Browsing by Department "Center for Transportation Research"
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Item Age-Related Factors in Driving Safety(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1978-02) Valentine, Deborah; Williams, Martha; Young, Robert K.Accident and violation rates are higher for older and younger drivers. Causative or confounding variables studied in relation to this phenomenon have included experience, exposure rates, hazard miles driven, personality, sensory decrements, medical problems and inadequate socialization processes. The results suggest different processes at work for older versus young drivers resulting in higher accident rates at both ends of the age continuum. Strategies of prevention suggested include educational techniques and stricter testing and licensing standards.Item Airport Capacity Analysis: A Systems Approach(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1974-07) Zaniewski, John P.Existing quantitative models for analysis of the capacity of various components of the airport system are presented. Procedures for utilizing these models in a system analysis are discussed. Recommendations are made concerning possible modifications of existing models, and priorities for these modifications are assigned according to the necessity for improvement.Item Alcohol and Accidents(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-03) Young, Robert K.; Valentine, Deborah; Williams, Martha S.The relationship between drinking and driving is a complex one. In general, the probability of a crash increases as blood alcohol concentration (BAC) increases. Physiological changes with increased BAC impair attention span, alertness, visual acuity, and reaction times. Risk-taking behavior is increased with alcohol consumption. Alcohol is particularly detrimental for the inexperienced driver as well as for the driver in unfamiliar territory. This report covers research of three major types: research on the physiological effects of alcohol, laboratory and simulation studies of alcohol as it affects driver skills, and epidemiological studies of alcohol-related accidents in field settings.Item Alcohol Countermeasures(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-07) Hales, Gary D.; Williams, Martha; Young, Robert K.This paper discusses the variety of mechanisms and methods that have been used for the purpose of either preventing or at least lessening the seriousness of automobile accidents due to DWI (driving while intoxicated). Examination is made of the unique contribution to this problem by the young driver and the lowering of the drinking age to 18. General descriptive statements about the DWI driver including probable times of arrest and socioeconomic background are made. An examination of possible countermeasures considers legislative, legal, and interpersonal methods. The authors conclude that an agreed upon measure of effectiveness is necessary to evaluate countermeasures and that the public needs to be convinced of the possibility of their drinking contributing to an accident.Item Annual Report / Council for Advanced Transportation Studies(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 0000-00-00) Council for Advanced Transportation StudiesPreface -- Summary of Research Objectives and Accomplishments -- Selected Highlights During the Year -- Council Staffing -- Research Activities (Department of Transportation; Other Projects) -- Support Available for 1973-74 Research in Transportation -- Publications 1973-74 -- Patents -- Research Development and Proposals Pending -- Management of the Research Program -- Cooperative Interaction and Implementation with Government, Industry and Educational Institutions -- Guest Lectures for Transportation Seminar Series and Visitors to the Council -- Academic Programs in Transportation -- Personnel Involvement in CATS-DORT.Item Automobile Collision Reconstruction: A Literature Survey(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1979-02) Olson, Barry D.; Smith, Craig C.A great number of papers have been written dealing with the characteristics of automobile collisions. In this report, the principal research methods which are used are reviewed and the major papers dealing with each method are surveyed. Computer techniques which have been developed within the past few years are reviewed, and their utility and limitations are discussed. A modular approach, in which individual computer modules are used interactively by an investigator to reconstruct an accident in separate phases, is suggested.Item Carpool and Bus Matching Program for the University of Texas at Austin(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1974-09) Rosenbloom, Sandra; Shelton, Nancy J.I.Foreword -- II. Introduction -- III. Survey Procedures and Preliminary Results -- IV. Impact Analysis -- V. Proposed new routes for service in the University Community -- Bibliography -- Appendices.Item Characteristics of Local Passenger Transportation Providers in Texas(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-01) Briggs, RonaldThis study seeks to accomplish five things: first, to provide a basic understanding of the transportation complex currently serving the public in general and the transportation disadvantaged in particular; second, to provide basic informational input for the preparation of the transportation