Papers by Giuseppina Pappalardo
Page 1. UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA FACOLTÀ DI INGEGNERIA SALVATORE LEONARDI - GIUSEPPINA P... more Page 1. UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA FACOLTÀ DI INGEGNERIA SALVATORE LEONARDI - GIUSEPPINA PAPPALARDO ANALISI CRITICA DELLE CARATTERISTICHE PRESTAZIONALI ... LUGLIO 2000 Page 2. di: Salvatore Leonardi (1) Giuseppina Pappalardo (2) ...
The fundamental characteristic of the Italian road accident is the highest rate of urban crashes:... more The fundamental characteristic of the Italian road accident is the highest rate of urban crashes: 73% approximately of the total of the accidents happens in urban contexts where, against the European average, every day are recorded more than 4,2 died; moreover, more than 50% of the totality of urban accidents, happens at the intersections, which represent dangerous points. Concentrating the study to the urban intersections, it has been characterized the relations existing between the number of accidents and the relative characteristics to geometry, to traffic regulation systems and to traffic flows. Starting from the theoretical support constituted by various international studies, as the ones executed by the Federal Highway American Administration (Statistical models of at-grade intersection accidents. Technical report. November 1996), a study campaign in Catania has been carried out. In particular, the accidents in the space of three years, the traffic flows on the arteries situated inside the city area, the geometric characteristics and the traffic regulation systems of 400 intersections (the statistical sample) were collected. The data processing have been conducted putting exclusively into account the accidents with injuries, happened on five types of urban nodes (four-leg uncontrolled, three-leg uncontrolled, four-leg STOPcontrolled, three-leg STOP-controlled, four-leg signalized). Two general types of statistical models were applied to the accident data in this study: (1) a lognormal regression model and (2) a loglinear regression model (Poisson regression). The accident forecast models have an elevated degree of significance; moreover the contribution supplied from some variable relative to geometry and the traffic regulation systems is equal, and sometimes greater, that one supplied from the vehicular capacities. The proposed methodology is a useful instrument for the effective understanding of the accident case in the urban intersections and for the eventual organization of improving intervention of the total reliability of the same road nodes.
Rural roundabouts present an important quality: the improvement of the safety characteristics wit... more Rural roundabouts present an important quality: the improvement of the safety characteristics with respect to other intersection typologies of intersection at grade. With the present paper, we want to propose a general methodology which, basing on a series of inputs (geometry, vehicular flows, operative speeds), allows to characterize the performances, in terms of safety, of the roundabouts. The final objective is to determine the performance indices necessary to define the dangerousness level of the roundabouts of great diameter, typical of the rural contexts. These indices will come up to the traditional parameters (level of service, capacity), that defines the roundabout performances only in the terms of the transport service quality.
Le problematiche relative alla sicurezza dei trasporti sono molteplici e, per la loro risoluzione... more Le problematiche relative alla sicurezza dei trasporti sono molteplici e, per la loro risoluzione, è richiesto il supporto di modelli di simulazione in grado di sintetizzare in schemi logici tutti quei parametri deducibili da un'attenta analisi della realtà. E' universalmente riconosciuto che il livello di pericolosità delle strade è condizionato dall'interazione di quattro fattori: uomo, veicolo, strada, ambiente. Un aspetto che merita particolare attenzione è quello legato agli interventi di sicurezza passiva, ovvero quelli preposti alla riduzione delle conseguenze (a persone ed oggetti) degli urti. In questo contesto, gli elementi dell'arredo stradale che devono garantire un adeguato livello di sicurezza sono le barriere di sicurezza. La Normativa che regolamenta i criteri di omologazione dei dispositivi di ritenuta stradali, basandosi su prove standardizzate, lascia fuori, a nostro giudizio, gran parte delle questioni derivanti dalla variabilità della sfera del reale. Nel presente contributo, si propone un modello analitico adeguato a fornire uno spettro più ampio di giudizi sulle modalità di urto. In particolare, lo sforzo degli autori si è concentrato sulla deduzione di formulazioni che mettessero in conto le implicazioni sulla traumatologia da incidenti, derivanti da studi affrontati con il rigore della scienza medica da Istituti di ricerca nazionali e internazionali.
