Complete Table of Contents

There are more than 175 million licensed drivers in the United States. Combined with the many bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, this creates a mix of interacting elements that have very different characteristics. Moving these elements efficiently and safely presents a major challenge, particularly in densely populated areas. As a traffic investigator, attorney, or insurance adjuster, this book teaches you how to identify these elements in your collision investigations.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 6 million traffic collisions in which 41,611 people died and 3.2 million people were injured in 1999. About 40 percent of the car-occupant deaths occurred in single-vehicle crashes. Pedestrians constituted approximately 12 percent, and motorcyclists 6 percent of traffic deaths. In Human Factors in Traffic Safety, you'll discover the reasons behind these collisions.

You'll be introduced to the ways in designs of vehicles and roadways often did not take into account the full range of driver characteristics, typically because they lacked the necessary information. You will see how substantial improvements have been achieved over the years, especially in roadway design and traffic control, because a concerted effort by concerned individuals has resulted in the development of sound and uniform design principles. In recent years individuals with formal training in human factors have entered the design process and made significant contributions.

In this book you will examine the behavior of the road user from a variety of perspectives, ranging from the design of roads and vehicles to emotional and motivational determinants of behavior. Several experts in the field of traffic safety have made contributions to this book in order to introduce to you the basics of human factors as applied to driving and traffic safety. You will gain an understanding of this very important component of the roadway transportation system--the human.

Topics covered:
Perception and information processing 
Driver perception-response time 
Driver eye fixations 
Individual differences 
Fatigue and driving 
Alcohol, drugs and medications 
Age differences-drivers old and young 
Neuropsychological, medical, and psychiatric disorders affecting motor vehicle operations 
Vehicle design 
Visibility with motor vehicle headlamps 
Roadway design 
Traffic control devices 
Visibility under roadway lighting 
Environmental factors 
Railroad grade crossing accidents 
Work zone accidents 
Pedestrians and bicyclists 
Left turn and gap acceptance crashes 
Single-vehicle accidents 
Why witnesses to accidents make mistakes: the cognitive psychology of human memory 
Human factors in traffic accident litigation 

Related books:

Garriott’s Medicolegal Aspects of Alcohol

Roadway Safety and Tort Liability

Traffic Safety