Role of Abu Dhabi Police in Reducing Seriousness of Road Traffic Accidents - Dissertation Example

?Role of Abu Dhabi Police in Reducing Seriousness of Road Traffic Accidents to Improve the Traffic Safety in Emirate of Abu Dhabi Review of Related Literature • Road safety factors: Engineering (International) Various studies on road safety factors have been carried out by different authors throughout the years. These studies present different engineering road safety factors in the international scene. In the Norwegian study by Elvik (2001), a meta-analysis of 33 studies which have assessed the impact of road safety on area-wide urban traffic calming schemes was carried out. The study discussed that urban traffic calming schemes are often implemented in residential areas in town as a means of decreasing the environmental and safety issues prompted by road traffic. A hierarchical road system was created and through traffic was eliminated from residential streets via street closures or one-way road systems. Speed-slowing devices were often put up in residential areas. The main roads were managed in order to ensure larger traffic volume without necessarily causing delays or accidents. The meta-analysis indicates how traffic calming techniques generally decrease accidents by about 15%, with the most reduction in accidents observed in the residential areas. A similar decrease in accidents is also seen in main roads. Reductions are also observed in terms of property damage only incidents. General results in evaluation studies are rich in terms of study design and no evidence of publication issues in the evaluation studies was observed. The results also have a significant degree of external validity. In relation to road safety engineering, the management of horizontal curves was also considered in the New Zealand study by Charlton (2007). The study indicates how driver errors related to horizontal curves was caused by three-related issues – failure in driver attention, miscalculation on speed and curves, and improper lane positioning. The study indicated how advance warning signs on their own are not effective in decreasing speeds, as when they are used in combination with chevron sight boards and/or repeater arrows. Among the road marking treatments used, only the rumble strips indicated any major decrease in speed. Herringbones road marking was seen to create major improvements in driver’s lane positions, allowing the flattening of drivers’ pathways within the curves. The combined use of herringbones and chevron with the repeater arrow signs indicated a significant decrease in speed including improvements in lane positioning. These results indicate evidence that treatments which support perceptual signs are the most valuable remedies in managing the curve speeds for drivers. A similar study by Afukaar (2010) sought to assess road safety engineering measures, specifically for developing countries. This study indicated how vehicle speed was a factor in vehicle crashes, with Ghana used as an example. The study revealed how main driver errors mostly referred to vehicle speeds. Rumble strips and speed humps proved to be effective measures in Ghana’s roads. The rumble strips indicated on the primary Accra-Kumasi highway decreased the incidents of crashes to about 35% and deaths to 55%. Decreasing speeds may be an effective remedy in decreasing traffic crashes for low income states; however the decreased speed limits are not effective interventions without the traffic law enforcement tools needed to guarantee that limits are observed. Developing states must consider the lack of other speed control measures, including rumble strips and speed bumps, as well as lanes which separate slow and high-speed users, and other solutions like speed governors, and improved awareness of the issue Abu Dhabi road safety practices In general, there are few studies which have specifically covered the road safety practices in Abu Dhabi. Majority of the studies on road safety practice have covered the entire United Arab Emirates. Some of these studies shall be included in this review. Bener and Alwash (2002) discussed how high-speed driving for motor vehicles impact on traffic safety in the UAE. The study revealed that the introduction of speed limits allowed for the decrease of vehicle accidents and casualties, implying how the use of radar systems and speed cameras allowed for adjustments in speed. The study also recommended the use of speed limits and wearing of seat belts in decreasing the incidence of these accidents. Castle and Sterling (2010) also discuss how the use of road safety strategies, Crash Analysis Reporting System (CARS), the review of design standards, the development of Road Safety Audits (RSA), a safety assessment of road proportion network have been able to decrease road accidents. The Abu Dhabi police have reviewed the traffic impact studies in order to evaluate new developments, to review designs of new roads, to prepare specific traffic studies, to issue permission for temporary traffic management, as well as to manage truck restrictions. These tools have helped provide remedies in crash reduction and crash safety. For crash reduction, Abu Dhabi has secured compliance with consistent and proper design standards, safety auditing of designs, coordinated planning of developments, as well as planned and effective maintenance. Issues in the implementation of these improvements relate to the lack of crash data information, lack of clarity of roles and