The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
The objective of this paper is to present a methodological approach and a case study for an inter... more The objective of this paper is to present a methodological approach and a case study for an international comparison of accident data coming from different national databases. Safety levels and the characteristics of severe crashes involving heavy goods vehicles in different European countries (Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain) are analysed. Considering that all the countries involved have different inventory structures for the variables reported in their national accident databases, the taxonomy theory was used in order to create a comparable structure for the database used in the analysis. The taxonomy is non-exclusive and the codes are categorical, denoting the absence or presence of a certain feature. Based on the data available in each national database the five European Union databases of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles have been referenced to only one, composed of 11 items (casualty class, injury number and severity, location, light conditions, road conditions, junction, vehicle type, driver age, driver gender, accident type and manoeuvres), which capture common features of heavy goods vehicles accidents. A statistical analysis was carried out in order to highlight significant differences in the proportions of heavy goods vehicles crash categories.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
Italy shows the European primacy in number of powered two-wheelers fatalities (PTW), which accoun... more Italy shows the European primacy in number of powered two-wheelers fatalities (PTW), which accounts for 30% of the total, compared to the 17% of the EU average. PTWs are the most vulnerable of powered transport modes because of their lack of safety devices and the absence of a protecting chassis for drivers and passengers. Drawing on ISTAT database, a logistic regression was carried out, in order to identify factors affecting crash severity. The analysis of the results partially confirmed previous international studies and added new knowledge about the causes of injury severity in PTW crashes in Italy.
Atti del XII Convegno SIIV. Parma, 2002
Roundabouts and, especially, urban mini-roundabouts, present an important characteristic: the imp... more Roundabouts and, especially, urban mini-roundabouts, present an important characteristic: the improvement of the safety characteristics with respect to other intersection typologies (signalized o stop–control); the safety increase, in the period" before" and" after ...
Proceedings of IIIrd International …, 2005
SYNOPSIS The fundamental characteristic of the Italian road accident is the highest rate of urban... more SYNOPSIS The fundamental characteristic of the Italian road accident is the highest rate of urban crashes: 73% approximately of the total of the accidents happens in urban contexts where, against the European average, every day are recorded more than 4, 2 died; ...
Safety Science, 2013
Because of the low percentage of crashes involving buses and the assumption that public transport... more Because of the low percentage of crashes involving buses and the assumption that public transport improves road safety by reducing vehicular traffic, public interest in bus safety is not as great as that in the safety of other types of vehicles. The introduction of new technologies that can be easily and widely diffused in a bus market managed by a limited number of agencies and operators makes improvements in the safety of bus systems possible.
Road intersection reliability depends on several factors, between which road lighting assumes par... more Road intersection reliability depends on several factors, between which road lighting assumes particular importance. This must reveal the presence of intersection, the directions of the confluent and diverging roads, the position of the sidewalks, the presence of pedestrians and other ...
Ceļa drošības inspekcija (RSI) ir zināma kā efektīvs līdzeklis drošības pasākumu identifikācijai.... more Ceļa drošības inspekcija (RSI) ir zināma kā efektīvs līdzeklis drošības pasākumu identifikācijai. Kaut arī procesa subjektīvās dabas dēļ tie var izraisīt nesaskaņas, kas ierobežo piedāvāto pasākumu efektivitāti. IASP pētniecības programmas ietvaros, kuru sponsorē Eiropas Komisija, un kas ir koncentrēta uz divu joslu automaģistrālēm, tiek definēta metode, kuras mērķis ir uzlabot RSI procedūru efektivitāti un drošumu. Tādēļ pētījums ir sašaurināts līdz inspekcijas ietvaram, inspektora un klienta lomai un, ar ...
ABSTRACT Nowadays, Road Safety Inspections (RSI) are recognized as an effective tool for identify... more ABSTRACT Nowadays, Road Safety Inspections (RSI) are recognized as an effective tool for identifying safety deficiencies of road infrastructures. They represent a low cost process for the evaluation of the network safety performance. Its applicability in rural local roads, where accident data generally do not give enough information for the safety analysis, make the procedure very attractive. However, due to the subjective nature of the process RSI may give rise to disagreements which limit their effectiveness.