plan for the state of Texas, mandated by the legislature in 1975; third, to provide social service agencies, community organizations, and the public in general with a listing of transportation operators who could potentially meet transportation needs; fourth, through the dissemination of information about existing systems, to encourage coordination and integration and to reduce duplication of services; and, finally, by providing precise data on the characteristics of existing systems, to allow transportation providers to draw upon the experience of others in planning and operating their systems. Data and analyses are presented to accomplish these five purposes.Item A Data Base for the U.S. Forest Service Pavement Management System(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1981-05) Hernandez, Jorge E.; McCullough, B. Frank; Hudson, W. RonaldThis report is the first phase of a proposed three-phase project developing and implementing a database for the Pavement Design Management System (PDMS) which was developed by The University of Texas at Austin in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. PDMS may be used to design asphalt concrete, surface treatment, and aggregate surfaced pavement structures. Results from the implementation of PDMS in certain Forest Service design offices indicate good performance of PDMS regarding the asphalt concrete and surface treatment pavement designs. However, the implementation results also indicate that the models used in PDMS for the design of aggregate surfaced roads need to be improved. This is not surprising, since these models were not developed with data from Forest Service roads. The characteristics of the Forest Service road system make it truly unique in the world. Because of this, roadway structure design and management methodologies developed by other transportation agencies are not adequate for Forest Service needs. To improve these methodologies in PDMS, performance information on Forest Service roads must be collected and analyzed. Even a small improvement in the management of pavement structures system-wide will result in the saving of millions of dollars annually. Therefore, a data base is a necessary and valuable tool.Item Demographic Variables and Accidents(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1978-01) Valentine, Deborah; Williams, Martha; Young, Robert K.Highway transportation systems are usually designed with the "typical" driver in mind. The "typical" driver is a white male of middle class background. Research is reviewed in this monograph for accident data pertaining to women, minority groups and low economic status members. Although men have more accidents in terms of total numbers than women, accidents are a leading cause of death among women. Literature is scanty with regard to race, occupation and socio-economic status as factors in accidents. Generally, however, 'accidents occur more often to the less privileged groups. In addition, marital status seems related to driving performance. Married individuals, with certain exceptions, seem to be less often involved in accidents and to receive fewer violations.Item Drugs and Their Effect on Driving Performance(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-05) Valentine, Deborah; Williams, Martha S.; Young, Robert K.This report reviews the literature on the association of drug use and accidents. Research indicates widespread use of psychotropic drugs with tentative evidence to indicate their use may impair driving performance. The effects of marijuana and other hallucinogens on traffic safety and driving performance is also reviewed. The unpredictable effects of these drugs, plus their effects in combination with alcohol, indicate a need for further investigations in this area.Item Dynamic Modelling for Automobile Acceleration Response and Ride Quality Over Rough Roadways(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1974-12) Healey, Anthony J.; Smith, Craig C.; Stearman, Ronald O.; Nathman, EdwardCurrent interest in dynamics and vibration of ground transportation vehicles arises from the fact that excessive levels can lead to unsafe operation and give an uncomfortable ride to passengers. Current work by the U.S. Department of Transportation in high-speed tracked air-cushion and magnetically levitated vehicles centers around suspension design (both active and passive) for isolating guideway roughness effects from the main body of the vehicle. The work described herein arose from a need to evaluate vibration acceptance criteria for use in both vehicle systems design and guideway specification. This report deals with the first part of a study of automobile riding quality. Three different models of an intermediate sedan together with two different models for roadway roughness are compared. Roadway models compared are, first, a random input single track model with statistics governed by a power spectral density proportional to the square of the wavelength and, second, a model using a data sequence with a zero order hold where the data sequence is obtained from measured evaluation profiles of actual roadway sections. Frequency weighted rms acceleration responses are compared with serviceability indices of roadway test sections. It is concluded that the commonly used roadway model is inadequate and that more complete roadway information