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Human
Factors in Traffic Safety
New Book by Robert E. Dewar and Paul L. Olson
736
Pages, Casebound, 2002
 There
are more than 175 million licensed drivers in the United States.
Combined with the many bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians,
this creates a mix of interacting elements that have very different
characteristics. Moving these elements efficiently and safely presents
a major challenge, particularly in densely populated areas. As a
traffic investigator, attorney, or insurance adjuster, this book
teaches you how to identify these elements in your collision investigations.
According to
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over
6 million traffic collisions in which 41,611 people died and 3.2
million people were injured in 1999. About 40 percent of the car-occupant
deaths occurred in single-vehicle crashes. Pedestrians constituted
approximately 12 percent, and motorcyclists 6 percent of traffic
deaths. In Human Factors in Traffic Safety, you'll discover the
reasons behind these collisions.
You'll be introduced
to the ways in designs of vehicles and roadways often did not take
into account the full range of driver characteristics, typically
because they lacked the necessary information. You will see how
substantial improvements have been achieved over the years, especially
in roadway design and traffic control, because a concerted effort
by concerned individuals has resulted in the development of sound
and uniform design principles. In recent years individuals with
formal training in human factors have entered the design process
and made significant contributions.
In this book
you will examine the behavior of the road user from a variety of
perspectives, ranging from the design of roads and vehicles to emotional
and motivational determinants of behavior. Several experts in the
field of traffic safety have made contributions to this book in
order to introduce to you the basics of human factors as applied
to driving and traffic safety. You will gain an understanding of
this very important component of the roadway transportation system--the
human.
Order
This Book
Topics
covered:
- Perception
and information processing
- Driver perception-response
time
- Driver eye
fixations
- Individual
differences
- Fatigue
and driving
- Alcohol,
drugs and medications
- Age differencesãdrivers
old and young
- Neuropsychological,
medical, and psychiatric disorders affecting motor vehicle operations
- Vehicle
design
- Visibility
with motor vehicle headlamps
- Roadway
design
- Traffic
control devices
- Visibility
under roadway lighting
- Environmental
factors
- Railroad
grade crossing accidents
- Work zone
accidents
- Pedestrians
and bicyclists
- Left turn
and gap acceptance crashes
- Single-vehicle
accidents
- Why witnesses
to accidents make mistakes: the cognitive psychology of human
memory
- Human factors
in traffic accident litigation
Order
This Book
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