Inappropriate traffic speeds are a major cause of traffic fatalities. Since driving is a task with a substantial contribution from vision, the use of lighting and visual information such as signage could assist in providing appropriate cues to encourage appropriate driving speeds. At locations such as sharp roadway curves, an overall reduction in driving speed might be desirable to prevent rollover crashes.
The nighttime driving environment, consisting of roadway illumination, signs, vehicle lighting and markers, delineators and flashing lights, can be complex or even confusing for both pedestrians and drivers. The nighttime construction environment is even more complex and even chaotic because of the added presence of workers, construction equipment and bright lights (which are sometimes flashing). Work zones at night often involve changing conditions and new traffic patterns that are unfamiliar to drivers.
This research project explores sustainable transportation programming and policy on university campuses by evaluating a transit pass program in which select students, faculty, and staff at the University at Buffalo were issued pre-paid unlimited transit passes for Metro Rail, the light rail system operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
In the U.S., there are about 38 million licensed drivers over age 65; about 1/8 of our population. By 2024, this figure will DOUBLE to 25%. The current research is intended to address the driving capabilities of our older population, as accident and injury risk has been statistically shown to increase with advanced age. Our primary objective was to perform a preliminary Pilot Study (N=10) that allows our team to analyze the impact of supplementing traditional driver evaluation using state-of-the-art driving simulation technologies.
Statistics show that in the U.S., there are about 38 million licensed drivers over age 65; about 1/8 of our population. By 2024, this figure will DOUBLE to 25%. The current research is intended to address the driving capabilities of our older population, as accident and injury risk has been statistically shown to increase – normalized per mile driven – with advanced age.
This research project seeks to increase knowledge about coordinating effective multi-modal evacuation for disasters. It does so by identifying, evaluating, and assessing current transportation management approaches for multi-modal evacuation planning. The research increases equity by identifying strategies for evacuation of all residents, including carless residents during a disaster.
Accidents involving pedestrians on crosswalks are a common cause of road fatalities. In-pavement flashing warning lights have been proposed as a means of increasing the conspicuity of a crosswalk when a pedestrian is using it. Evaluations in California and Washington have demonstrated the effectiveness of such in-pavement flashing warning lights on moderating drivers’ behavior when approaching a crosswalk. However, in-pavement flashing warning light systems are more expensive to install than striping, the conventional way of identifying crosswalks.
Accidents involving pedestrians on crosswalks are a common cause of road fatalities. In-pavement flashing warning lights have been proposed as a means of increasing the conspicuity of a crosswalk when a pedestrian is using it. Evaluations in California and Washington have demonstrated the effectiveness of such in-pavement flashing warning lights on moderating drivers’ behavior when approaching a crosswalk. However, inpavement flashing warning light systems are more expensive to install than striping, the conventional way of identifying crosswalks.
Scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) are developing a lighting system to increase the safety of pedestrians crossing the street at nighttime. Led by John Bullough, the researchers evaluated different crosswalk lighting systems to determine which would best illuminate the pedestrian and provide enough background contrast to increase visibility. The study was supported by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration through the University Transportation Research Center at the City University of New York.
<p>Road traffic crashes and injuries constitute major health, economic, and developmental challenges to African countries. For its 4 per cent of the world?s motor vehicles, the fatalities on African roads exceed 10%. With further motorization, the number of road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities are expected to continue to grow. The road carnage has severe impact on the human, social and economic development. The present study intends to update the status, trends, causes, existing countermeasure, and issues in traffic safety, facing African countries.
