| 1. |
- Rizzi, Maria C, et al.
(författare)
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The potential of different countermeasures to prevent injuries with high risk of health loss among bicyclists in Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Traffic Injury Prevention. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1538-9588 .- 1538-957X. ; 21:3, s. 215-221
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: As bicyclists account for the largest share of serious injuries in Sweden, focus to improve safety for bicyclists is needed. While knowledge about fatal bicycle crashes is rather extensive, the number of studies that have investigated non-fatal injuries is still rather limited. The aim of this study was to estimate the potential of different countermeasures to reduce crashes resulting in injuries with high risk of health-loss among cyclists in Sweden. A further aim was to describe the residual—that is, crashes that were not considered to be addressed by the analyzed countermeasures. Methods: A sample of individuals with specific injury diagnoses was drawn from the Swedish national crash database Strada. A survey form was used to collect additional information about the crash and the health-related outcomes. The potential of countermeasures currently included in the Swedish Safety Performance Indicators, as well as of countermeasures that could be described as “existing but not fully implemented” was assessed. The overall potential of all countermeasures assessed was calculated, giving a grand total without double counting. Cases that were considered not to be addressed by any of the countermeasures included (i.e., the residual crashes) were described in more detail. Results: The current Swedish Safety Performance Indicators that relate to safe cycling addressed 22% of crashes. Improved maintenance by deicing and removal of snow from bicycle infrastructure was found to have the highest potential (8%), followed by improved crashworthiness of passenger cars (5%) and safer bicycle crossings (4%). The potential for existing but not fully implemented safety improvements was 56%. The greatest potential was found for Autonomous Emergency Braking with cyclist detection for passenger cars (12%), followed by studded winter tyres for bicycles (12%), and improved maintenance on non-bicycle infrastructure (11%). In total, taking double counting into consideration, all safety improvements could address 64% of all crashes. Among the residual crashes, the majority (69%) were single bicycle crashes of which most were related to wheel locking during braking and losing balance at low speed or stationary. Conclusions: Compared with fatal crashes that involve a majority of bicycle-car crashes, the crashes leading to health-loss are mostly single bicycle crashes. Therefore, innovation and development of additional countermeasures to improve safety for bicyclists should focus on single bicycle crashes.
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| 2. |
- Kullgren, Anders, 1963, et al.
(författare)
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Fatalities in value chains—an attempt to classify road traffic crashes in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/299
- 2023
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Ingår i: Traffic Safety Research. - 2004-3082. ; 5:Special issue
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large corporations are today expected or obliged to report on accidental deaths and serious injuries to employed or contracted employed as a part of reporting on sustainability and workplace safety. Data about road crashes are part of such events and are therefore, but not separately, collected and presented. In Europe, 40% to 60% of all work-related accidents resulting in death has been reported to be road traffic accidents. In 2020, the Stockholm Declaration urged all corporations to report on their safety footprint including their entire value chain. The aims of the present study were to use a new definition of safety footprint and to quantify those killed as employed and at work, and those killed in a crash where the other part was at work, as so called third parties, to transports for duty with employed drivers. The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used, that covers all fatalities classified as road traffic related and consists of information from the police, medical journals, autopsy reports, accident analyses performed by STA, and witness statements. All fatalities excluding suicides or those caused by sickness occurring during year 2019 were investigated (n = 214). 11% (23/214) of the fatalities occurred when the killed person was at work and 16 while commuting. 37% of the fatal accidents occurred when the killed road user or the other part was at work. In total, almost half of the fatalities in the road transport system were related to work in some way when including both the fatally injured and their collision partners. A larger proportion of non-privately owned and procured vehicles was found for the vehicles of the collision partners compared to the vehicles of the fatally injured. In approximately one third of the fatal accidents a procurement of a transport service was involved. The Swedish Work Environment Authority (SWEA) identified 10 of the 23 fatalities at work investigated and none of these accidents was found to be investigated by the police as a crime related to the work environment. In conclusion, almost half of the fatalities in the road transport system in 2019 were related to work in some way, either the fatally injured or their collision partners were at work or while commuting. When including the third-party casualties, the problem becomes much bigger and more complex. In Sweden fatalities related to work are under reported, as the SWEA does not receive basic data. Efforts are needed to improve reporting of work-related road fatalities. It was found that the police did not investigate road traffic fatalities as death at workplace. It is crucial that the police start to follow the intention of regulations linked to workplace safety. If not, the possibility to collect relevant data for organizations to report on their safety footprint is limited. It is complicated to collect, classify and analyse value chain fatal crash information, mainly due to that the police do not investigate fatal road crashes as possibly work-related events. It is recommended that organizations manage their own data collection if they wish to report on their safety footprint data.
