Search

Search Results

• 1. [Article] A Strategy for Reducing the Impact of Driving Under Influence of Intoxicants in Portland, Oregon

  Driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) applies to operating a vehicle under the influence of any substance that can impair driving performance. Nationally and locally there is a strong desire ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Strategy for Reducing the Impact of Driving Under Influence of Intoxicants in Portland, Oregon Author: Monsere, Christopher, Chi, Delia Year: 2008 Driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) applies to operating a vehicle under the influence of any substance that can impair driving performance. Nationally and locally there is a strong desire to reduce the societal impacts of this significant social problem. The trend in U.S. alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes was generally decreasing in the mid to late 1980’s but has remained fairly flat since the early 1990s. In 1982, approximately 60% of all US traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. By 1994, this had decreased to 43% but in the decade that followed it has changed little. In 2005, nearly 39% of fatal crashes still involved alcohol. This contrasts sharply with the trends in many other peer industrialized countries such as Australia which has seen a 60% drop in the total number of fatal alcohol-involved crashes since 1980. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the trend for alcohol-involved crashes mirrors the disappointing national trends and in some has even been slightly increasing. The reasons for these trends are many but can be found in changing demographics, reduced resources for enforcement, prosecution, and treatment as well as changing public behaviors and attitudes. The objective of this study was to identify tools, techniques and strategies that could help reverse this trend for the Portland metropolitan area. It is clear that the system to prevent, enforce, adjudicate, and treat alcohol related problems is complex and will require the cooperation and energy of many different stakeholders. Title: A Strategy for Reducing the Impact of Driving Under Influence of Intoxicants in Portland, Oregon Author: Monsere, Christopher, Chi, Delia Year: 2008 Driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) applies to operating a vehicle under the influence of any substance that can impair driving performance. Nationally and locally there is a strong desire to reduce the societal impacts of this significant social problem. The trend in U.S. alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes was generally decreasing in the mid to late 1980’s but has remained fairly flat since the early 1990s. In 1982, approximately 60% of all US traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. By 1994, this had decreased to 43% but in the decade that followed it has changed little. In 2005, nearly 39% of fatal crashes still involved alcohol. This contrasts sharply with the trends in many other peer industrialized countries such as Australia which has seen a 60% drop in the total number of fatal alcohol-involved crashes since 1980. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the trend for alcohol-involved crashes mirrors the disappointing national trends and in some has even been slightly increasing. The reasons for these trends are many but can be found in changing demographics, reduced resources for enforcement, prosecution, and treatment as well as changing public behaviors and attitudes. The objective of this study was to identify tools, techniques and strategies that could help reverse this trend for the Portland metropolitan area. It is clear that the system to prevent, enforce, adjudicate, and treat alcohol related problems is complex and will require the cooperation and energy of many different stakeholders. Close

• 2. [Article] Safety Effectiveness of Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements

  Over the last decade, the Oregon DOT and other agencies have systematically implemented many pedestrian crossing enhancements (PCEs) across the state. This study explored the safety performance of these ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Safety Effectiveness of Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Author: Monsere, Christopher M., Figliozzi, Miguel, Kothuri, Sirisha, Razmpa, Ali, Hazel, Daniel R. Year: 2016 Over the last decade, the Oregon DOT and other agencies have systematically implemented many pedestrian crossing enhancements (PCEs) across the state. This study explored the safety performance of these enhanced crossing in Oregon. Detailed data were collected on 191 crossings. Supplemental data items included crossing location information, route characteristics, surrounding land use and crossing enhancement descriptions. Pedestrian volume at the crossing locations was a highly desirable but unavailable data element. To characterize pedestrian activity, a method was developed to estimate ranges for pedestrian crosswalk activity levels based on the land use classification at the census block level and the presence of pedestrian traffic generators such as bus stops, schools, shopping centers and hospitals within a 0.25-mile radius. Each crosswalk was categorized into one of six levels of activity – very low, low, medium-low, medium, medium-high and high. Crash data for the 2007-2014 period were assembled for the safety analysis. After filtering, 62 pedestrian crashes and 746 rear-end crashes were retained for further analysis. The crash data were merged and analyzed. Crash patterns and risk ratios were explored. The most important trend observed was a shift (reduction) in the pedestrian crash severity after the installation of the crosswalk treatments. This shift was from fatal and injury A crash type to lower severity crashes of injury B and injury C. For pedestrian crashes, increases in the risk ratio were observed for increases in the number of lanes, the posted speed, and estimated pedestrian activity level. Similar trends were observed for rear-end crashes. Due to data limitations, subsequent safety analysis focused on installations of RRFB crossing enhancements. A CMF for RRFB installations was estimated. The CMFS for pedestrian crashes are 0.64 +/- 0.26 using a simple before-after analysis; for rear-end crashes: 0.93 +/- 0.22 using an empirical Bayes analysis approach. Title: Safety Effectiveness of Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Author: Monsere, Christopher M., Figliozzi, Miguel, Kothuri, Sirisha, Razmpa, Ali, Hazel, Daniel R. Year: 2016 Over the last decade, the Oregon DOT and other agencies have systematically implemented many pedestrian crossing enhancements (PCEs) across the state. This study explored the safety performance of these enhanced crossing in Oregon. Detailed data were collected on 191 crossings. Supplemental data items included crossing location information, route characteristics, surrounding land use and crossing enhancement descriptions. Pedestrian volume at the crossing locations was a highly desirable but unavailable data element. To characterize pedestrian activity, a method was developed to estimate ranges for pedestrian crosswalk activity levels based on the land use classification at the census block level and the presence of pedestrian traffic generators such as bus stops, schools, shopping centers and hospitals within a 0.25-mile radius. Each crosswalk was categorized into one of six levels of activity – very low, low, medium-low, medium, medium-high and high. Crash data for the 2007-2014 period were assembled for the safety analysis. After filtering, 62 pedestrian crashes and 746 rear-end crashes were retained for further analysis. The crash data were merged and analyzed. Crash patterns and risk ratios were explored. The most important trend observed was a shift (reduction) in the pedestrian crash severity after the installation of the crosswalk treatments. This shift was from fatal and injury A crash type to lower severity crashes of injury B and injury C. For pedestrian crashes, increases in the risk ratio were observed for increases in the number of lanes, the posted speed, and estimated pedestrian activity level. Similar trends were observed for rear-end crashes. Due to data limitations, subsequent safety analysis focused on installations of RRFB crossing enhancements. A CMF for RRFB installations was estimated. The CMFS for pedestrian crashes are 0.64 +/- 0.26 using a simple before-after analysis; for rear-end crashes: 0.93 +/- 0.22 using an empirical Bayes analysis approach. Close