TRANSPO FINALS Flashcards
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
required factor in the planning process and transportation planners are key partners ensuring that safety is an integral component of all planning processes
SAFETY PLANNING
reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Safety planning is a collaborative and integrated approach that brings together safety partners to leverage resources for a common safety goal.
SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS
Over the past years, safety practitioners have found value in partnering with a variety of other disciplines, such as public health, advocacy groups, universities, and others to more fully engage the community and the public in safety enhancements.
SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS
becoming increasingly adept in recognizing opportunities for partnerships to help attain safety goals and objectives. This section identifies major safety stakeholders and their roles in the safety planning process.
The 4 Es of Safety
ENGINEERING
ENFORCEMENT
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE
EDUCATION
Other Safety Stakeholders
- Health Department Personnel
- Safety Advocates
- Tribal Governments
- Planners
- Elected Officials
Three Types of Safety Strategies
- Crash prevention (before the crash)
- Crash injury and fatality mitigation (during the crash)
- Improving emergency response and medicine (after the crash)
Some Crash Prevention Strategies
- Commercial driver testing and licensing
- Drunk driving limits and enforcement
- Speed limits and speed limit enforcement
- Standardization of traffic control devices
- Improvement of roadway geometric designs
- Managing direct access to land from arterial roads
- Aircraft safety regulation and inspection
- Post-crash investigations and analysis of crash
- Camera enforcement of speed and red light running
- Road condition and weather
Some Mitigation Strategies Reduce the Consequences of Crashes
- Wider roadway clear zones
- Ditch slope standards
- Improved roadway medians
- Crash testing of vehicles and roadside hardware
- Automobile safety feature requirements (e.g., seat belts, air bags, tire grading, stability control)
- Flammability standards for materials used in aircraft cabins and inside automobiles
- Improved guard rails and breakaway posts
Emergency Response Strategies
- Improved crash fire and rescue capabilities at airports
- Training and certification of emergency medical technicians
- Video surveillance of high crash locations
- Pre-positioning of emergency response vehicles
- Mayday systems on motor vehicles
THE FUNDAMENTAL ECONOMICS OF SAFETY
In terms of traditional economic models, safety is most likely an important part of both the demand and supply functions. The possibility of loss, injury and death presumably enters travel demand and mode choice decisions, albeit that the profession is still hard pressed to quantify the exact magnitude of the relationship.
Safety also pays a large (if somewhat ill-defined) part of the costs of transportation. The cost of automobiles is inflated by the inclusion of many types of safety-related design features. Commercial transportation providers invest in higher quality equipment and staff training to reduce the probability of mishaps.
At some level, safety can be regarded as “quality” attribute of transportation, and economists can ask the usual question concerning “how much quality should be provided?”
safety
important part of both the demand and supply functions
Safety
pays a large (if somewhat ill-defined) part of the costs of transportation.
Commercial transportation providers
invest in higher quality equipment and staff training to reduce the probability of mishaps.
safety
can be regarded as “quality” attribute of transportation, and economists can ask the usual question concerning “how much quality should be provided?”
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORTATION
Because of its intensive use of infrastructures, the transport sector is an important component of the economy and a common tool used for development. High-density transport infrastructure and highly connected networks are commonly associated with high levels of development. When transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multiplier effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment, and additional investments. When transport systems are deficient in terms of capacity or reliability, they can have an economic cost such as reduced or missed opportunities and lower quality of life.
The impacts of transportation are not always intended and can have unforeseen or unintended consequences. For instance, congestion is often an unintended consequence in the provision of free or low-cost transport infrastructure to the users. However, congestion is also an indication of a growing economy where capacity and infrastructure have difficulties keeping up with the rising mobility demands.