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| 3. |
- Kullgren, Anders, 1963, et al.
(författare)
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The potential of vehicle and road infrastructure interventions in fatal bicyclist accidents on Swedish roads—What can in-depth studies tell us?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Traffic Injury Prevention. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1538-9588 .- 1538-957X. ; 20:sup1, s. S7-S12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the characteristics of fatal crashes with bicyclists on Swedish roads in rural and urban areas and to investigate the potential of bicycle helmets and different vehicle and road infrastructure interventions to prevent them. The study has a comprehensive approach to provide road authorities and vehicle manufacturers with recommendations for future priorities. Methods: The Swedish Transport Administration’s (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used for case-by-case analysis of fatal cycling accidents (2006–2016) on rural (n = 82) and urban (n = 102) roads. The database consists of information from the police, medical journals, autopsy reports, accident analyses performed by STA, and witness statements. The potential of helmet use and various vehicle and road infrastructure safety interventions was determined retrospectively for each case by analyzing the chain of events leading to the fatality. The potential of vehicle safety countermeasures was analyzed based on prognoses on their implementation rates in the Swedish vehicle fleet. Results: The most common accident scenario on rural roads was that the bicyclist was struck while cycling along the side of the road. On urban roads, the majority of accidents occurred in intersections. Most accidents involved a passenger car, but heavy trucks were also common, especially in urban areas. Most accidents occurred in daylight conditions (73%). Almost half (46%) of nonhelmeted bicyclists would have survived with a helmet. It was assessed that nearly 60% of the fatal accidents could be addressed by advanced vehicle safety technologies, especially autonomous emergency braking with the ability to detect bicyclists. With regard to interventions in the road infrastructure, separated paths for bicyclists and bicycle crossings with speed calming measures were found to have the greatest safety potential. Results indicated that 91% of fatally injured bicyclists could potentially be saved with known techniques. However, it will take a long time for such technologies to be widespread. Conclusions: The majority of fatally injured bicyclists studied could potentially be saved with known techniques. A speedy implementation of important vehicle safety systems is recommended. A fast introduction of effective interventions in the road infrastructure is also necessary, preferably with a plan for prioritization.
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| 4. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979
(författare)
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Can a Boxer Engine Reduce Leg Injuries Among Motorcyclists? Analysis of Injury Distributions in Crashes Involving Different Motorcycles Fitted with Antilock Brakes (ABS)
- 2015
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Ingår i: Traffic Injury Prevention. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1538-957X .- 1538-9588. ; 16:7, s. 739-746
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Several studies have shown that motorcycle antilock braking systems (ABS) reduce crashes and injuries. However, it has been suggested that the improved stability provided by ABS would make upright crashes more frequent, thus changing the injury distributions among motorcyclists and increasing the risk of leg injuries. The overall motorcycle design can vary across different categories and manufacturers. For instance, some motorcycles are equipped with boxer-twin engines; that is, with protruding cylinder heads. A previous study based on a limited material has suggested that these could provide some leg protection; therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze injury distributions in crashes involving ABS-equipped motorcycles with boxer-twin engines compared to similar ABS-equipped motorcycles with other engine configurations.Methods: Swedish hospital and police records from 2003-2014 were used. Crashes involving ABS-equipped motorcycles with boxer-twin engines (n = 55) were compared with similar ABS-equipped motorcycles with other engines configurations (n = 127). The distributions of Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 1+ and AIS 2+ were compared. Each subject's injury scores were also converted to the risk for permanent medical impairment (RPMI), which shows the risk of different levels of permanent medical impairment given the severity and location and of injuries. To compare injury severity, the mean RPMI 1+ and RPMI 10+ were analyzed for each body region and in overall for each group of motorcyclists.Results: It was found that AIS 1+, AIS 2+, and PMI 1+ leg injuries were reduced by approximately 50% among riders with boxer engines. These results were statistically significant. The number of injuries to the upper body did not increase; the mean RPMI to the head and upper body were similar across the 2 groups, suggesting that the severity of injuries did not increase either. Indications were found suggesting that the overall mean RPMI 1+ was lower among riders with boxer engines, although this result was not statistically significant. The mean values of the overall RPMI 10+ were similar.Conclusions: Boxer-twin engines were not originally developed to improve motorcycle crashworthiness. However, the present article indicates that these engines can reduce leg injuries among riders of motorcycles fitted with ABS. Though it is recommended that future research should look deeper into this particular aspect, the present findings suggest that the concept of integrated leg protection is indeed feasible and that further engineering efforts in this area are likely to yield significant savings in health losses among motorcyclists.
