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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <title>Highway Investigation Report: Tire Failure, Motorcoach Roadway Departure, and Rollover, Wawayanda, New York, September 21, 2023</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582143</link>
      <description><![CDATA[On September 21, 2023, about 1:12 p.m. eastern daylight time, a 2014 Prevost H3-45 motorcoach operated by Regency Transportation LTD was traveling west on Interstate 84 (I-84) in Wawayanda, New York, when its left-front (steer) tire failed. As a result of the tire failure, the motorcoach was abruptly pulled to the left, crossed the left lane and shoulder, penetrated a roadside cable barrier, traveled down into the median, and rolled before coming to rest on its left side. The motorcoach was occupied by a 59-year-old driver, 40 high school students, and 3 adult chaperones. Two adult chaperones were ejected and fatally injured. The driver was ejected and seriously injured, 14 other occupants sustained serious injuries, and 27 had minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the Wawayanda, New York, roadway departure crash was the tread/belt detachment and casing rupture of the left steer axle tire on the motorcoach due to prolonged operation in an underinflated condition combined with previous impact damage to the tire interior. Contributing to the crash was Regency Transportation’s inadequate vehicle inspection process, which permitted the motorcoach to operate with underinflated tires. Contributing to the severity of the injuries was the motorcoach occupants’ failure to use the available lap/shoulder belts.​​ ​]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:00:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582143</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Analysis of seat belt buckle release forces in post-rollover scenarios: Implications for passenger safety</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2527000</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Seat belts have been in use for nearly 140 years and have a proven track record to be the single most effective tool in reducing fatal and nonfatal injuries in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). However, belted passengers still contribute to more than 40% of all MVC fatalities. The likelihood of severe injuries and fatalities is significantly greater in rollover crashes. The motivation behind this research is to address some of the contributing factors related to belted rollover fatalities. In the United States, they contribute to about 3% of all motor vehicle crashes but account for almost 30% of all fatalities. The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of adults to unlatch a push-button seat belt buckle in a rolled-over orientation. Fifty-five (55) out of sixty (60) subjects in this study (92%) were able to unlatch their seat belt while in a rolled-over orientation. However, 96% of the female subjects and 83% of the male subjects were unable to exert enough force to exceed the force requirement of 133N specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209 at any given orientation. For male subjects, a reduction of almost 22%, and for female subjects, a reduction of almost 13% in the mean push force from upright to rolled-over orientation was observed. Results of the study suggest that reducing the maximum buckle release force to 50 N would accommodate the strength capabilities of 95% of subjects to unlatch the seat belt buckle in any orientation. This study emphasizes the need for investigating seat belt standards and regulations, some of which have not been changed since their inception in 1965.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2025 09:37:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2527000</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>A Guide for Traffic Safety Practitioners: Best Practices for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2227868</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural motor vehicle occupants have an increased risk of crash-related death compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. One contributing factor is lower use of seat belts in rural areas. Rural drivers self-report more negative attitudes toward seat belt use than urban and suburban drivers. Convincing drivers and passengers in rural areas to wear seat belts is one of the most effective ways to reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities. Rural traffic safety practitioners may need to consider different strategies than those traditionally deployed in urban/suburban settings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others have sponsored varieties of programs and studies in the past to identify approaches to increase seat belt use in rural areas. This current project sought to review past efforts in order to create A Guide for Traffic Safety Practitioners: Best Practices for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities. This resource provides rural traffic safety practitioners with the information they need to implement best practices, including examples of evidence-based and promising programs, to increase seat belt use in rural areas. The goal of this guide is to connect rural traffic safety practitioners to information and resources that can help them to develop, implement, and evaluate successful programs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:28:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2227868</guid>
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      <title>A Guide for Traffic Safety Practitioners: Best Practices for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2227867</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural motor vehicle occupants are at an increased risk for crash-related deaths compared to their urban counterparts. One contributing factor is the lower use of seat belts in rural areas compared to urban areas. Seat belts are one of the most important strategies for reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities among road users. Preventing crash-related injuries and fatalities requires programs that promote seat belt use among rural drivers and passengers. Rural traffic safety practitioners can implement best practices, including evidence-based and promising programs, to increase seat belt use in rural areas. The Best Practices Guide for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities is designed for rural traffic safety practitioners to plan, implement, and evaluate programs to increase seat belt use in rural communities. The guide describes evidence-based and promising seat belt programs, and shares lessons learned from traffic safety practitioners and experts. It also includes examples of seat belt programs that have been successfully adapted for use in different settings, including rural communities. The guide was informed by a literature review and environmental scan, and discussions with traffic safety practitioners and experts. It contains four modules to help traffic safety practitioners develop, implement, and evaluate rural seat belt programs: understanding seat belt use in rural communities; selecting evidence-based or promising rural seat belt program models; implementing a rural seat belt program; and evaluating a rural seat belt program.