Page 1. University of Catania European Union Province of Catania Operative Procedures for Safety ... more Page 1. University of Catania European Union Province of Catania Operative Procedures for Safety Inspections on Two-Lane Rural Roads S. Cafiso, G. La Cava, A. Montella, G. Pappalardo Identificazione e Adeguamento delle Strade Pericolose PROJECT TREN-03-ST-S07.31286 Identification of Hazard Location and Ranking of Measures to Improve Safety on Local Rural Roads Page 2. Page 3. Operative Procedures For Safety Inspections On Two-Lane Rural Roads S. Cafiso, G. La Cava, A. Montella, G.
In the paper methods for conducting Road Safety Inspections (SIs) in Italy and Poland are describ... more In the paper methods for conducting Road Safety Inspections (SIs) in Italy and Poland are described and compared. The goal of the study is to improve the quality and effi ciency of the safety inspections of road network by using low cost equipment (GPS, Tablet, Camera) and specifi c software. Particular attention was paid to the need for proper calibration of factors, causing traffi c safety hazard associated with road infrastructure. The model developed according to the Italian procedures was adapted to comply with the checklists and evaluation criteria of the Polish guidelines. Overall, a good agreement between the two approaches was identifi ed, however some modifi cation was required to include new safety issues, characteristic for the Polish network for safety inspection of two lane rural roads. To test the applicability about 100 km of regional two lane roads in Poland were inspected with Polish and Italian procedures.
EU Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management, defining subject matter and sco... more EU Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management, defining subject matter and scope, requires “the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, the management of road network safety and safety inspections by the Member States”. Starting from the results of the EU research project “Identification of Hazard Locations and Ranking of Measures to Improve Safety on Local Rural Roads” (IASP), a Safety Risk Index (RI) has been formulated as measure of risk that uses Safety Inspection as primary source of information associated with design consistency assessment of the horizontal alignment. Moreover, due to its quantitative evaluation, RI can be used to determine benefits and cost/benefit ratio of different intervention strategies. Then, as there are often situations when the available budget will not be sufficient to undertake all the measures in the road network, an “RI based” optimization algorithm for selecting projects to be included in the budget was defined.
The European Directive 2008/96/CE on Road Infrastructures Safety Management gives great emphasis ... more The European Directive 2008/96/CE on Road Infrastructures Safety Management gives great emphasis to road Safety Inspections (SIs) as tool for safety management of existing roads. SIs are particularly effective for the safety management of local two-lane rural roads, where a screening of the network based on observed crashes can be affected by a lack of data quality and inadequate sample size. In this framework, development of surrogate measures of safety derived from data collected during safety inspection can solve the relevant issues still exist in the use of SIs as source of information for risk assessment and provide the road agency with an reliable tool to prioritize measures and treatment sections, as well. As a result of a research project funded by the European Commission in 2004 and successful application in Italy, a Risk Index (RI) is available as a surrogate measure of safety. The RI is formulated by combining three components of risk: the exposure of road users to road hazards, the probability of a vehicle's being involved in an accident, and the resulting consequences should an accident occur. This systematic and replicable procedure integrates two different, complementary approaches: one based on design consistency evaluations of horizontal alignment and the other one on safety inspections (SIs) to effectively address a wide spectrum of safety issues relevant on two lane rural roads. Supported by the good correlation between RI and crash frequency tested with previous researches in Italy, the procedure was adapted to the new Polish guideline for safety inspection and re-calibrated on the local crash type distribution. Experimental application on about 100 km of road network shows a promising correlation between the Risk Index and the crash frequency experienced on the inspected roads in the previous 4 years. This paper reports the first experimental application of this surrogate measure of safety (RI) on two-lane regional road in Poland. Statistical correlations between RI and the expected crash frequency are also tested and presented. INTRODUCTION The European Directive 2008/96/CE requires member states to establish and implement procedures related to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, the management of road network safety, and safety inspections. In the Directive, great emphasis is given to road Safety Inspections (SIs) as an effective tool for the safety management of existing roads stating: " Once road sections with a high accident concentration have been treated and remedial measures have been taken, safety inspections as a preventive measure should assume a more important role. Regular inspections are an essential tool for preventing possible dangers for all road users, including vulnerable users ". Within the Article 6 " Safety Inspections " it is, also, recognized that member states shall carry out safety inspections on existing roads in order to identify the road safety related features and to prevent collisions. These inspections should be performed periodically and by a competent entity. Member states are also encouraged to apply this directive on other national roads, which are not part of the Trans – European Road Network. Two-lane rural roads— that is, the class of highways investigated in this study—are the main part of the national and regional road network in Poland that provides through and local traffic. The use of SIs is one of the measures to improve traffic safety in Europe associated with the assessment of the hazards for the existing elements of road infrastructure. SIs can be a source of information to prioritize treatments in road sections producing the highest accident reduction potential
In Italy, quadricycles can be drawn by 14 years old youngest drivers. The increasing popularity t... more In Italy, quadricycles can be drawn by 14 years old youngest drivers. The increasing popularity together with the less regulated safety of these vehicles compared to cars give cause for concern.