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| 5. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Cyclist injuries leading to permanent medical impairment in sweden and the effect of bicycle helmets
- 2013
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Ingår i: nternational Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury Conference, IRCOBI 2013. ; , s. 412-423
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyclist injuries leading to long-term consequences are common and therefore important to identify in order to design a more sustainable road transport system. The aim of this study was to apply impairment scaling to those injuries to reflect long-term consequences. The Risk of Permanent Medical Impairment (RPMI) was measured for cyclist injuries and compared with the Injury Severity Score (ISS). Type and location of the crash as well as injury distribution were analyzed. The effect of the bicycle helmet was also calculated using induced exposure techniques. The material was Swedish hospital records for the period 2003- 2012. In total 77% of all bicycle crashes in Sweden were single bicycle crashes, most of which were not policereported. The number of impaired cyclists was more than 3 times larger than those with ISS 9+. Of all impairing injuries, almost 70% were to the upper and lower extremities. Furthermore, almost 10% were head injuries. The most common injuries to the upper extremities were to the shoulder and the wrist (AIS 2). Bicycle helmets were found to reduce head-impairing injuries by 62%, and severe impairing injuries by 68%. The effectiveness in reducing face injuries was lower (37% and 49%, respectively). Traditional prevention of cyclist injuries has been focused on helmets. However, the findings of the present study indicate a need for other strategies to also prevent other injuries, especially to the upper extremities.
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| 6. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Does the improved stability offered by motorcycle antilock brakes (ABS) make sliding crashes less common? In-depth analysis of fatal crashes involving motorcycles fitted with ABS
- 2016
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Ingår i: Traffic Injury Prevention. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1538-957X .- 1538-9588. ; 17:6, s. 625-632
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: This research investigated the following issue. Though several tests indicate that motorcycle ABS may increase motorcycle stability, thus reducing the risk of a sliding crash involving braking (i.e., the rider is separated from the motorcycle and slides along the road surface prior to collision), there is limited research showing to what extent sliding crashes are reduced by ABS in real-life conditions. Methods: The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) carry out in-depth studies for all road fatalities. A total of 38 in-depth studies with ABS motorcycles were included: 22 in Sweden and 16 in Norway (2005–2014). These were compared with 98 cases in Sweden and 32 in Norway involving motorcycles of the same types but without ABS. The data sets were analyzed separately and also merged together. The difference between the proportions of sliding crashes regardless braking was analyzed; selective recruitment was handled with a sensitivity analysis. Induced exposure was used to calculate the reduction of all crashes and those involving braking. Results: Four ABS cases (11%) involved falling off the motorcycle prior to collision, and 35% of the non-ABS crashes were sliding (P =.004). The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable, with a relative difference of sliding crashes ranging between 65 and 78%. None of the 4 sliding crashes with ABS occurred during braking; that is, all ABS riders who braked prior to collision crashed in an upright position. In the 4 sliding cases with ABS, the riders lost control of their motorcycles: 2 while accelerating on asphalt with very poor friction, 1 while negotiating a curve with an excessive lean angle, and 1 by abruptly releasing the throttle in the middle of a curve. Although based on a limited number of cases, the distributions of sliding and upright collisions among crashes without braking were similar, thus suggesting that the crash posture would not be affected by ABS if no braking occurred. The calculations with induced exposure showed that upright crashes with braking were also reduced by ABS; all fatal crashes, regardless of braking, were reduced by 52%. Conclusions: Though this research was based on a limited material, it confirmed that sliding fatal crashes are significantly decreased by ABS. Considering that ABS will soon be mandatory in the European Union on all new motorcycles with engine displacement over 125cc, these findings should be taken into account in the future design and testing of motorcycle-friendly road barriers and integrated protection systems.
