Transportation, Traffic Safety and Health — Prevention and Health: Third International Conference, Washington, U.S.A, 1997

204 Pages·2000·7.33 MB·English

by  Hans von Holst

V"OL"V"O
This book was sponsored by VOLVO AB and
the Swedish Foundation of Neurotrauma
Springer
Berlin
Heidelberg
New York
Barcelona
Hong Kong
London
Milan
Paris
Singapore
Tokyo
o
Hans von Holst · Ake Nygren
o
Ake E. Andersson (Eds.)
Transportation, Traffic Safety
and Health - Prevention and Health
Third International Conference,
Washington, U.S.A, 1997
With 25 Figures
and 21 Tables
==:::"
~P'
..",.. ~
Karolinska Institute
Royal Institute of Technology
WHO Collaborating Center for Neurotrauma
Institute for Futures Studies
Springer
Volvo
Prof. Hans von Holst, Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics,
10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Prof. Ake Nygren, Karolinska Institute, Department of Injury Prevention, Hantverkargatan
5, 11296 Stockholm, Sweden
Prof. Ake E. Andersson, Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Infrastructure,
10044 Stockholm, Sweden
ISBN 978-3-642-63162-7 ISBN 978-3-642-57246-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-57246-3
Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Prevention and health: Washington, USA, 1997; with 21 tables 1 Karolinska Institute ... Hans von Holst ... (ed.). -
Berlin; Heidelberg; New York; Barcelona; Hong Kong; London; Milan; Paris; Singapore; Tokyo: Springer, 2000
(Transportation, traffic safety and health; 3)
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned,
specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on mi
crofilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted
only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permis
sion for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German
Copyright Law.
Springer-Verlag is a company in the BerteismannSpringer publishing group.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin· Heidelberg 2000
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in
the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations
and therefore free for general use.
Hardcover-Design: Erich Kirchner, Heidelberg
SPIN 10724046 42/2202-5 4 3 2 I 0 - Printed on acid-free paper
PREFACE
Rodney E. Slater
Secretary of Transportation, U. S. Department of Transportation
I
know many of you have traveled great distances to be here.
To me, that shows not only your dedication to the cause,
but demonstrates how very important transportation safety
is becoming throughout the world.
So I am very thankful to the main organizers of this third
annual conference -- all of whom are from Sweden: Dr. Hans von Holst
of the Royal Institute of Technology; Dr. Ake Nygren of the Karolinska
Institute; Dr. Ake E. Andersson of the Institute for Futures Studies;
and finally, Dr. Arne Witt16v and Lars Anell from AB Volvo.
And let me give a special welcome to our friends from Africa. I
will be visiting a number of African nations in January. And while my
main mission is to promote trade and investment with the United
States, we will be talking about safety, too.
Airline safety, for example, is a big concern, as Africa grows
and prospers and the demand for air travel expands. We discussed it
during recent meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization
in Montreal several weeks ago. And we will do so again during my trip.
Also, we plan to talk about how my department can help the
many nations of Africa improve highway safety. Africa relies heavily on
road transportation. But highway fatalities are very high. And the
economic costs are very steep, especially for Africa's fragile, emerging
v
market economies.
So I am very much looking forward to my trip.
Traffic safety, no matter the mode -- car, airplane, bicycle,
train, bus -- is a serious global problem. And it is a problem that is
killing and injuring too many people, while imposing a heavy economic
cost on society.
Clearly, this is not just an American problem or a European
problem, or an African problem or an Asian problem. And it is not just
a problem for industrial nations, nor for emerging countries.
Make no mistake, every nation is affected.
And if we don-t act with vigor and with fortitude, traffic
accidents will be a leading killer, worldwide, in the 21st century, even
surpassing the scourge or infectious disease.
A recent study by the World Health Organization predicts that
by 2020 -- just two decades from now -- highway traffic accidents will
be the world-s third biggest cause of death and health problems, after
heart disease and mental depression. For men under the age of 44,
traffic accidents already are the grea,test health risk.
That is a dire and troubling prediction. Traffic crashes are
preventible. There are many things we can do to reduce the carnage,
the pain and the suffering.
That is our challenge at this year-s conference. Our safety
needs, like our transportation systems, differ to varying degrees. But
we have one thing in common: we are all human and we all suffer when
a
life is lost, no matter where it happens.
Here in the United States, President Clinton-s top
transportation priority is safety. It is my North Star at the Department
of Transportation.
In 1967, 50,000 people died on our highways. Today, 42,000
do. So after 30 years, 10,000 fewer die in spite of the enormous
increase in traffic.
VI
Rodney E. Slater: Preface
And if there had not been a vigilant Department of
Transportation, if lawmakers had not enacted laws so Americans
buckle up, if auto manufacturers had not worked to make cars safer,
