Crash involvement rates by driver gender and the role of average annual mileage.

The effects of four predictor variables-driver age, driver gender, time of day, and average annual mileage-on crash involvement rates were estimated through the use of multivariate modelling techniques. Separate models were developed for fatal, injury, and property damage only crashes. All four predictor variables proved to be highly significant in explaining variations in observed rates. Rates predicted by the models after substituting the mean average annual mileage value for all driver age/gender groups were also calculated. These 'adjusted rates' show men to have a consistently higher risk of crash involvement per mile driven than women for all six combinations of crash severity and light condition examined. This contrasts with women's higher involvement rates in non-fatal crashes compared with men in the observed data. The results of the modelling are consistent with the idea that women's typically low average annual mileage is a factor in their observed higher non-fatal crash involvement rates.

Traffic accident involvement rates by driver age and gender.

Passenger-vehicle travel data from the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey were combined with crash data from the 1990 Fatal Accident Reporting System and the 1990 General Estimates System to produce crash involvement rates per vehicle-mile of travel. Elevated rates were observed for drivers aged 16-19 and 75 and over. The oldest drivers had the highest fatal involvement rate, while the youngest drivers had the highest rate of involvement in all police-reported crashes. Men had a higher risk than women of experiencing a fatal crash, while women had higher rates of involvement in injury crashes and all police-reported crashes.

Use and fabrication of temporary orthotics.

Orthotics are effective for altering compensatory motions which result from abnormalities in the foot and lower extremity. In specific cases, temporary use of an orthosis is beneficial for reducing abnormal stresses while allowing involved structures to heal. Additionally, a temporary orthotic may provide a trial period to determine if the athlete would benefit from a permanent orthosis. A step-by-step procedure is presented for the fabrication of a temporary semirigid orthotic. Used as an adjunct to the treatment and rehabilitation program, temporary orthotics are effective in encouraging early weight-bearing tolerance, while placing the foot near the subtalar joint neutral position.

Development of a collision typology for evaluation of collision avoidance strategies.

This paper summarizes the results of an effort to identify and rank vehicle collision scenarios in order to create a "collision typology" that could aid in the assessment of the potential benefit of accident avoidance technologies. Data from four computerized accident files were used to construct an 18-level collision configuration variable. This variable includes the number of vehicles involved, their relative orientation, intent to turn, relation to intersection, and traffic control at the intersection. Distributions of the collision configuration variable were generated for several factors of interest using 1989 Michigan data. Five of the most prevalent collision types were selected for more detailed review based on the original police accident reports. The case studies lent additional insight into the circumstances of different accident types. Among other findings, the review suggested that in collisions at nonsignalized intersections, older drivers often stopped and then pulled out into oncoming traffic, while younger drivers more often failed to stop at all.

Incidence of Hyperpronation in the ACL Injured Knee: A Clinical Perspective.

Assessing abnormal biomechanics when treating various lower extremity pathologies provides the athlete with comprehensive management and promotes injury prevention. However, there have been few previous investigations of abnormal biomechanical forces on ligamentous pathologies of the knee. During this clinical study we investigated the incidence of hyperpronation in subjects who have had an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Fifty subjects with a past medical history of ACL rupture and 50 subjects without a history of lower extremity pathology participated in our study. Hyperpronation of the foot and ankle complex was measured with the navicular drop test. The ACL injured subjects had greater navicular drop test scores than noninjured subjects. This suggests that hyperpronation of the foot and ankle complex may increase the risk of injury to the ACL. There is a need for further investigation into possible pre-loading stresses on knee ligaments.