Following elective orthopaedic surgery or the treatment of a fracture, patients are temporarily unable to drive. This loss of independence may have serious social and economic consequences for the patient. It is therefore essential to know when it is safe to permit such patients to return to driving. This article, based upon a review of the current literature, proposes recommendations of the ti...

OBJECTIVE We identified clinical risk factors for seizure-related motor vehicle crashes in patients with epilepsy. BACKGROUND Current US laws permit epilepsy patients with controlled seizures to drive. These laws attempt to balance the important economic and social value of driving with the risk to public safety from seizure-related crashes. Various clinical factors are considered in these la...

OBJECTIVE To determine the number and characteristics of motor vehicle crash deaths related to police pursuits in the United States. METHODS Analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Crashworthiness Data System of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the years 1994-2002. RESULTS There were 2654 fatal crashes involving 3965 vehicles and 3146 fatalities duri...

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine the association between urban sprawl and traffic fatalities. METHODS We created a sprawl index by applying principal components analysis to data for 448 US counties in the largest 101 metropolitan areas. Regression analysis was used to determine associations between the index and traffic fatalities. RESULTS For every 1% increase in the index (i.e., more com...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of age, calendar period of death and birth cohort in motor vehicle mortality in Taiwan over the period 1974-1992. A log-linear model modified from the method of Osmond and Gardner (Stat. Med. 1: 245-259; 1982) was used. Age turned out to be a significant predictor of motor vehicle mortality. The most risky group (over 70 years) had 27.1 and 16.3 ...

This study evaluated a range of portable wheelchair ramps to highlight the effect of different product features on ease of use when wheelchair users climb curbs or access vehicles. Twelve portable ramps were evaluated. Although all the ramps were designed to load powered wheelchairs into motor vehicles, they were manufactured in different designs. The ramps were based on a "singlewide" platform...

The effects of a symbolic "yield here to pedestrians" sign and advance yield pavement markings on pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts, motorists' yielding behavior, and the distance motorists' yield in advance of crosswalks were evaluated at multilane crosswalks at uncontrolled T intersections. In Experiment 1, the sign, when used alone, reduced pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and increased m...

Our society's environmental and economic progress depends on the development of high-performance materials such as lightweight alloys, high-energy-density battery materials, recyclable motor vehicle and building components, and energy-efficient lighting. Meeting these needs requires us to understand the central role of crystal structure in a material's properties. Despite more than 50 years of ...

Cantor and Land (1985) developed a theoretical model that proposed two pathways through which economic activity - as indexed by the aggregate unemployment rate - could affect the rate of criminal activity. The first is by increasing levels of criminal motivation within the population as deteriorating economic conditions affect social strain and social control; the second is by influencing the a...

Anthropogenic disturbances of wildlife, such as noise, human presence, hunting activity, and motor vehicles, are becoming an increasing concern in conservation biology. Fireworks are an important part of celebrations worldwide, and although humans often find fireworks spectacular, fireworks are probably perceived quite differently by wild animals. Behavioral responses to fireworks are difficult...