Recent Research and Reports

Photo Radar: Photo radar speed enforcement is a proven but controversial countermeasure to address speeding. Researchers at Baruch College (New York City) assessed the impacts of a large-scale photo radar program in British Columbia. Their study revealed an annual net benefit of about $114 million to British Columbians and a net annual saving of over $38 million for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. It concluded that automated photo radar traffic safety enforcement can be an effective and efficient means to manage traffic speed, reduce collisions and injuries, and combat the huge resulting economic burden to society. Such programs should be planned and implemented with the focus on safety improvement. They may be terminated for political reasons if the public sees them as simply a “cash cow” for government.
Chen G. Safety and Economic Impacts of Photo Radar Program. Traffic Injury Prevention; 6(4): 299-307, December 2005.

Rail-highway crossings: Collisions and fatalities at rail-highway intersections in the United States have declined significantly over the past 30 years, despite much more rail and highway traffic. About two-fifths of the decrease is due to factors that have improved safety on all parts of the highway network. The installation of gates and/or flashing lights accounts for about a fifth of the reduction. The development in the 1970s and early 1980s of the Operation Lifesaver public education campaign, and the installation of additional lights on locomotives in the mid 1990s, each led to about a seventh of the reduction. Finally, about a tenth is due to closure of crossings resulting from line abandonments or consolidation of little-used crossings.
Mok SC, Savage I. Why Has Safety Improved at Rail-Highway Grade Crossings? Risk Analysis; 25(4): 867-81, August 2005.

Safer cigarettes: New York’s introduction of fire safety standards for reduced ignition propensity (RIP) cigarettes has not affected cigarette sales or prices in that state. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that New York cigarette brands averaged 10 percent full length burns as compared to almost 100 percent for California and Massachusetts brands. There was no evidence that the small increases in smoke constituent yields affect the already highly toxic nature of cigarette smoke. Based on the New York experience, the study concluded that prior industry objections to producing RIP cigarettes are unfounded and recommended that other states and nations adopt similar standards. Data on smoking-related fires, deaths, and injuries after the change in law are not yet available.
Connolly GN et al. Effect of the New York State cigarette fire safety standard on ignition propensity, smoke constituents, and the consumer market. Tobacco Control; 14(5): 321-7, October 2005.

Fatal Vision Goggles: Southern Illinois University researchers have found strong evidence that the use of Fatal Vision™ goggles (goggles that simulate the visual impairment caused by alcohol or other drugs) does not result in behavioral change. They assessed attitudes and behaviors toward drinking and driving immediately prior to and after the intervention, and then again at a four-week follow up. The group wearing the goggles reported significantly greater declines in accepting attitudes toward drinking and driving compared to the other groups at the immediate post-test. However, these differences disappeared after four weeks. Also, the change in attitude was not accompanied by a similar decrease in drunk driving behaviors.
Jewell J, Hupp SD. Examining the Effects of Fatal Vision Goggles on Changing Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Drinking and Driving. Journal of Primary Prevention; ePub: 1-13, October 2005.

TV Tipovers: A study by Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto looked at 18 children hospitalized with head injury related to falling televisions. It revealed television tipovers can result in significant head injuries in children, with substantial short- and long-term consequences and that head injury accounts for most of the associated deaths. The 13 boys and five girls ranged in age from 12 months to 10 years (mean 44 months). Follow up at 0.2 to 68 months (mean 13.4 months) revealed severe neurological deficits in one patient and cranial nerve deficits in six patients. It concluded that this injury is easily preventable through simple measures taken by both the manufacturers and caregivers.
Yahya RR, et al. Children and television tipovers: a significant and preventable cause of long-term neurological deficits. Journal of Neurosurgery; 103(3 Suppl): 219-22, September 2005.

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