coordination of stakeholders, design standards not up to quality, design faults repeated across the network, boundaries between the DoT and municipalities not laid out properly, and traffic data not collected on the network. These issues impact on the efficacy of the road safety process for Abu Dhabi, making it difficult to significantly decrease the rates of accidents in Abu Dhabi. In the study by Kathairi, et.al., (2001), the authors discussed that the municipality of Abu Dhabi is trying to update its master transportation plan. The first step in this process was to gather sufficient information on transportation system qualities. The strong data collection process allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of traffic qualities for the first time in about 20 years. The quality of traffic improved significantly in Abu Dhabi at this point. Recent improvements in government working hours led to a major change in peaking patterns. Some qualities including the availability of taxis are unique. Other qualities including general peak period elements are often seen for most Arab Gulf cities. Through the data collected from the studies, the peak patterns, vehicle classes, vehicle occupancies, and other qualities have been observed. These data indicate gaps and issues in the vehicles and road qualities, mostly those which indicate the risks borne by road users in Abu Dhabi. Bener and Alwash (2010) also sought to evaluate how high-speed driving of motor vehicles impact on traffic safety in the UAE. The authors revealed that with the use of radar systems and speed cameras in 1994 in the UAE, speeding levels were significantly reduced. Moreover, the monitoring radar systems and video cameras also decreased road accidents and deaths. With reduced speeding in the country, road accidents were decreased. The authors recommended the combination of remedies in order to reduce these road accidents. These remedies included decreasing the speed in driving and the use of seatbelts. Education International Road safety education was cited in various studies. In a review by Wooley (2000) published in Australia, the authors indicated the efficacy of in-car training for high schools, concluding that not much evidence has been seen supporting driver education and training for high schools and most of the scientific studies ominously indicates the limitations in high school driver education and training essential in securing net road safety benefits. This education more or less indicates higher licensure rates and younger ages of drivers, causing issues which are far more than the benefits gained. In yet another Australia study, the author (Christie, 2001) assessed the international literature on the efficacy of driver training as a part of road safety. His main focus was wider than the Woolley study on high school based driver education and training. In general, his study evaluated the safety value in the programs for three specific groups: learner drivers, young/recently licensed drivers, as well as experienced drivers. His review indicated that for learner drivers, the pre-license education does not assist post-license reductions in crashes. Moreover, mandatory pre-license trainings including high school driver education policies in the US may support improved exposure-to-risk for young drivers, specifically, females, by supporting early solo licensing. There is also much evidence for driver training which seeks to support improved skills including skid control for learner drivers, mostly for young males. Christie’s assessment of the evaluation studies on post-licensing training programs for novice drivers also support a similar conclusion. Sound evidence nevertheless indicates that with advanced or defensive driving courses, accidents would likely be decreased. Another study from the UK presented similar results (Roberts and Kwan, 2002) where driver education has led to early licensing along with a decreased involvement in road crashes. Abu Dhabi Parkes and Elsworth (2010) discuss the driver training and education situation in Abu Dhabi. They discuss that agencies are in charge in ensuring driver training. In some regions of the UAE, all elements of driver training are secured mostly by private driving schools, and in some regions, including Abu Dhabi, theoretical training and off-road practical training is secured by large driving schools that are closely related to the government, and on-road practical training is ensured by private driving institutions. Abu Dhabi enjoys benefits with the presence of the Emirates Driving Company created in 2000 as a public joint stock company. This company carried out contracts with SweRoad to secure a base for a comprehensive driver education program. Currently, EDC secures theory training for light vehicles, heavy vehicles, heavy buses, and motorcycles; with initial stages of practical training for light vehicles. Other types of training, alongside on-road training for light vehicles are carried out by other private training institutions. The driving school is responsible for ensuring a training syllabus for the driving teachers. Such candidates do not require more qualifications alongside driving licenses for the type of vehicle they would use. Currently, there is no process specified in assessing the quality of the driving teachers; however, the police officers are seeking to secure a new checking system and new applications are not being implemented until procedures are in place. The relevant license test is