regarding statistics of right and left wheel tracks, together with a vehicle model including body roll motions, is necessary to predict ride quality. Use of the ISO Standard on Whole Body Vibration Tolerances as a basis of frequency weighting provides a good correlation with subjective response measured in terms of the roadway servicability index.Item Effects of Visual Distraction on Reaction Time in a Simulated Traffic Environment(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-03) Holahan, C. JoshExisting studies of the relationship between visual distractors and traffic accidents are both limited and contradictory. The present study investigates the effect of: (a) number of distractors, (b) color of distractors, and (c) location of distractors, on the perception of a target stimulus. Reaction time was the response measure. Analysis of variance showed that all three dimensions have a significant effect on reaction time, with location having the greatest effect. Conclusions are that: (1) legal limits be placed on distractors, and (2) engineering decisions be oriented toward counteracting the potential negative effects of the background distractors.Item An Evaluation of Promotional Tactics and Utility Measurement Methods for Public Transportation Systems(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-03) Alpert, Mark; Golden, Linda; Betak, John; Story, James; Davies, C. ShaneThis report summarizes work in the third year of a research program that has sought to build on community-researched transportation needs and measure the impact of various marketing strategies for public transportation under carefully controlled conditions. The first part of the report focuses on the promotion of public transportation. It includes a survey of relevant communications and marketing literature, the research hypotheses that were deemed relevant, the methodology used to test alternative promotional tactics, and the results of interpretation of the findings for promotion for public transportation. The second part focuses on recent advances in methods for quantifying preference levels for various product and service features of transportation modes. Similarly, it reviews the relevant literature, presents the methodology whereby alternative measurement methods may be applied to evaluate attributes of transportation systems in the study area, and reports the findings concerning the usefulness of the methods tried as well as recommendations for transit planning and future research in the problem area.Item An Evaluation of the Utilization of Psychological Knowledge Concerning Potential Roadside Distractors(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1979-05) Holahan, Charles J.This report presents the findings of a project designed: (1) to evaluate the effect of nighttime distractors on accidents at signalized intersections, and (2) to facilitate the implementation at the local level of traffic safety standards. The findings of Part I, based on a study of nighttime accidents occurring at 30 metropolitan intersections, offer tentative data that both the color and the proximity of lights may be important in determining their distractibility with respect to the traffic signal. Part II describes the procedures followed by the project team to disseminate psychological knowledge concerning environmental distractors in the traffic environment to appropriate local agencies and includes an evaluation of the utilization of this information by these agencies.Item Feasibility of Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation in Texas(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-09) Fitzpatrick, Hal L.; Smith, Craig C.; Reed, Walter S.A study was conducted to determine whether or not the State of Texas should establish Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation (MDAI) teams to investigate vehicle accidents in the State. Procedures and benefits of Federal MDAI teams and teams in other states were examined. What accident data were presently available within Texas was determined, together with present and possible uses for such data. It was concluded that no valid requirement exists for State MDAI teams and that they would not contribute materially to improving traffic safety in Texas. It is recommended that MDAI teams not be established but that the State organize and establish an accident data review board to analyze traffic accident data published each year by the Department of Public Safety Statistical Services Bureau and to recommend actions that should be taken as a result of the analysis.Item Forecast of Revenue Freight Carried by Rail in Texas to 1990(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1974-04) Williams, David L.Revenue tons of freight carried by rail in Texas have been forecast to 1990 using multiple regression analysis and trend analysis. Data were gathered on the dependent variable (revenue tons of freight carried by rail in Texas) and on twenty-nine independent variables (economic indicators of the Texas economy) for the base period 1950 to 1972. Missing values from the time series data were estimated with the aid of the OMNITAB computer program POLYFIT. Multiple regression analyses were used to measure the linear relationship between the dependent variable and a set of independent variables, taking into consideration the interrelationships