Street lighting for preventing road traffic injuries

Beyer, Fiona; Pond, Philip; Ker, Katharine

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004728

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Systematic reviews have found some evidence that increased street lighting may lead to improved road safety [34] and overall reductions in crime [35]. Micro-level infrastructure improvements such as street lighting may promote active commuting; however, the mechanisms between safety concerns and activity should be examined in further research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal associations between built environment characteristics and changes in active commuting

Yang

Griffin

Khaw³

et al. 2017

BMC Public Health

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BackgroundFew studies have assessed the predictors of changes in commuting. This study investigated the associations between physical environmental characteristics and changes in active commuting.MethodsAdults from the population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort self-reported commuting patterns in 2000 and 2007. Active commuters were defined as those who reported ‘always’ or ‘usually’ walking or cycling to work. Environmental attributes around the home and route were assessed using Geographical Information Systems. Associations between potential environmental predictors and uptake and maintenance of active commuting were modelled using logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex and BMI.ResultsOf the 2757 participants (62% female, median baseline age: 52, IQR: 50–56 years), most were passive commuters at baseline (76%, n = 2099) and did not change their usual commute mode over 7 years (82%, n = 2277). In multivariable regression models, participants living further from work were less likely to take up active commuting and those living in neighbourhoods with more streetlights were more likely to take up active commuting (both p < 0.05). Findings for maintenance were similar: participants living further from work (over 10 km, OR: 0.06; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.13) and had a main or secondary road on route were more likely to maintain their active commuting (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.98). Those living in neighbourhoods with greater density of employment locations were less likely to maintain their active commuting.ConclusionsCo-locating residential and employment centres as well as redesigning urban areas to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists may encourage active commuting. Future evaluative studies should seek to assess the effects of redesigning the built environment on active commuting and physical activity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4396-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal associations between built environment characteristics and changes in active commuting

Yang

Griffin

Khaw³

et al. 2017

BMC Public Health

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“…It is well established that the presence of streetlighting reduces crash risk at night. A Cochrane review of road lighting and crashes demonstrated that installing streetlighting on unlit roads can reduce nighttime crash risk by 55% . However, the majority of studies included in this review were published prior to 1990 and thus did not include newer streetlight technologies, and the review authors also acknowledged that risk of bias and confounding factors was high, given the lack of randomised controlled trials.…”

Section: Driving Under Nighttime Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nighttime driving: visual, lighting and visibility challenges

Wood

2019

Ophthalmic Physiologic Optic

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Purpose Nighttime driving is dangerous and is one of the most challenging driving situations for most drivers. Fatality rates are higher at night than in the day when adjusted for distances travelled, particularly for crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. Although there are multiple contributory factors, the low light levels at night are believed to be the major cause of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists at night, most likely due to their reduced visibility. Understanding the visibility problems involved in nighttime driving is thus critical, given the increased risk to road safety. Recent Findings This review discusses research that highlights key differences in the nighttime road environment compared to the day and how this affects visual function and driving performance, together with an overview of studies investigating how driver age and visual status affect nighttime driving performance. Research that has focused on the visibility of vulnerable road users at nighttime (pedestrians and cyclists) is also included. Summary Collectively, the research evidence suggests that visual function is reduced under the mesopic lighting conditions of night driving and that these effects are exacerbated by increasing age and visual impairment. Light and glare from road lighting and headlights have significant impacts on vision and night driving and these effects are likely to change with evolving technologies, such as LED streetlighting and headlights. Research also highlights the importance of the visibility of vulnerable road users at night and the role of retroreflective clothing in the ‘biomotion’ configuration for improving their conspicuity and hence safety.

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“…An ethics review board would hardly accept an experiment in which street-lights are turned off on highways at night in order to determine the effects on the incidence of accidents-it is already well-known that the number of accidents will increase (Beyer and Ker 2009). In contrast, a highways agency may decide to turn off the lights in order to save money and energy.…”

Section: An Argument For Reversing the Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Do we Need a Special Ethics for Research?

Hansson

2009

Sci Eng Ethics

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Research is subject to more stringent ethical requirements than most other human activities, and a procedure that is otherwise allowed may be forbidden in research. Hence, risk-taking is more restricted in scientific research than in most non-research contexts, and privacy is better protected in scientific questionnaires than in marketing surveys. Potential arguments for this difference are scrutinized. The case in its favour appears to be weak. A stronger case can be made in favour of a difference in the opposite direction: If perilous or otherwise problematic activities have to be performed it is usually better to perform them in a research context where they are properly evaluated so that guidance is obtained for the future. However, retreating from current ethical demands on research is not a desirable direction to go. Instead, research ethics can serve to inspire the introduction of more stringent ethical principles in other social sectors.

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Street lighting for preventing road traffic injuries

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Longitudinal associations between built environment characteristics and changes in active commuting

Longitudinal associations between built environment characteristics and changes in active commuting

Nighttime driving: visual, lighting and visibility challenges

Do we Need a Special Ethics for Research?

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