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Objective: We examined the effectiveness of a second exposure to ACCEL, a novel driving training program, on latent hazard anticipation (HA) performance several months after their first exposure. Background: Past research has demonstrated that PC-based driver training programs can improve latent HA performance in young novice drivers, but these improvements are below the ceiling level. Method: Twenty-five participants were randomly assigned to either the Placebo group, the ACCEL-1 group, or the ACCEL-2 group. Following the completion of the assigned training program, participants drove a series of eighteen scenarios incorporating latent hazards in a high-fidelity driving simulator with their eyes tracked. Participants returned two to six months following the first session and completed either the placebo program (ACCEL-1 and Placebo groups), or a second dose of training program (ACCEL-2 group), again followed by simulated evaluation drives. Results: The ACCEL-2 group showed improved HA performance compared to the ACCEL-1 and Placebo groups in the second evaluation. Conclusion: ACCEL enhances young novice drivers' latent HA performance. The effectiveness of ACCEL is retained up to 6 months, and a second dose further improves HA performance. Application: Policy makers should consider requiring such training before the completion of graduate driver license programs. Young novice drivers that do not show successful latent HA performance could be required to complete additional training before being allowed to drive without restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation agencies make substantial efforts to implement safety improvement countermeasures to mitigate safety hazards. However, region-specific safety considerations, rather than accepting more general, widespread methods, and the most ideal investment decisions to improve safety, are often unclear. This is of increased concern for horizontal curve segments, because they are locations of elevated safety risk. Yet, there exists a gap in literature on the development and use of a geospatial tool to investigate horizontal curve safety. To fill this gap, a methodological approach to create a region-specific geospatial horizontal curve safety tool was developed in this research. The tool was created using two regions as application areas to ensure the methodological approach was reproducible and transferable. Geolocated crash data, roadway infrastructure data, and curve data were spatially integrated using a GIS. Bayesian hierarchical models were estimated with crash severity data to gain region-specific safety results. A GIS tool was then derived from the applied model coefficients. The tool was applied to prioritize the most safety-critical horizontal curves and to select optimal countermeasures, especially in cases with specific infrastructure investment identification needs. The results of this research benefit regional agencies in their aim to efficiently distribute investments and identify the most appropriate countermeasures to improve roadway safety in their region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female and male drivers have different size proportions and anthropometry. However, in the United States and throughout the world, male crash dummies are the norm in vehicle testing and female crash dummies with representative anthropometric characteristics has not yet been used in testing to date. Given this discrepancy, female driver safety is not considered at the same level as male driver safety in the vehicle design and testing process. This research investigates the gap in literature of injury locations experienced by female and male drivers in comparable crashes using a newly created linked dataset of crash and emergency medical services (EMS) data in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Generalized linear regression and k-fold cross validation of over 26,000 unique crash cases were analyzed using explanatory and predictive methods. These analyses revealed that female drivers are more likely to experience their primary anatomic injury as an abdomen, chest, lower extremity, and upper extremity injury than male drivers. The results of this research can be used by researchers, vehicle designers, and policymakers to act upon these differences in injury outcomes and consider them in the development of a safe environment for all roadway users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to determine the safety and effectiveness of selected protected/permissive left-turn (PPLT) signal displays through driver comprehension evaluations. Driver evaluations were conducted using full-scale, fixed-base, fully-interactive driving simulators located at the University of Massachusetts and the Texas Transportation Institute. The PPLT displays were also evaluated in a static environment to provide comparison data. The 12 experimental PPLT signal displays evaluated differed in permissive indication, arrangement, location, and through movement indication. Each PPLT signal display included only the circular green ball and/or flashing yellow arrow permissive indications. Driver comprehension was determined from the distribution of correct and incorrect responses. Findings from the driving simulator study showed a high level of comprehension (91%) with no variation between PPLT displays. The lack of significant differences in driver comprehension is itself a significant finding, indicating the flashing yellow arrow is an alternative to the circular green ball permissive indication. CE Database subject headings: Left-turns; Simulation; Traffic signals; Traffic safety; Driver behavior.

Risky and aggressive driving behaviors remain a serious safety concern across the globe. While engineering, education, and emergency medical services can affect the outcome of these behaviors, enforcement is a critical element of a well-rounded safety focus and has been proven to significantly reduce serious injury and fatal crashes. To appropriately and equitably allocate enforcement resources within a region, agencies must understand the relationship of crash locations (e.g., opportunities for improvement) and citation data (e.g., utilization of existing resources). To investigate this relationship, a case study approach was used to develop seemingly unrelated regression equation (SURE) models based on community attributes to predict crash and citation rates in the selected region. Through their application, regions that were overrepresented and underrepresented in their citation and crash rates were revealed. A geographic information system was used to illustrate these relationships using a combination of preliminary geospatial maps and maps based on the applied regression models. The resulting analysis revealed explanatory maps demonstrating potential enforcement gaps. The factors that most influence crash and citation rates were also revealed. This research provides a foundation for officials to improve the allocation of enforcement-related resources to equitably improve safety within a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]