between the independent variables. From these analyses, a set of ten independent variables was selected as providing the best predictor regression equation. Forecasts for each of the ten selected variables were computed for 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990 by extrapolating a chosen trend curve. These forecasted values were then substituted into the regression equation to yield forecasts for the tons of revenue freight carried by rail in Texas.Item Forecast of Truckload Freight of Class I Motor Carriers of Property in the Southwestern Region to 1990(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1975-03) Gorse, Mary LeeTruckload revenue freight of Class I common and contract motor carriers of property operating in intercity service in the Southwestern Region has been forecast to 1990 using multiple regression analysis. Data were gathered on the dependent variable (truckload freight) and on thirty independent variables (economic indicators of the Southwestern Region) for the base period 1957 to 1971. Missing values from the time series data were estimated by curve fitting techniques to the known data points. Multiple regression analyses were used to measure the linear relationship between the dependent variable and a set of independent variables, taking into consideration the interrelationships among the independent variables. From these analyses, predictor regression equations were formulated using either uniform or mixed inclusion levels for all independent variables. Three equations were chosen for further analysis. The independent variables in the selected equations were forecast by extrapolation from the curve which best fit the known data points of each variable. Comparison of the three predictor regression equations, a Department of Transportation projection, and the closest fitting extrapolation of the truckload freight data, along with all the statistical evidence available, led to the selection of a "best" forecast,which is a set of four economic indicators.Item The Influence on Rural Communities of Interurban Transportation Systems(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-08) Walton, C. Michael; Dodge, Richard; Huddleston, John; Betak, John; Linehan, Ron; Heimsath, CharlesThis research project, "The Influence on Rural Communities of Inter-Urban Transportation Systems," was one of five conducted under the general title, "Transportation to Fulfill Human Needs in a Rural/Urban Environment. "The research is documented in two volumes: Volume I "The Influence on Rural Communities of Interurban Transportation Systems," and Volume II "Transportation and Community Development: A Manual for Small Communities." The first volume is the description of the study process and the findings of the various research phases during the project. This document would be of interest to professional planners in regional governments having small, rural communities within their jurisdiction. The report may aid in facilitating their interactions with representatives of smaller cities and enhance their appreciation of the uniqueness of those areas as reflected in their needs and issues. The set of planning guides contained in Volume II would be of interest to the community representatives. The guides are designed for the layperson and are written in non-technical language. The purpose of the manual is to promote a more informed participation in the national, state, and regional decision making process as it relates to transportation, and to provide the basis for initiating and continuing comprehensive local planning for small urban places (cities and towns with a population of 25,000 or less).Item The Influence on Rural Communities of Interurban Transportation Systems. Volume II(Council for Advanced Transportation Studies, 1977-08) Walton, C. Michael; Huddleston, John; Heimsath, Charles; Linehan, Ron; Betak, JohnThis research project, The Influence on Rural Communities of Inter-Urban Transportation Systems," was one of five conducted under the general title, "Transportation to Fulfill Human Needs in the Rural/Urban Environment." The research is documented in two volumes: Volume I: The Influence on Rural Communities of Interurban Transportation Systems, and Volume II: Transportation and Community Development: A Manual for Small Communities. The first volume is the description of the study process and the findings of the various research phases during the project. This document would be of interest to professional planners in regional governments having small, rural communities within their jurisdiction. The report may aid in facilitating their interactions with representatives of smaller cities and enhance their appreciation of the uniqueness of those areas as reflected in their needs and issues. The set of planning guides contained in Volume II would be of interest to the community representatives. The guides are designed for the layperson and are written in non-technical language. The purpose of the manual is to promote a more informed participation in the national, state, and regional decision-making process as it relates to transportation, and to provide the basis for initiating and continuing comprehensive local planning for small urban places (cities and towns with a population of 25,000 or less).
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