Biomedical subjects

Loren Staplin

Publications and source records attributed to Loren Staplin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A strategy to reduce older driver injuries at intersections using more accommodating roundabout design practices.

This paper briefly summarizes a laboratory study investigating strategies designed to improve the ability of our most vulnerable drivers, the elderly, to safely negotiate the most dangerous and demanding of all traffic situations--intersections--through increased use of modern roundabouts. Compared to conventional intersections, roundabouts have demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce the most injurious (angle) type of crashes and slow the operating speed of all vehicles, while maintaining a high capacity for moving traffic through an intersection. This research sought to develop and evaluate countermeasures with the potential to improve the perceived comfort, confidence, and/or safety of seniors in using roundabouts. Research methods included focus groups and structured interviews utilizing photographs, which had been edited to include novel traffic control devices. The results suggest that design elements that improve the path guidance for older drivers are necessary to encourage roundabout use by this group. Recommendations for improved practice related to advance warning signs, guide signs, yield treatments, directional signs, and exit treatments are presented.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

Job change rate as a crash predictor for interstate truck drivers.

This research analyzed the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) database to develop estimates of the increased risk of crash involvement experienced by commercial drivers who change jobs frequently. These analyses quantified the risk of single- and multiple-crash involvement as a function of annual job change rate, and expressed the relative risk for drivers with more versus fewer job changes through calculation of the "odds ratio" statistic. Significant odds ratio values were found, indicating that crash risk begins to rise when a driver has averaged more than two jobs with different employers each year for 2 years or longer, and that the odds of being involved in multiple crashes more than doubles for drivers with three or more jobs per year during this same interval. Opportunities for further research, focusing on variables that could be extracted from existing data sources to further enhance the validity and predictive value of the relationships found in this study, were also identified.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

Driver's exposure to distractions in their natural driving environment.

Unobtrusive video camera units were installed in the vehicles of 70 volunteer drivers over 1-week time periods to study drivers' exposure to distractions. The video data were coded based on a detailed taxonomy of driver distractions along with important contextual variables and driving performance measures. Results show distractions to be a common component of everyday driving. In terms of overall event durations, the most common distractions were eating and drinking (including preparations to eat or drink), distractions inside the vehicle (reaching or looking for an object, manipulating vehicle controls, etc.), and distractions outside the vehicle (often unidentified). Distractions were frequently associated with decreased driving performance, as measured by higher levels of no hands on the steering wheel, eyes directed inside rather than outside the vehicle, and lane wanderings or encroachments. Naturalistic driving studies can provide a useful supplement to more controlled laboratory and field studies to further our understanding of the effects of all types of distractions on driving safety.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

MaryPODS revisited: updated crash analysis and implications for screening program implementation.

PROBLEM: Due to the relative scarcity of crashes, there has consistently been a problem with analyses that use crashes as a criterion measure in their analyses. METHOD: Previous analyses of the relationships between functional capacity measures and at-fault crash involvement for older drivers as reported in the NHTSA Model Driver Screening and Evaluation Program Final Technical Report have been updated to include one additional year of driving experience. Eighteen new at-fault crashes involving drivers who previously had no crash involvement were recorded for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) test sample during this interval. The method of odds ratio (OR) calculation was used to examine the relationships between functional status predictors and the most salient among the safety outcome measures identified in the Maryland research. Peak valid OR values for the prior and current analyses were contrasted, and the stability of candidate pass-fail cut-points for each predictor relative to values identified in the Final Technical Report was examined. RESULTS: Results indicate that the predictive value of functional tests appears to decrease over time, particularly for the perceptual-cognitive measures. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The impact of these findings on programs and policies is to underscore a need for periodic reevaluation, spaced at the shortest practical intervals but not more than 2 years apart, in order for functional capacity screening to be applied effectively by licensing authorities, health care professionals, and others to reduce personal risk and enhance public safety.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2003

The causes and consequences of distraction in everyday driving.

To document drivers' exposure to potential distractions and the effects of these distractions on driving performance, inconspicuous video camera units were mounted in the vehicles of 70 volunteer subjects. The camera units automatically recorded a closeup view of the driver's face, a broader view of the interior of the vehicle, and the roadway immediately ahead of the vehicle whenever it was powered on. Three hours of randomly selected data per subject were coded based on a taxonomy of driver distractions (talking on cell phone, eating, tuning radio, etc.), contextual variables (whether vehicle stopped or moving, road type, traffic level, etc.) and observable measures of driver performance (eyes directed inside or outside vehicle, hands on or off steering wheel, and vehicle position in travel lane). Results were analyzed descriptively and using nonparametric bootstrap analysis techniques. The most common distractions in terms of overall event durations were eating and drinking (including preparations to eat or drink), distractions inside the vehicle (reaching or looking for an object, manipulating vehicle controls, etc.), and distractions outside the vehicle (often unidentified). Although many of the distractions were also associated with negative driving performance outcomes, further research is needed to clarify their impact on driving safety.

Accidents, Traffic↗