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Recent Research and Reports
Programs for Drunk Drivers: A Health Canada study identifies best practices to enhance the effectiveness of remedial programs for impaired driving offenders. It recommends these programs should be a condition of licence reinstatement with mandatory clinical follow-up after reinstatement, and that all convicted DWI offenders should complete a screening / assessment process to determine the most appropriate intervention program. The study discusses different types of remedial interventions, governance and training issues, relationships between DWI programs and licensing authorities, payment structures, program evaluation and gaps in the available research.
Best Practices - Treatment and Rehabilitation for Driving While Impaired Offenders. Health Canada, 2004
Visibility in Work Zones: Being struck by a motor vehicle in a work zone is an occupational hazard faced by construction workers, emergency responders and others. Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute have found that personal safety garments incorporating retro-reflective trim would make these workers far more visible at night, particularly if the trim is on garment sleeves. Configuration and color of the retro-reflective trim, placement in the work zone, and driver age had the most impact on pedestrian conspicuity. Intensity and the amount of retro-reflective trim did not.
J.R. Sayer and M.L. Mefford. High visibility safety apparel and nighttime conspicuity of pedestrians in work zones. Journal of Safety Research 2004; 35(5): 537-46.
Computer Watch: Researchers in Japan have linked eye strain resulting from heavy computer work to myopia (nearsightedness) and glaucoma (which causes slow and symptom-less vision loss that can lead to blindness). About five percent of the over 10,000 workers surveyed had visual-field abnormalities. Of these, one-third had glaucoma. While glaucoma sufferers in general are older, those in the study tended to be men under the age of 40 who were heavy computer users. Almost all (95 percent) were also short-sighted.
M. Tatemichi et al. Possible association between heavy computer users and glaucomatous visual field abnormalities: a cross sectional study in Japanese workers. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2004; 58:1021-1027
Medical Conditions and Crash Risk: Australian researchers have found eight conditions to increase the risk of crash involvement. These were alcohol abuse and dependence, dementia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders (considered as a group), schizophrenia, sleep apnea, and cataracts. Their conclusions may contribute to the formulation of recommendations for managing the risk of injury crashes associated with medical conditions.
J.L. Charlton et al. Influence of chronic illness on crash involvement of motor vehicle drivers. Monash University Accident Research Centre - Report #213 - 2004
Friday the 13th: Responding to a finding that females - but not males - die in traffic accidents on Friday the 13th more often than on other Fridays, researchers examined the national Finnish road accident database for 1989-2002. Controlling for seasonal variation, they found no evidence for females having more road traffic crashes on Fridays the 13th. The study draws no conclusions about the effect of superstition-related anxiety on accident risk, noting that people who are anxious of 'Black Friday' may stay home or avoid driving.
I. Radun, H. Summala. Females do not have more injury road accidents on Friday the 13th. BMC Public Health 2004; 4(1): 54. (S. Nayha. Traffic deaths and superstition on Friday the 13th. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002, 159: 2110-2111)
Scooters, in-line skates and skateboards: Researchers examined over 190,000 scooter-related injuries among children treated in US emergency departments. In 2002, the number of scooter-related injuries was similar to in-line skates and lower than skateboard-related injuries. Most injuries linked to scooters and in-line skating involved children 5-12 years old. Injury rates associated with scooters were higher than those for in-line skating among 1-9 year olds. Skateboard-related injuries more often involved teens. Five percent of children injured using scooters had a closed head injury or skull fracture, similar to in-line skates and skateboards.
E.C. Powell EC, R.R. Tanz. Incidence and description of scooter-related injuries among children. Ambulatory Pediatrics 2004; 4(6): 495-9.
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Safety Canada (January 2005)
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