Young drivers and graduated licensing: The Ontario case

Despite improvements in road safety over the past several decades, accident rates remain high for young drivers. One accident countermeasure that is expected to improve the safety record of this group is graduated licensing. The philosophy behind this licensing system is that novice drivers, of whom the majority are young, should be restricted to relatively safe driving environments during the initial learning period. Graduated licensing was implemented in the Province of Ontario, Canada in 1994. The objective of this study is to estimate the potential benefits and costs for young drivers associated with two components of the Ontario graduated licensing package: the late-night driving curfew and the high-speed roadway restrictions. Based on accident and travel data for the year 1988, accident-involvement rates per kilometre driven were calculated for different driver groups for various combinations of time of day and roadway speed limit. These rates were then applied to the expected mobility profiles of young drivers affected by graduated licensing. The results of the study support the late-night curfew and suggest that this component of the licensing package should reduce total accident involvements for the affected group by up to 10 percent and fatal accident involvements by up to 24 percent, while reducing their total driving by only four percent. By contrast, the empirical evidence suggest that the high-speed roadway restrictions are likely to increase accident involvements, and thus it is strongly recommended that this component of Ontario's graduated licensing package be changed.     

Mobile phone use while driving: public opinions on restrictions

This paper reviews two road-user surveys on the use of mobile phones on the road in Finland where the mobile phone ownership rate is highest in the world (70% in August 2000). From 1998 to 1999 the proportion of drivers that chose to use a mobile phone while driving rose from 56% to 68%, while the proportion of phone using drivers who experienced dangerous situations due to phone use rose from 44% to 50%. The proportion of drivers who used their phones in some way to benefit safety on the road remained at about 55%. The youngest, novice drivers had the highest level of phone usage of all age categories. Over 48% of the interviewees believed that the government should ban the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, and another 27% believed that all types of mobile phone use should be banned while driving. Those drivers who used their phones the most each day were more likely to want some form of restrictions, than those who had lower usage. This is a strong message to the elected lawmakers and raises the problem of exactly how regulatory bodies would go about controlling the future growth of new driver support and non-driving related communication devices in road vehicles. It was concluded that legislating for hands-free use only would be a reasonable course of action. Mandating that the current generation of equipment should be optimized for hands-free use should result in future generations of in-vehicle equipment also being optimized for hands-free use as a minimum criterion.     

对中国未来10年道路交通安全状况分析与初步预测

笔者从中国现代道路交通系统的发展现状与道路交通安全状况出发，以过去10多年中国汽车、摩托车保有量的发展轨迹为基础，对中国未来一定时期（2004～2015年）机动车保有量的发展变化及政府采取不同管理对策条件下的道路交通安全状况的发展水平进行了预测。结果表明：政府管理对策对道路交通安全状况变化具有决定性影响。     

沙漠地区高速公路风积沙路基压实方法研究

我国乃至世界在沙漠公路的设计、施工、试验、检测等方面没有较为全面的规程和规范,以指导沙漠路基的施工。本文结合交通部西部交通建设科技项目,在室内试验研究和理论分析的基础上,通过榆靖沙漠高速公路、陕蒙沙漠高速公路(半幅)及靖王高速公路(沙漠段)试验路及大型室内试槽试验研究成果的基础上,提出了沙漠地区风积沙路基施工压实工艺、方法、压路机的参数等。该研究成果已在陕西几条沙漠高速公路上得到应用,解决了沙漠路基诸多技术难题,为国内沙漠地区公路路基施工规范的编写积累了非常重要的资料,同时也取得了显著的社会效益和经济效益。     

路堤块石自然对流机理的室内模拟试验研究

为研究路堤块石在边界温度周期波动条件下的自然对流发生机理及降温效应的表征参数,采用室内模拟方法对50×50×65cm3尺寸的不同块石试样进行了试验和理论分析,结果表明:平均RAYLEIGH数能描述块石层自然对流的发生情况,不同厚度的块石层将产生不同的对流模式,厚度大的块石层所产生的自然对流降温效应也较大,上层砂砾加下层块石的结构自然对流效应最弱。块石层降温效果取决于块石粒径、层厚及铺筑在路堤中的位置,这一结论对多年冻土地区路堤设计、施工,合理确定块石铺筑层厚、铺筑层位具有现实指导意义。     

A cross-country study of fairness and infringement on freedom as determinants of car owners' acceptance of road pricing

Jakobsson et al. (2000) found that in Sweden public acceptance of road pricing decreases if it is perceived to be unfair and to infringe on freedom. The present study reports a survey investigating whether the same effects are found in the Asian countries of Japan and Taiwan. The results indicate that fairness plays the same role. However, income had a direct effect on acceptance in Taiwan but not in Japan or Sweden.     

柔性桩与土相互作用非线性分析的增量传递矩阵法

对桩侧土采用非线性荷载传递函数,对桩端土采用线性荷载传递函数,同时考虑桩周土所分担的荷载对单桩荷载传递规律的影响,利用增量荷载传递矩阵法及微分方程的近似解法--子域法,推出了刚性承台下柔性桩与地基非线性相互作用的近似解析算式。为了验证该方法的可行性,通过试验将试验结果与有限元结果及该方法所得结果进行了对比,对比表明:该理论解与现场实测值、有限元计算值都非常接近。     

基于支持向量数据描述的驱动桥异响检测

针对驱动桥异响检测缺乏故障样本的问题,提出了异响检测的单值分类法———支持向量数据描述法(SVDD)。这种方法只需要正常运行状态的数据样本,就可以建立单值分类器,区分出正常和异常状态。试验中,提取驱动桥振动信号频谱的二维谱熵作为特征指标,输入到SVDD分类器。结果表明SVDD算法计算效率高,分类效果好,可以满足在线检测的要求。     

道路运输业规制改革探讨

应用规制理论,对我国道路运输业从市场准入、运价及税收等方面提出规制改革设想,有益于我国道路运输业改革的深入.     

城市道路指路标志文字信息的布置

过多的信息使城市道路指路标志尺寸较大,设置与维护成本增加,有必要研究指路标志信息布置方法。通过室内仿真试验,比较了高信息量条件下,驾驶人对两种指路标志信息布设方式认知时间的差异。利用现场试验,研究指路标志字间距、行间距与视认距离的关系。结果表明,高信息量条件下采用两块标志显示信息有利于驾驶人阅读,建议字间距为汉字高度的1／10,行间距为汉字高度的1／5。