carried out by the police. With the Federal Law indicating the control of driver training to the Licensing Authorities, much evidence is seen for the Emirates. In Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Driving Company has ensured that ambition would ensure world-class driving resources which provide new tools for traffic safety and driver education in the Middle East. The company secures Driving Theory Education which is managed into specific learning areas – for light vehicles, heavy vehicles, heavy buses, and motorcycles. Including light vehicle practical training, the company seeks to secure practical training for heavy vehicle and heavy bus drivers. The company also ensures training in services in various languages including Arabic, English, Urdu, etc. The EDC also indicates that it secures special training for trainees having special needs. EDC also indicates how it ensures special driving courses for trainees having special needs. The EDC has also shifted towards focusing on existing professional drivers, and has allowed for the establishment of various training programs to be secured for large companies seeking to manage transport issues. General theory education includes about eight 70 minute lessons and as soon as completed, the candidate would likely be in a theory exam. For candidates seeking to take HGV, for bus or motorcycle licensing, extra vehicle special theory classes are needed. EDC has also secures a Safety Hall, ensuring that candidates perceive and experience the efficacy of seatbelts by seeing demonstrations for impact sleds and a specially-built roll over car. As these stages are reached, light vehicle drivers will shift to private road systems and simulations. Simulations are applied to ensure trainee experience during emergency situations and negative weather situations. The right number of practical lessons for light vehicle candidates is established following an evaluation and establishment of a Personalized Education Plan (PEP). In general, this would indicate that a candidate would have to be assigned to four groups: beginner, intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced. Such levels would help determine any additional learning which would be needed for the drivers. For Abu Dhabi, the educational and training for drivers have the basic foundations laid out, however, more improvements in the training and education process are required in order to reduce traffic accidents. Vehicle safety International Martin (2012) discussed how GPS receiver data can sometimes malfunction in difficult environments, including urban canyons and heavy foliage. Inertial sensors ensure data between GPS updates and can improve the position solution within a GPS/INS setting. Additional data from safety sensors within the vehicles, including lane departure warning sensors, can improve the navigation solution even more by limiting the inertial difficulties even with the presence of GPS issues. This paper by Martin seeks to secure a measurable navigation solution which can apply a combination of GPS, decreased inertial sensors, full inertial information, vehicle data, and vision indicators, based on what would be found in the difficult setting. Data was observed in Detroit, Michigan within a diverse setting which includes heavy greenery, highway, and downtown regions. Supporting the approach includes a qualitative assessment of the overall trajectories seen on the map of the region involved and quantitative assessments of the trajectories established by the proposed system as well as the reference system. Kannan and colleagues (2010) suggest the use of an ontology modeling approach in supporting drivers via safety warning messages at critical instances. Intelligent Driver Assistance System is an important element of InVANET, which highlights the generation of alert messages seen on the context-based elements, including driving incidents, driver activity and environment. The I-DAS ensures the parameter representation and the management of a crucial situation is established via ontological modeling. Other significant safety technologies including Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Avoidance System support the issuance of warnings to drivers. Through the I-DAS, the importance of simulation for all vehicles within real-life scenarios was observed. Eichberger and Wallner (2010) discussed that in Europe, ensuring traffic safety is an important issue because the economic burden of traffic accidents amounts to about 200 billion Euros a year. Studies on traffic safety have established various safety processes in decreasing such costs, and decreasing injury risks. A recent practice in traffic safety is the use of different Advanced Driver Assistance Systems as a main safety system used under normal driving settings and used before collision. This study by Eichberger and Wallner (2010) seeks to provide an overview of recent developments in relation to integrated vehicle safety. The focus of the study is on innovative ideas, styles, products and systems seeking to improve the present scenario. Forty-four patents were assessed. This review indicates that innovative ideas on safety are uncommon. Future improvements will require various usable technologies at fewer costs which can be seen in most cats to become applicable in terms of a statistically significant decrease in the impact of traffic. Safe and reliable X-by-wire technologies will support mechatronic applications with improved driver assist