have older siblings and those who are more active have greater potential to learn traffic knowledge. Furthermore, with respect to parents, having a higher education level, driving frequently, trying to highlight the importance of traffic rules in front of children and being concerned about children's trip safety can increase children's ability in traffic education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, Shanghai urban cross-river tunnels have three principal characteristics: increased traffic, a high accident rate and rapidly developing construction. Because of their complex geographic and hydrological characteristics, the alignment conditions in urban cross-river tunnels are more complicated than in highway tunnels, so a safety evaluation of urban cross-river tunnels is necessary to suggest follow-up construction and changes in operational management. A driving risk index (DRI) for urban cross-river tunnels was proposed in this study. An index system was also constructed, combining eight factors derived from the output of a driving simulator regarding three aspects of risk due to following, lateral accidents and driver workload. Analytic hierarchy process methods and expert marking and normalization processing were applied to construct a mathematical model for the DRI. The driving simulator was used to simulate 12 Shanghai urban cross-river tunnels and a relationship was obtained between the DRI for the tunnels and the corresponding accident rate (AR) via a regression analysis. The regression analysis results showed that the relationship between the DRI and the AR mapped to an exponential function with a high degree of fit. In the absence of detailed accident data, a safety evaluation model based on factors derived from a driving simulation can effectively assess the driving risk in urban cross-river tunnels constructed or in design. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Risk metrics are defined as instrumental definitions of risk. [•] 11 criteria for evaluating risk metrics in a deliberative process are explained. [•] Informative, ethical, and analytic issues are discussed. [•] Three illustrative examples are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Okada (taxi motorcycle) is a popular means of moving humans and materials in Nigeria, but it is notorious for the risk it poses to public and road safety. Information education programmes dominate the current efforts by government and non-government organizations to ameliorate this situation. Using data collected from 301 okada operators through a questionnaire, this study examined the safety information needs and safety information sources of okada riders in Africa's largest semi-urban city, Ibadan, in Nigeria. The okada riders expressed a higher level of consciousness about their own safety than the safety of their passengers. They also have a high level of awareness about, and preferred, radio and television as sources of information much more than any other sources. In addition to improving radio and television programmes targeted at them, a strategy that might improve the efficiency of road safety information intervention programmes could be passenger education. Passengers should be empowered to demand helmets and also to caution the okada rider when his riding attitude is considered risky to one's life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses appraisal of safety programs and safety education in the community. Several important advantages accrue from evaluating community safety programs. The community may compare its program with those of other communities and thereby become aware of its own progress and the progress of others. It can estimate its standing. Appraisal also has a diagnostic function: weak spots of the safety program become apparent, opening the way to improvement. It is not always easy even for the most objective supervisor or administrator, to be fully aware of deficiencies. These functions are important; people recognize the need for improvement and intelligent understanding. But too often the evaluation is regarded as a panacea; if it can be made to show improvement, little or no changes occur in the safety program. The budget remains the same, the staffs are pleased, the general feeling of a job well done fills the air; the community government can be proud of its work. Resources available to the community are not always put to use.

The article presents a discussion on safety education. School activities in safety education are an important part of the total program that must be carried on in a community in order to reduce to a minimum the rate and severity of accidents. While the school may in some communities provide a rather large share of initiative and leadership in the total safety program, it cannot and should not be expected to carry the entire load. Safety is a problem which every good citizen must face intelligently, and cooperation in safe living is an obligation that cannot properly be disregarded by anyone. In order to face a problem intelligently and to cooperate effectively with others in its practical solution, one must know the facts about it and understand the various activities of other individuals and groups working for its solution. The safety education activities of the school can never reach their maximum effectiveness without being well understood and intelligently reinforced by all the different groups of people in its environment. The school's program of safety education needs to be properly interpreted to the entire population.

The article offers tips that automobile and truck drivers can consider to achieve secure and safe backing technique while driving the vehicle. The author relates several factors that resulted for accidents to happen while driving in reverse including poor vision, bad coordination and having a wrong seat positioning. He mentions the importance for drivers to handle the steering wheel at a twelve o' clock position before driving in reverse to determine when the vehicle is straight ones backing is completed.

The article presents information on conferences and meetings related to safety and safety education that were held in the United States. The problem of safety has been so closely associated with the conservation of manpower and the reduction of property losses that it has been found necessary to call several important national conferences. This was especially true during World War II. The losses from accidents were so serious that they became a threat to the United States economy. The conferences that have been listed are: 1946 President's Highway Safety Conference; 1947 Follow-up Conference; 1947 President's Conference on Fire Prevention; 1948 President's Conference on Industrial Safety; 1948 National Conference on School Bus Transportation. Safety education had an important place in all of these conferences. In several cases, as in the conferences on Highway Safety, Industrial Safety, and Fire Prevention, four or five committees on various phases of education submitted reports, digests of which were published by the conferences.