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| 7. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Effectiveness of Motorcycle Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) in Reducing Crashes, the First Cross-National Study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Traffic Injury Prevention. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1538-957X .- 1538-9588. ; 16:2, s. 177-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: This study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of motorcycle antilock braking systems (ABS) in reducing real-life crashes. Since the European Parliament has voted on legislation making ABS mandatory on all new motorcycles over 125 cc from 2016, the fitment rate in Europe is likely to increase in the coming years. Though previous research has focused on mostly large displacement motorcycles, this study used police reports from Spain (2006-2009), Italy (2009), and Sweden (2003-2012) in order to analyze a wide range of motorcycles, including scooters, and compare countries with different motorcycling habits. Methods: The statistical analysis used odds ratio calculations with an induced exposure approach. Previous research found that head-on crashes were the least ABS-affected crash type and was therefore used as the nonsensitive crash type for ABS in these calculations. The same motorcycle models, with and without ABS, were compared and the calculations were carried out for each country separately. Crashes involving only scooters were further analyzed. Results: The effectiveness of motorcycle ABS in reducing injury crashes ranged from 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 12-36) in Italy to 29% (95% CI, 20-38) in Spain, and 34% (95% CI, 16-52) in Sweden. The reductions in severe and fatal crashes were even greater, at 34% (95% CI, 24-44) in Spain and 42% (95% CI, 23-61) in Sweden. The overall reductions of crashes involving ABS-equipped scooters (at least 250 cc) were 27% (95% CI, 12-42) in Italy and 22% (95% CI, 2-42) in Spain. ABS on scooters with at least a 250 cc engine reduced severe and fatal crashes by 31% (95% CI, 12-50), based on Spanish data alone. Conclusions: At this stage, there is more than sufficient scientific-based evidence to support the implementation of ABS on all motorcycles, even light ones. Further research should aim at understanding the injury mitigating effects of motorcycle ABS, possibly in combination with combined braking systems.
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| 8. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979
(författare)
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Health Losses in Motorcycle Crashes - Injury Analysis of Crashes into Road Barriers and Evaluation of Antilock Braking Systems
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Motorcycles crashes are a growing road safety problem. While the traditional safety approach has focused on protective gear and rider education, with the Vision Zero approach, the designers of the road transport system are considered responsible for its design and operation. Motorcycles are intrinsically unstable vehicles: in the case of instability, the most likely consequence is that the rider is separated from the motorcycle. The only countermeasure to avoid health losses is then the rider’s protective gear. This issue has not been addressed in the past with a holistic approach. In this thesis, the integrated chain of events was used as a theoretical framework: the chain of events leading to a crash is no longer seen in separate blocks; it is rather a process in which one factor in the early stages of the chain can affect the following ones, thus creating the conditions for other countermeasures to be effective. This thesis is based on two papers aiming to: (1) understand whether the injury outcome in motorcycle crashes into road barriers can be reduced when the motorcyclist is in an upright position prior to collision and; (2) estimate the effectiveness of motorcycle Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) in reducing injury crashes in Sweden, Italy and Spain.Study 1 used interviews of 55 Swedish motorcyclists who sustained injuries in crashes into road barriers between 2005-2009. Each subject’s injury scores were converted to the Risk for Permanent Medical Impairment (RPMI) in three levels (1%, 5% and 10%). The analysis showed that the injury severity was lower in crashes in which the motorcyclists were in an upright position during the collision. The proportion of subjects with Injury Severity Score (ISS) 16+ was 24% lower in those crashes compared to those who slid into the barrier. In addition, the share of AIS 2+ and AIS 3+ injuries were 22% and 12% lower, respectively. The mean RPMI 10+ was 51% lower, although this result was not statistically significant. However, leg injuries were more common.Study 2 used police reports from Spain (2006-2009), Italy (2009) and Sweden (2003-2012). The same motorcycle models, with ABS (n=1596) and without (n=9104) were compared with an induced exposure approach; the calculations were carried out