elements. It would be important to ensure safety systems with general utility and functionalities which would include the driver in the loop. The combination of safety and comfort elements would be ensured in the future to ensure that systems would be beneficial during emergencies. An important problem relates to the standardization and data privacy for communication settings, including the resolution of legal elements in the use of advanced mechatronic resources. The studies above support the importance of continually allowing for the introduction of innovations in relation to vehicle safety. As some countries have secured these innovations and improvements, Abu Dhabi has also attempted to provide and secure these improvements. Abu Dhabi The general requisite in vehicle safety for Abu Dhabi is indicated in the Ministerial Order No 130 of 1997 which indicates the by-laws on traffic. The laws indicate the Federal laws into Abu Dhabi legislation with changes seeking to focus on the local concerns. It includes the following elements involved in vehicle safety: drivers’ responsibilities in terms of ensuring the roadworthiness of their cars; specific requisites for drivers of trucks in terms of load security; and the general elements to be secured in order to cars to be registered. Other relevant laws include hours of work, the weight of vehicles, and licensing for vehicle operators. In the current setting, private light automobiles are generally new and in more or less roadworthy. In contrast, different large commercial cars assessed at the roadside were in their unfavorable state of roadworthiness with a variety of obvious vehicle issues, including poor tire conditions. For registration assessments for private vehicles not more than 1.5 tonnes, these are conducted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The police manage the testing process and manage the elements needed in the contract for the different testing organizations. For both testing organizations, the process is carried out by experienced civilians. As for frequency of tests, the lighter vehicles have to be evaluated two years following the initial registration and every year following. Buses and trucks have to be tested a year following the data of initial registration and then yearly after. This is in line with the EU requisites. Technical requisites have also been defined by laws, but are not specific enough. Specific inspection manuals indicating the coverage of tests, the procedures, and standards which have to be met seem to be unavailable for inspectors. A reference manual has been established for inspectors which supports registration elements and other elements for annual testing. However it is not detailed enough specifics on standards relating to operational limits. The lack of published procedures causes a lack of consistency for inspectors and testing centers. Moreover, the limited access to testing standards makes it an issue for motorists to understand the elements of roadworthiness needed to secure a pass. The responsibility in the presentation of vehicles to be tested by due dates is the role of the owner. Cars do not need to indicate registration plate decal of windscreen stickers indicating periodic testing dates. It would therefore not be possible to visually determine the vehicles which do not need current test certifications supported by external checks of the car. Electronic recordings are not kept in a computer system which can be gained by the police at road side vehicle checks. For light vehicle tests, some items, even as they may be available were not being utilized. Other tools including roller brake testers were applied on every test observed. For light vehicle testing, this is carried out by the ADNOC and managed by the police. Due to the increased number of light vehicles, different testing facilities had to be established. For light vehicle tests, the observations were carried out in two sites, and took about 6 minutes for each site. As the quality of the tests was more or less the same for both sites, the period for inspection does not match the indicated scope of the test. Quality assessment would call for specific elements and standards, however, these are not seen in the laws or the manual. The test center is controlled by the police, but no effective control processes were seen in the ADNOC centers. The tests were more or less superficial with some safety items not sufficiently addressed. Steering joints were only inspected visually. Shaker plates were not applied. In the Emirates Transport, large cars included testing regime smoke test. The inspectors re-evaluated each other’s activity in order to manage consistency. Large commercial cars were evaluated for brake performance against their indicated weights and not their design. In general, these tests are not reliable in relation to their use for light vehicles. Emergency response International Sanchez-Mangas and colleagues (2009) discussed the number of deaths seen in road traffic accidents in Spain which is over three thousand individuals annually. Authorities have secured some provisions seeking to decrease this figure. Some improvements include road quality standards and legal shifts supporting careful driving habits. However, not much attention has been indicated for issues relating to the decrease of the number of deaths for each accident, and this mostly relates to emergency medical response. Based on a sample of 1400 accidents, the authors sought to assess the extent to which