Simulators, considered as a training method, provide a realistic reproduction of driving environments so that they can be used to improve driving skills and risk awareness to novice and young drivers. Simulation trial can also be used to evaluate driving performance with regard to safety.
In this study, previously the more appropriate simulated accident scenarios for training of young drivers were identified as those with the highest frequency in real world crashes.
Since the ISTAT national crash data base includes many information, but no a unique scenario code, it was necessary to use all the available data to classify the proper scenario associated to each crash. To this aim, the taxonomy theory was applied in order to create a comparable structure for the database.
For training and evaluation test, five accident scenarios were implemented in a simulation course lasted approximately fifteen minutes. Ten participants driving a quadricycle in a simple one screen simulator were used as sample to test the working performance of scenarios.
Finally Traffic Conflict Technique was applied to measure performance indicators derived from the data acquired during the simulation tests.
The paper presents:
- selection and features of scenarios;
- design and application of such scenarios in virtual environment;
- use of data from virtual simulation to evaluate driving skills and risk awareness.
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Papers by Giuseppina Pappalardo
Simulators, considered as a training method, provide a realistic reproduction of driving environments so that they can be used to improve driving skills and risk awareness to novice and young drivers. Simulation trial can also be used to evaluate driving performance with regard to safety.
In this study, previously the more appropriate simulated accident scenarios for training of young drivers were identified as those with the highest frequency in real world crashes.
Since the ISTAT national crash data base includes many information, but no a unique scenario code, it was necessary to use all the available data to classify the proper scenario associated to each crash. To this aim, the taxonomy theory was applied in order to create a comparable structure for the database.
For training and evaluation test, five accident scenarios were implemented in a simulation course lasted approximately fifteen minutes. Ten participants driving a quadricycle in a simple one screen simulator were used as sample to test the working performance of scenarios.
Finally Traffic Conflict Technique was applied to measure performance indicators derived from the data acquired during the simulation tests.
The paper presents:
- selection and features of scenarios;
- design and application of such scenarios in virtual environment;
- use of data from virtual simulation to evaluate driving skills and risk awareness.
Simulators, considered as a training method, provide a realistic reproduction of driving environments so that they can be used to improve driving skills and risk awareness to novice and young drivers. Simulation trial can also be used to evaluate driving performance with regard to safety.
In this study, previously the more appropriate simulated accident scenarios for training of young drivers were identified as those with the highest frequency in real world crashes.
Since the ISTAT national crash data base includes many information, but no a unique scenario code, it was necessary to use all the available data to classify the proper scenario associated to each crash. To this aim, the taxonomy theory was applied in order to create a comparable structure for the database.
For training and evaluation test, five accident scenarios were implemented in a simulation course lasted approximately fifteen minutes. Ten participants driving a quadricycle in a simple one screen simulator were used as sample to test the working performance of scenarios.
Finally Traffic Conflict Technique was applied to measure performance indicators derived from the data acquired during the simulation tests.
The paper presents:
- selection and features of scenarios;
- design and application of such scenarios in virtual environment;
- use of data from virtual simulation to evaluate driving skills and risk awareness.