The surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) is a software application that reads trajectory files generated by microscopic simulation programs and calculates surrogate measures of safety. This approach eliminates the subjectivity associated with the conventional conflict analysis technique and allows assessment of the safety of a facility under a controlled environment before accidents occur. The specific goal of this research was to validate SSAM as a tool for accident prediction at urban intersections. Two methods were used for validation. The first method compared the simulated number of conflicts from the use of SSAM and the predicted number of injury accidents from analytic models in three reference intersection layouts (four-leg priority intersection, four-leg staggered intersection, and single-lane roundabout). The second method compared SSAM results with conflicts observed on site in four real intersections: two priority ones and two roundabouts. The results indicate that, despite some limitations related to the nature of current traffic microsimulation models, SSAM analysis is an extremely promising approach to assessing the safety of new facilities or innovative layouts.In urban areas, traffic accidents are usually concentrated at intersections. Traditional approaches to estimating the potential risk of traffic accidents at intersections, which are based on historical crash data, include before-and-after analyses and accident prediction models. Both approaches have important limitations related to the complexity of safety factors and the poor quality of data, thus (a) compared with other traffic events, accidents are quite exceptional in that they result from a series of unhappy improbable actions and situations; (b) accidents are rare events, so it is troublesome to base traffic safety analyses at individual sites on accidents alone; (c) not all accidents are reported, and the level of underreporting depends on the accident's severity and types of road users involved; and (d) information on the circumstances preceding an accident is seldom available (1). In addition, the fact that accidents must occur before one can determine the risk of locations is, from an ethical point of view, a dis advantage (2). Therefore, specific evaluation techniques are required to take into account changes in traffic regulations or in the geometrical design of infrastructure so as to estimate the true effects of safety improvements. Moreover, regression models may not be transferable because they implicitly reflect road users' behavior, the vehicle fleet, and driving rules, which vary from country to country and even from site to site.The traffic conflict technique is an approach that overcomes the lack of good, reliable accident records, relying instead on observations of conflicts. A "conflict" is defined as a situation in which two or more road users approach each other in time and space such that they risk colliding if their movements remain unchanged (3). The necessary evasive action is usually braking but may also b...

A major rehabilitation programme of secondary school buildings has been carried out in the last few years in Portugal. With the introduction of HVAC systems in buildings that were previously naturally ventilated, an increase on energy consumption has been verified. During the first occupancy periods of new and refurbished buildings, energy and indoor climate quality audits are important strategies to improve the buildings' energy use. In this context, this paper aims at showing the relations between the energy consumption and indoor environment quality (IEQ) parameters, obtained from the energy and IEQ audit in six representative modernised secondary schools-part of a larger R&D project untitled 3Es-geographically and climatically distributed in Portugal mainland. The monitoring period during the mid-season 2013 varied between schools, between two and three weeks. Air exchange rates, more specifically infiltration rates, were quantified aiming at determining the current airtightness condition of the refurbished schools. A subjective IEQ assessment was also performed, focusing on occupants' feedback, providing insight on the potential linkages between energy use and occupants' comfort. A reflection on the energy consumption indicators and the indoor conditions obtained in the classrooms was proposed, and some suggestions were anticipated.

-The results of the field study about indoor thermal comfort in two of the involved schools of the 3Es project are presented. The thermal comfort and indoor air quality assessment was conducted by monitoring physical parameters and survey questionnaires. The subjective assessment shows that the students found temperature range beyond the comfort zone acceptable, and revealed the occupants' accommodation to CO2 exposure. The CO2 exceeding values exposed that IAQ is a problem and action should be taken to promote CO2 dilution when HVAC systems are not active.