the time interval for the crash and the arrival of emergency services is associated to the decreased possibility of death for the victims. The results indicate that with a 10 minute decrease of medical response time, there is a general decrease in the possibility of death by one third, in motorways and also in conventional roads. Kepaptsoglou and colleagues (2012) discuss that in the current setting of persistent developments and demands for transportation, safety has become a major problem. Emergency response services are crucial in managing and decreasing the effect of traffic accidents and in saving human lives. The authors established an efficient emergency response plan in responding to traffic incidents. The goal was to strategically send emergency response vehicles within a large urban transportation area. They combined location model with a genetic algorithm and ensured location decisions via accident matrices including the frequency of accidents and impact for various areas of the network. They indicated that the utility and application of this by applying it to Greece. In general, initial results indicate the efficacy of the program. Abu Dhabi The Abu Dhabi Police is tasked with the management of the delivery of the EMS and Rescue during road accidents and although other providers are set to support the service, the main focus has been on the function of the police and the ambulance rescue. It was not possible to identify the person who has the role of managing direction for the Ambulance Service and other clinical management elements. There are various elements which affect the ability to secure an effective emergency management system including economics, geography, demographics, climate, history, culture, and medical tradition. The speed of the emergency response and the level of clinical skills available at the scene affect general outcomes for patients and death rates. In managing traumatic incidents, there are two main time periods – the Platinum and the Golden Hour which have a significant role on patient outcomes. The Golden Hour highlights the importance of moving the patient to the hospital quickly, indicating that the possibility of survival is increased if they would reach the hospital for diagnosis and they be treated within the hour following the accident. The first 10 minutes are crucial and are labeled the Platinum ten, especially when severe bleeding is seen. The focus areas report indicated that Abu Dhabi has high death rates in relation to the number of injuries. This may relate to road safety and is important in establishing patient outcomes. There are also emergency ambulance rescue vehicles and these are well-equipped with well-trained staff which are also focused on managing the road traffic collision incident. For the more complicated rescues, specialist support can be taken from the Civil Defence, who is tasked with rescue situations. Based on on-scene clinical skills, even as there is a controlled access to doctors, the general staffing of emergency ambulances includes emergency medical technician who has various life-saving support skills. However, there is the lack of any pain relief measure or training in life support. In effect, care for the critically ill must be suboptimal. A pathway for development for the staff must be assessed to the extent that facilities develop for selected staff within the present levels of competence, including enhanced skills, which would include rapid sequence induction airway management, femoral blocks, and advanced pain relief. In relation to the transport to the hospital ER, the extended travel to the receiving hospital can be made more difficult by the non-ergonomic qualities of the vehicles. Where there is a prolonged travel time for the critically injured, a helicopter transfer must be used instead. The Emergency services have written a paper founded on patient report forms, supported with best practice and forms the initial part of the patient’s clinical records. However, not much evidence was seen on the advanced clinical data relating to a patient’s condition communicated to the ER ahead of the arrival of the ambulance. Electronic patients care record relate to electronic arrivals which help in securing the appropriate application of emergency management skills. An international coding process has been recommended for hospital facilities and medical coverage. These codings are from Level 1 to 5 with Level 1 as the highest of covers. In the Al Ain Hospital where the facilities were based on Level 2 emergency hospital, the coverage was based on 24/7 basis. The diagnostic and treatment facilities were favorable and the beds were adequate. The admission process was made possible through the intensive care units and through general units where appropriate. Arrangements for transfers were also seen, especially for critically injured patients, and those with burns to better centers for management. Evaluation Tay (2001) discusses how New Zealand’s Land Transport Safety Authority implemented its enhanced program on speed and alcohol enforcement. Because of the elevated opportunity cost and fear impact of the ads, the campaign caused much debate which was also triggered by a number of evaluations having different results. The paper by Tay (2001) also further exacerbates the current discussions by assessing some of the previous assessments and re-calculates the efficacy of the campaign by utilizing another model. The results indicate how the campaign helped decrease the