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:28:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2227867</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Determinants Of The Use Of Safety Restraint Systems In Italy</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1695267</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wearing a safety restraint system is one of the most effective measures to substantially reduce the risk of serious or fatal accidents. Despite their benefits, a survey in 2015 revealed that on average 62 out of 100 Italian front car occupants wore their seat belt and only 15% of the rear seat passengers were regularly wearing their seat belt. According to several studies, one’s (driving) behaviour is based on a combination of attitudes toward the behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control.The present study aims at understanding factors contributing to the low wearing rates in Italy.The data used are based on a questionnaire survey carried out among a representative sample of more than 1.000 Italian drivers within the ESRA project (European Survey of Road users’ safety Attitudes).The survey involved 17 European countries and covered several themes on (un)safe traffic behaviour and attitudes among which those related to the use of seat belts and child restraint systems.Two methods of investigation were adopted: the comparison between the Italian situation with the European best performers, pointing out the relevant difference with the included selected European Countries, and the use of regression models to study the association between several explanatory variables and self-declared behaviours related to the use of safety restraint systems.The main results show a high acceptability of risky behaviour in Italy and a relevant contribution of age and gender in shaping attitudes towards unsafe traffic behaviours.A number of recommendations are proposed to change people’s unsafe behaviour and attitudes in Italy, providing both enforcement and voluntary (e.g. campaigns, education and training, incentives) measures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:58:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1695267</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Traffic safety competencies in Peruvian high school students</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1674347</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study aims to comprehend traffic safety competencies in high school students from two specific regions of Peru, as well as to analyze the differences between both groups. For this purpose, a qualitative study was carried out which consisted of eight focus groups in high schools, three of them in the metropolitan area of Lima (Lima region) and five in the province of Rodríguez de Mendoza (the Amazonas region). The focus groups were constituted by 73 students enrolled in the last three years of high school, named 3rd, 4th and 5th grade of secondary education, whose ages ranged from 14 to 18 years. The collected data were analyzed employing elements of Grounded Theory and Axiomatic Set Theory. The main findings reveal that most participants have a general understanding of traffic rules and the proper use of the components of traffic safety. Thus, they understand the traffic rules as road signs that regulate the behavior of drivers and pedestrians. In addition, participants know the proper procedure to follow at traffic lights, pedestrian walkways and how to use seat belts. They also identify the driver’s tiredness/drowsiness, and the consumption of alcohol and drugs as potential factors that cause traffic accidents. No causes that are linked to pedestrian behavior were identified, and only participants from the Amazonas region mentioned speeding as a contributing factor. On the other hand, participants report that in practical situations they engage in risky behavior and fail to comply with transit rules. They justify this behavior by citing poor infrastructure, vehicle malfunctions, and the need get around quickly in order to get things done. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed and compared to the content and implementation of the Peruvian Road Safety Educational Program (PENSV, for its acronym in Spanish), providing recommendations that can aid evidence‐based policy making in Peru.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2020 09:42:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1674347</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantification of Sternum Morphomics and Injury Data</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1599089</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Crash safety researchers have an increased concern regarding the decreased thoracic deflection and the contributing injury causation factors among the elderly population. Sternum fractures are categorized as moderate severity injuries, but can have long term effects depending on the fragility and frailty of the occupant. Current research has provided detail on rib morphology, but very little information on sternum morphology, sternum fracture locations, and mechanisms of injury. The objective of this study is two-fold (1) quantify sternum morphology and (2) document sternum fracture locations using computed tomography (CT) scans and crash data. Thoracic CT scans from the University of Michigan Hospital database were used to measure thoracic depth, manubriosternal joint, sternum thickness and bone density. The sternum fracture locations and descriptions were extracted from 63 International Center for Automotive Medicine (ICAM) crash cases, of which 22 cases had corresponding CT scans. The University of Michigan Internal Review Board (HUM00043599 and HUM00041441) approved the use of crash cases and CT scan data.         