for each country separately. Crashes involving only scooters in the Italian and Spanish databases were further analyzed. The effectiveness of Motorcycle ABS in reducing injury crashes ranged from 24% in Italy to 29% in Spain and 34% in Sweden. The reductions in severe and fatal crashes were even greater, at 34% in Spain and 42% in Sweden. The overall reductions of crashes involving ABS-equipped scooters were similar.Based on these findings, it could be hypothesized that there are two different chains of events depending on whether the motorcycle is stable (i.e. ABS-equipped) or not, given the same boundary conditions. In other words, improved stability would prevent some crashes. However, some riders will go further in the chain of events. The crash would still be unavoidable, but more favorable conditions would result by crashing in an upright position, thus providing some injury mitigating effects.KEYWORDS: Motorcycle, Powered Two Wheelers, Crash, Injury, Health Loss, Safety, Stability, Road Barrier, Antilock Braking Systems
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| 9. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Injury crash reduction of low-speed Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) on passenger cars
- 2014
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Ingår i: International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury Conference, IRCOBI 2014; Berlin; Germany; 10 September 2014 through 12 September 2014. ; , s. 656-665
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low-speed Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) is a safety system designed to support passenger car drivers to avoid or mitigate the consequences of rear-end crashes, mostly in urban road environments. This study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of this technology in reducing real-life crashes, based on Swedish police-reported injury crashes 2010-2014. Cars with standard AEB were compared with non-AEB cars from the same manufacturer as well as from others. Both groups were chosen to be of similar types and weights. The statistical analysis used odds ratio calculations with an induced-exposure approach. In this case, striking rear-end crashes were considered sensitive to AEB. The non-sensitive crash types used in the analysis were struck rear-end crashes as well as all crossing crashes. Only two-car collisions were included. The results showed that the reduction of striking rear-end crashes in 50 km/h speed areas ranged between 54% and 57%. The reduction of all striking rear-end crashes, regardless of speed area, ranged between 35% and 41%. These findings were in line with previous research, although of greater magnitude as the striking and the struck car could be identified and separated. However, it should be noted that the present study calculated the overall benefits of AEB, in terms of both crash avoidance and injury mitigation.
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| 10. |
- Rizzi, Matteo, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Motorcycle crashes into road barriers: The role of stability and different types of barriers for injury outcome
- 2012
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Ingår i: 2012 IRCOBI Conference Proceedings - International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury, Dublin:12 September through14 September 2012. ; , s. 328-341
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research focused on motorcycle crashes into road barriers and addressed two research questions: the first to assess if injury risk for motorcyclists is affected by collisions with different types of barriers, and the second, to examine if injury outcome in these crashes can be affected by being in an upright position during the collision. Police-reported motorcycle crashes into road barriers in Sweden between 2003 and 2010 were analyzed across different barrier types, using the Fatal-Serious-Injury Ratio (FSI). In addition, 55 in-depth interviews with Swedish motorcyclists who had crashed into road barriers were included to measure threat-to-life and medical disability. The analysis of police records showed no statistically significant difference between the FSI-ratios for wire rope barriers, Kohlswa-beam and W-beam barriers, although these FSI-ratios were generally very high. The small number of in-depth case findings, however, showed that injury severity was lower in crashes in which the motorcyclists were in an upright position during the collision. The proportion of subjects with ISS 16+ was 24% lower in those crashes compared to those who slid into the barrier. In addition, AIS 2+ and AIS 3+ injuries were 22% and 12% lower, respectively. The mean Risk for Permanent Medical Impairment 10% (RPMI) was 51% lower, and leg injuries were more common although these results were not statistically significant. While the implementation of Anti-lock Brakes on motorcycles may improve stability during critical situations, further development of integrated leg protectors might still be needed.
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