number of serious injuries during the first two years of its implementation. In Norway, Elvik (2007) discusses the impact on road safety of the “Speak out!” road safety campaign. The campaign initiated in Sogn og Fjordane County in Norway focused on teenagers wanting to encourage passengers to be back seat drivers as a means of preventing any accidents. The campaign was assessed by two other studies. The results from the evaluation studies were more or less the same. The number of adolescents killed or injured was decreased by 10% with the number of passengers being killed also decreased by 15% with the number of passengers or drivers killed decreased by 30%. The authors emphasized that the campaign has been effective in decreasing the number of adolescents killed or injured in the area covered. This conclusion has been supported by the careful evaluation of logic relating to causal inference within nonexperimental evaluation research. The paper by Elvik and Greibe (2005) carried out a systematic review of studies evaluating the impact of road safety of porous asphalt. Porous asphalt is usually applied on motorways in Europe, mostly to decrease the sound of traffic and expand road capacity. In their review, no clear impact on road safety of porous asphalt was observed. All estimates referring to effect indicated limited changes in accident rates and a limited number of elements indicated statistical significance. Studies which have evaluated the impact of porous asphalt based on different risk factors were favorably impacted by porous asphalt, three being negatively impacted, two no influenced at all. The overall effect of these changes could not be indicated. In general, the results are inconclusive and the findings are inconsistent. Hoye and Elvik (2010) discuss how publication bias often has the tendency not to publish a study if its results are not statistically significant and are sometimes considered unwanted. For road safety evaluation studies, researches which discover a rise in the number of accidents due to safety treatment may not publish studies which indicate accident reduction. How the bias can be noted and how its impact on estimates on effect can be established by using the trim-and-fill technique. Examples are founded on recent discussions which refer to the presence of publication bias in studies which assess various road safety measures. Even as there is no appropriate way of actually establishing the extent of bias, signs of bias have been seen for road safety evaluation measures. References Afukaar, F. K. 2003, Speed control in developing countries: issues, challenges and opportunities in reducing road traffic injuries. Injury control and safety promotion, 10(1-2), 77-81. Bener, A., and Alwash, R. 2002, A perspective on motor vehicle crash injuries and speeding in the United Arab Emirates. Traffic Injury Prevention, 3(1), 61-64. Christie, R. 2001, The effectiveness of driver training as a road safety measure: a review of the literature. Noble Park, Victoria, Australia: Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) Ltd Eichberger, A. and Wallner, D. 2010, Review of recent patents in integrated vehicle safety, advanced driver assistance systems and intelligent transportation systems. Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering, 3(1), 32-44. Elvik, R. 2001, Area-wide urban traffic calming schemes: a meta-analysis of safety effects. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 33(3), 327-336. Elvik, R., and Greibe, P. 2005, Road safety effects of porous asphalt: a systematic review of evaluation studies. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 37(3), 515-522. Elvik, R. 2000, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Norway's" Speak Out!" Road Safety Campaign: The Logic of Causal Inference in Road Safety Evaluation Studies. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1717(1), 66-75. Hoye, A., and Elvik, R. 2010, Publication Bias in Road Safety Evaluation. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2147(1), 1-8. Kannan, S., Thangavelu, A., and Kalivaradhan, R. 2010, An intelligent Driver Assistance System (I-DAS) for vehicle safety modelling using ontology approach. International Journal of UbiComp, 1(3), 15-29. Kathairi, A. S. A., Mufti, R. K., Garib, A. M., Williams, B. F., and Karim, A. 2001, Traffic Characteristics in the Arab Gulf Region: Case Study in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1768(1), 51-60. Kepaptsoglou, K., Karlaftis, M. G., and Mintsis, G. 2011, Model for planning emergency response services in road safety. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 138(1), 18-25. Martin, S., Rose, C., Britt, J., Bevly, D., and Popovic, Z. 2012, Performance analysis of a scalable navigation solution using vehicle safety sensors. In Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV), 2012 IEEE (pp. 926-931). IEEE. Sanchez-Mangas, R., Garcia-Ferrrer, A., De Juan, A., and Arroyo, A. M. (2010). The probability of death in road traffic accidents. How important is a quick medical response?. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(4), 1048-1056. Tay, R. S. 2001, Methodological issues in evaluation models: the New Zealand road safety advertising campaign revisited. Road and Transport Research: a journal of Australian and New Zealand research and practice, 10(2), 29-39. Woolley, J. 2000, In-car driver training at high schools: a literature review. Walkerville, South Australia: Safety Strategy, Transport SA. Read More