The sternum morphomics data showed the thoracic depth increased, except for the 60-74-year-old age group. The average sternum thickness was greater in the older age groups. The sternum bone density decreased from youngest to oldest age groups. The angle between the manubrium and the sternum body decreased by 5.6° between the youngest and oldest age groups. The frequency of sternum fractures increased after age 45. Fractures were most frequent in the sternum body. The seat belt webbing was coded as the source of 54% of the sternum fractures.       ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2019 13:01:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1599089</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Bivariate Probit Analysis of Child Passenger’s Sitting Behaviour and Restraint Use in Motor Vehicle</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1629080</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children worldwide, though many of these deaths are preventable. Buckling young children in age- and size-appropriate car seats, booster seats, or seat belts and also seating them in appropriate position can lead to a significant reduction of serious and fatal injuries. This study investigated sitting behavior and restraint use among child passengers through cross-sectional observational surveys conducted in Kumasi, Ghana. A bivariate probit model was developed for simultaneous determination of the contributing factors influencing child passenger’s sitting behavior and restraint use. The results showed that 26% of the child passengers observed were occupying the front seat and the prevalence rate of restraint use was 4.5%. The developed bivariate probit model clearly highlights the existence of interrelationship between child passenger’s sitting position and restraint use. The key factors simultaneously influencing child passenger’s sitting position and restraint use include vehicle type, driver’s gender, driver’s belt use, child’s age, and the presence of other child or adult passenger. Furthermore, time of day and day of week also influence child passenger sitting behavior but not their restraint use. These findings provide insight for better understanding of child transporting practices and the contributing factors influencing their sitting behavior and restraint use. The findings also highlight the need for policy makers to design effective countermeasures to promote rear sitting and restraint use among child passengers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jul 2019 11:36:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1629080</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Comparison of Contributing Effects on 2-Vehicle Alcohol-Related Crashes between Impaired and Nonimpaired Operators</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1423413</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime that places the lives of all motorists in danger. Though it is a largely preventable act, impaired driving has accounted for 31 to 38% of fatal crashes across the country over the last decade. When an impaired operator crashes his or her vehicle, there is often a second unit, of which the operator is not impaired, involved in the crash. This research looks at approximately 14,000 2-unit crashes involving an impaired operator in the State of Ohio from 2008 through 2012. The research is focused on determining the effects of crash and operator characteristics in 2-unit alcohol-related crashes through the use of 2 mixed logit models.   It is found that several factors have similar effects on the injury severities of both the impaired and non-impaired operators, including head-on crashes, the use of seat belts, and the deployment of airbags. There are, however, several factors that affect the 2 operators differently. It is found that the impaired operator's injury severity is based on the type and, more important, the size of the vehicle he or she is driving, the roadway geometry, and the speed of the vehicle driven by the non-impaired operator. The non-impaired operator is equally affected by the speed of the impaired vehicle as much as his or her own speed, and the non-impaired operator's injury severity is virtually independent of the type of vehicle being driven.   Researchers may disseminate the results to community groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Safe Communities to increase awareness of the dangers of drunk driving in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:22:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1423413</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Teens and Seat Belt Use: What Makes Them Click?</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1407176</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Motor vehicle crashes kill more adolescents in the United States than any other cause, and often the teen is not wearing a seat belt. Using data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 38 states, the authors examined teens' self-reported seat belt use while riding as a passenger and identified individual characteristics and environmental factors associated with always wearing a seat belt. Only 51% of high school students living in 38 states reported always wearing a seat belt when riding as a passenger; prevalence varied from 32% in South Dakota to 65% in Delaware. Seat belt use was 11 percentage points lower in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws compared to states with primary enforcement laws. Racial/ethnic minorities, teens living in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws, and those engaged in substance use were least likely to always wear their seat belts. The likelihood of always being belted declined steadily as the number of substance use behaviors increased. Seat belt use among teens in the United States remains unacceptably low. Results suggest that environmental influences can compound individual risk factors, contributing to even lower seat belt use among some subgroups. This study provides the most comprehensive state-level estimates to date of seat belt use among U.S. teens. This information can be useful when considering policy options to increase seat belt use and for targeting injury prevention interventions to high-risk teens. States can best increase teen seat belt use by making evidence-informed decisions about state policy options and prevention strategies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2016 09:47:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1407176</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Highway Accident Brief: 15-Passenger Van Roadway Departure, Moore Haven, Florida, March 30, 2015</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1398233</link>