today we would be seeing 120,000 deaths a year.
But in 10 years, Americans will be driving even more. And
while this is a sign of prosperity, it also means a greater risk of traffic
accidents. The number of deaths will rise by 50 percent by the year
2020, if we fail to improve our current safety performance.
Clearly, this is unacceptable. This is a public health problem
that we must and will keep pounding at every day and in every way.
We have a very active national safety program. We work very
closely with state and local transportation officials, police officers,
safety groups, private businesses, and many others. Ours is a
community-based, team effort because we believe a bottom-up
approach is most effective.
We also believe in national leadership. So early next year I plan
to announce new Department of Transportation goals for reducing the
number of highway-related fatalities. And we are working on a federal
strategic safety plan for all surface transportation.
By working to reduce crashes involving trains and motor
vehicles, for example, we are taking bigger picture approach. We are
coordinating the effort among the different modes of transportation.
And this is good because in today's world I believe all transportation
issues must be approached this way.
I am proud that President Clinton has taken an active role in
promoting highway safety. He wants to spend 25 percent more on
safety over the next six years.
Early this year, the President called for a plan ton increase seat
belt use nationwide. We looked around the world -- at Canada, at
Australia and at Western European nation -- and saw that 90 percent
of their citizens wear belts.
Sadly, one in three Americans do not buckle up.
So in April we announced a bold strategy to increase seat belt
VII
use to 90 percent by 2005. Our strategy focuses on increased public
education and more active enforcement of seat belt laws.
Seat belts, as most of you know, are the number one way to
save lives, so we are asking everyone to buckle up for life.
Let me also note that President Clinton is backing a national
campaign for tougher drunk-driving laws. This would require all states
to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 percent from .10 percent.
Some of our states already use the tougher limits. And they are
significantly reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents.
This new law would save many lives, and President Clinton is
ready to sign this legislation.
Let me end on this.
I believe transportation is about more than concrete, asphalt
and steel. It is truly about people and providing them the opportunity
to be successful, responsible individuals.
But what good is that opportunity if it is unsafe and costs
lives? This is the challenge: providing opportunity for all and to all, a
safe journey.
Working together, as global partners we can rise to this calling,
because I believe our best days are yet to come.
VIII
TABLE OF CONTENTS
v
Preface ........................................
Rodney E. Slater, U.S. Department of Transportation
Table of Contents ...............................I X.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Hans von Holst, Ake Nygren, Ake E. Andersson, Royal Institute of Technology,
Karolinska Institute, Institute for Futures Studies, Sweden
Traffic Safety as an Economic Issue of Developing and
Industrialized Countries ...........................9
Stein Hansen, Nordic Consulting Group A.S., Norway
Responsibility and Accountability of Government ....... . 23
J W van der Spuy, National Trauma Research Programme, South African
Medical Research Council
The Politics of Traffic Safety in Russia - Some Sociological
Observations ...................................3 3
Victor Sergeyev, The Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
An Overview of World Bank Experience in Road Safety ... . 39
Stein Lundebye (SASIN), World Bank, U.S.A.
Driving the Message Home - The Role of Communication in
Traffic Sarety ................................. .51
Cees Wildervanck, The Netherlands
The Role of Communication in Road Safety ........... . 65
Peter Vulcan, Monash University, Australia
IX
Future Integration of Knowledge - The Role of Industry ... . 79
Arne Witt16v, AB Volvo, Sweden
Safety is Everybody· s Business ..................... . 85
Andrew H. Card, Jr., American Automobile Manufacturers Association, USA
More Resources for Prevention, Critical Care or
Rehabilitation ..................................9 1
Wilson Odero, Moi University, Kenya
A European Perspective on the Efficient Application of
Resources to Diminish Transport Related Trauma ...... . 105
Murray Mackay, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Rehabilitation and Traffic Related Injuries ........... . 115
Bruce M. Gans, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit Medical
Center, U. S.A.
Some Perspectives on the DRAG Approach and Family of
National Road Safety Models ..................... . 123
Marc Gaudry, Universite Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, University of Montreal,
Canada
Development of Realistic Safety Target and Strategic Safety
Programmes in Malaysia ........................ . 169
Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, Road Safety Research Centre, University Putra,
Malaysia
The Association for the Advancement of Automotive
Medicine: Its Mission, Purpose and Challenge ......... . 189
Elaine Petrucelli, The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine,
USA
Contributors to this volume ...................... . 193
x