对驾驶员行为的观察性研究如何导致更安全的驾驶?

挑战

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and serious injuries for adults and children in the U.S. 来支持它拯救生命的使命, the 国家公路交通安全管理局(NHTSA) develops and implements educational, 工程, 以及防止车祸悲剧的执法项目. An essential component of advancing and refining efforts to improve occupant protection is obtaining accurate data on restraint use to inform targeted outreach.

In 1991, the Intermodal Surface 运输 Efficiency Act (ISTEA) required data and analysis be provided on lap and shoulder belt use, 在全国和每个州, 由联邦, state, 以及当地执法人员, 军事人员, 由联邦和州政府雇员，而不是执法人员, 公众也是如此. As such, the first National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) was conducted in 1994, 自1999年以来，韦斯特每年都进行这项研究.

In 2000, 国会通过了运输召回强化法案, 问责制, and Documentation (TREAD) Act directing the Department of 运输 (DOT) to reduce deaths and injuries among 4- to 8-year-olds by 25%. NHTSA awarded 趣赢平台 the contract to design and conduct the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) to measure child restraint use among children ages 0 to 13 years old.

Solution

The NOPUS and NSUBS surveys are designed to provide the information needed to guide NHTSA’s efforts and meet the aforementioned challenges. 特别是对于NOPUS, data collectors observe passenger vehicles and motorcycles during daylight hours. 他们会记录第一排和第二排乘客使用安全带的情况, 摩托车手的头盔使用, 以及驱动电子设备的使用. To complete the NOPUS, 趣赢平台’s field data collectors visit approximately 2,000 sites across the U.S. 这项工作由两位观察员负责, and they stand on roadsides and drive along highways to collect the required information.

Field staff use smartphone devices to collect data and GPS technology to obtain driving directions to data collection sites. 我们的地理信息系统(GIS)人员执行复杂的日程安排, mapping, and quality control procedures to facilitate tracking of fieldwork and progress reporting. 每一天, the data are transmitted and reviewed promptly to ensure accuracy and completeness.

In 2022, 韦斯特的工作人员观察到119,98年400多名住户,NOPUS移动交通调查中的300多辆车. 正如NHTSA所指出的 交通安全概览 article: 2022年安全带使用情况——总体结果, “The national estimate of seat belt use by adult front-seat passengers in 2022 was 91.6%，创历史新高，尽管在统计上没有差异(在2010年).05级)从90.预计2021年将达到4%.“因为nopu的地点是随机选择的, we can test the statistical significance of changes in estimates across multiple years and analyze trend data.

NSUBS提供了美国儿童约束使用的快照估计.S. 其中我们的工作人员每两年从400多个站点收集数据, 包括日托中心, 快餐店, 加油站, 以及全国的娱乐中心来收集这些信息. 他们观察到8,000+儿童在5,000+ vehicles and conduct brief interviews with drivers to determine the age, height, weight, race, 以及儿童居住者的种族. This information provides restraint use estimates for children and helps gauge the extent to which children are prematurely transitioned out of restraints before they are ready or in restraints inappropriate for their age, height, 和重量. 它还提供人口统计信息, 帮助国家公路交通安全管理局定位其项目, policies, 消息传递, 推广正确使用儿童约束装置的重要性.

调查的准备工作始于高质量的样本设计, 制定实地程序, 培训现场数据采集人员, and development of technology infrastructures to support quality control procedures and data analysis. 定期, our statisticians update the sample to reflect the country’s changing population centers and traffic characteristics. 两项调查都使用complex, multistage probability samples; statistical data editing; imputation of unknown values; and complex estimation procedures.

Results

通过向该机构提供所需的关键数据, NHTSA可以确定其项目的有效性, policies, 公共服务活动, 并宣传对所有乘员使用安全带的重要性. The demographic data we deliver also help NHTSA better target its safety 消息传递.

我们最新的NOPUS调查显示，安全带的使用有所增加. The national estimate of seat belt use by adult front-seat passengers in 2022 was 91.6%，而84%.1% in 2009. 最新的NSUBS发现，所有13岁以下儿童使用约束装置的比例为89.8% in 2021, although not statistically different than the 2019 estimate of 87.9%.