      <description><![CDATA[About 12:30 a.m. eastern daylight time on March 30, 2015, a 2000 Dodge B3500 Ram 15-passenger van was traveling eastbound on State Road 78 (SR-78) West approaching the T-intersection with US Highway 27 (US-27) near Moore Haven, in Glades County, Florida.  The 15-passenger van, which was operated by the Independent Haitian Assembly of God Church in Fort Pierce, Florida, and driven by a 58-year-old male, was transporting 16 adults and a 4-year-old child back to Fort Pierce following a revival celebration at the Eglise De Dieu La Jerusalem Celeste Church in Fort Myers, Florida. The van failed to stop at the stop sign at the T-intersection with US-27. The van traveled through the intersection, went off the roadway onto the grass shoulder on the north side of US-27, vaulted across a canal, and struck the far side bank, coming to rest 46 feet north of the intersection in the shallow canal, facing northeast. One of the survivors crawled out of the van, walked to the edge of the highway, and waved down help. The collision resulted in eight deaths; the remaining van occupants received injuries ranging from minor to serious and were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Moore Haven, Florida, crash was the failure of the 15-passenger van driver to stop at a posted stop sign, possibly as a result of impairment from the use of a sedating antihistamine. Contributing to the severity of the injuries was the loading of more passengers into the van than it had seat belts, the nonuse of available seat belts, and the operation of the van with an unsecured fourth-row seat that had no passenger restraints.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Feb 2016 16:54:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1398233</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Prediction of Crash Severity on Two-Lane, Two-Way Roads Based on Fuzzy Classification and Regression Tree Using Geospatial Analysis</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1371868</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mitigating crash severity on regional transportation roadways is an important concern in road safety research. This paper presents a comprehensive geospatial approach based on the fuzzy classification and regression tree (FCART) to predict motor vehicle crashes and their severity on two-lane, two-way roads. The combined use of fuzzy and decision tree in FCART model solves the uncertainty associated with input data; the model can be easily understood and interpreted because of its graphical tree structure. The FCART model uses fuzzy logic to resolve the difficulty of analyzing input variables where no definitive boundary exists between the categories. Moreover, a bagging algorithm is applied in the FCART model to deal with high-variance crash data and improve the performance of the learning process. The bagged-FCART algorithm is tested against FCART, the classification and regression tree (CART), and the support vector machine (SVM) as inferential engines to predict crash severity and uncover spatial and nonspatial factors that systematically relate to crash severity. The results show that applying the bagging algorithm in the FCART model considerably improves the prediction accuracy and that the bagged-FCART model is superior to other tested models in predicting crash severity. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to determine the importance of input factors. Parts of the results obtained from this analysis are consistent with the existing traffic safety literature and demonstrate that vehicle failure, drivers wearing seat belts, and weather condition factors are some of the most important factors contributing to crash severity. The proposed approach illustrates that in addition to these factors, geographical factors such as proximity to curves and adjacent facilities and land use have a significant effect on crash severity. These results support the prioritization of effective safety measures that are geographically targeted and behaviorally sound on two-lane, two-way roads.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:29:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1371868</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Real-World Rib Fracture Patterns in Frontal Crashes in Different Restraint Conditions</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1371230</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this study was to use the detailed medical injury information in the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) to evaluate patterns of rib fractures in real-world crash occupants in both belted and unbelted restraint conditions. Fracture patterns binned into rib regional levels were examined to determine normative trends associated with belt use and other possible contributing factors.  Front row adult occupants with Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 3+ rib fractures, in frontal crashes with a deployed frontal airbag, were selected from the CIREN database. The circumferential location of each rib fracture (with respect to the sternum) was documented using a previously published method (Ritchie et al. 2006) and digital computed tomography scans. Fracture patterns for different crash and occupant parameters (restraint use, involved physical component, occupant kinematics, crash principal direction of force, and occupant age) were compared qualitatively and quantitatively. There were 158 belted and 44 unbelted occupants included in this study. For belted occupants, fractures were mainly located near the path of the shoulder belt, with the majority of fractures occurring on the inboard (with respect to the vehicle) side of the thorax. For unbelted occupants, fractures were approximately symmetric and distributed across both sides of the thorax. There were negligible differences in fracture patterns between occupants with frontal (0°) and near side (330° to 350° for drivers; 10° to 30° for passengers) crash principal directions of force but substantial differences between groups when occupant kinematics (and contacts within the vehicle) were considered. Age also affected fracture pattern, with fractures tending to occur more anteriorly in older occupants and more laterally in younger occupants (both belted and unbelted).  Results of this study confirmed with real-world data that rib fracture patterns in unbelted occupants were more distributed and symmetric across the thorax compared to belted occupants in crashes with a deployed frontal airbag. Other factors, such as occupant kinematics and occupant age, also produced differing patterns of fractures. Normative data on rib fracture patterns in real-world occupants can contribute to understanding injury mechanisms and the role of different causation factors, which can ultimately help prevent fractures and improve vehicle safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:22:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1371230</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Injury Risk to Seat Belt Restrained Occupants: Effect of Age and Seat Row</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1360621</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Previous studies have identified an elevated crash injury risk of 8-12 year olds restrained in seat belts compared to their younger counterparts in child restraints. This age group is of particular importance as they represent the transition age between those recommended to use an add-on restraint system such as a booster seat versus those recommended to use the adult seat belt system provided with the vehicle. In order understand the unique restraint needs of this particular age group, research is needed to compare their injury risk to other age occupants following best practice for restraint. Therefore the objective of this project was to compare the injury risk for children and adults who are age-optimally restrained (by seat row and restraint type) and understand the influence of the contributing factors to the risk. Data were used from the Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) study and the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS). PCPS data from 1998-2007, collected from crashes reported to an insurance company in 15 states and DC, were used. NASS data from 2000-2009, collected from police reported towaway crashes throughout the US, were used. For both data sets, crashes were limited to vehicles of model year 1998 and newer. For NASS data, efforts were made to limit the crashes to those involving child occupants by identifying typical crash deformation classifications in child-involved crashes. The AIS 2+ (PCPS and NASS) and AIS3+ (NASS) injury risks were calculated. For PCPS, the following age groups of rear seated occupants were compared: children <1 year of age in rear facing child restraints (RFCRS), children 1-3 years in forward facing child restraints (FFCRS), children 4-7 years in belt-positioning boosters, children 8-12 years in seat belts, and children 13-15 years in seat belts. In addition, the injury risks for children age 13-15 years in seat belts in the front seat were included. For NASS, injury risks were compared for the following rear seated age groups - 8-12 years, 13-15 years, 16-24 years, 25-54 yrs, 55+ years – and front seated age groups - 13-15 years, 16-24 years, 25-54 yrs, 55+ years. For the PCPS data, compared to children age 1-3 years in FFCRS, rear seated children 8-12 years were 1.9 times more likely to sustain an AIS2+ injury. For the NASS data, rear seated 8-12 year olds had a slightly lower AIS 2+ (2.4%) and AIS 3+ (0.92%) injury risk compared to 25-54 year olds in the front seat (3.2% and 1.2% respectively) (chosen as the reference due to the regulatory focus on this age and seat position) while rear seated 13-15 year olds had a similar injury risk to adults in the front seat. In addition to comparison of the overall injury risks, there are important differences in the body regions of injury that suggest different mechanisms of how the seat belt applies loads across age groups]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:48:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1360621</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of a High-Visibility Enforcement Seat Belt Program on the Blue Ridge Parkway</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1335243</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The National Park Service (NPS) conducted a high-visibility enforcement (HVE) seat belt program on a 24-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) known as the Roanoke Corridor, that carries both park and commuter traffic. Seat belts are required by all motor vehicle occupants on Federal property, including national parks, such as the BRP. Many of the Roanoke Corridor commuters are in a unique situation as they travel through secondary and primary seat belt enforcement jurisdictions on a daily basis, creating an opportunity to reach drivers while in a primary enforcement jurisdiction. For this HVE program, the NPS used low-cost media and stepped-up seat belt enforcement to encourage seat belt use on the BRP. Two program periods were evaluated (i.e., May 17 to 28 (coinciding with national Click It or Ticket) and October 18 to 29, 2010). The awareness survey conducted by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in Roanoke indicated that Roanoke respondents were aware of the program enforcement activity, but did not show a significant increase in awareness of the seat belt laws in Virginia and on the BRP. While seat belt observations showed a significant increase in belt use on the BRP, no change was found in Roanoke. Possibly contributing to this result, only a small proportion of Roanoke respondents reported frequent BRP use, possibly limiting exposure to the program activity. Observed seat belt use on the BRP significantly increased from 82.5 to 91.8 and 82.5 to 90.1 percent for the May and October efforts, respectively. Observed belt use increased for drivers, passengers, males, females, and for all vehicle types from baseline to the end of the second wave. Generally, the groups with the lowest belt use before the program gained the most over the course of the two waves. There were no changes observed in the comparison area, Charlottesville, either in awareness or in observed seat belt use. Data limitations include minimal seat belt observation data, infrequent BRP use among Roanoke respondents, and low baselines. Nevertheless, the data show the NPS implemented a successful HVE program, marked by strong partnerships among participating enforcement and significant pre-to-post increases in observed seat belt use on the BRP.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:08:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1335243</guid>
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