25. Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. By D. B. Rubin. ISBN 0 471 08705 X. Wiley, Chichester, 1987. 258 pp. £30.25.

Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys

Mobile phone use is banned or illegal under certain circumstances and in some jurisdictions. Nevertheless, some people still use their mobile phones despite recognized safety concerns, legislation, and informal bans. Drawing potential predictors from the addiction literature, this study sought to predict usage and, specifically, problematic mobile phone use from extraversion, self-esteem, neuroticism, gender, and age. To measure problem use, the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale was devised and validated as a reliable self-report instrument, against the Addiction Potential Scale and overall mobile phone usage levels. Problem use was a function of age, extraversion, and low self-esteem, but not neuroticism. As extraverts are more likely to take risks, and young drivers feature prominently in automobile accidents, this study supports community concerns about mobile phone use, and identifies groups that should be targeted in any intervention campaigns.

Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use

Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death and disability globally, with a disproportionate number occurring in developing countries. 1 2 Road traffic injuries are currently ranked ninth globally among the leading causes of disability adjusted life years lost, and the ranking is projected to rise to third by 2020.1 In 1998, developing countries accounted for more than 85% of all deaths due to road traffic crashes globally and for 96% of all children killed.2 Moreover, about 90% of the disability adjusted life years lost worldwide due to road traffic injuries occur in developing countries.1 The problem is increasing at a fast rate in developing countries due to rapid motorisation and other factors (fig 1).3 However, public policy responses to this epidemic have been muted at national and international levels. Policy makers need to recognise this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses.

#### Summary points

Injury and deaths due to road traffic crashes are a major public health problem in developing countries

More than 85% of all deaths and 90% of disability adjusted life years lost from road traffic injuries occur in developing countries

Among children aged 0-4 and 5-14 years, the number of fatalities per 100 000 population in low income countries was about six times greater than in high income countries in 1998

The highest burden of injuries and fatalities is borne disproportionately by poor people in developing countries, as pedestrians, passengers of buses and minibuses, and cyclists



Fig 1 
Trends in fatalities due to road traffic injuries for different regions of the world, 1980-95. Data from Transport Research Laboratory3



Road traffic injuries in developing countries particularly affect the productive (working) age group (15-44 years) and children. (A developing country is defined as a country that has an annual per …

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/324/7346/1139.full.pdf

The neglected epidemic: road traffic injuries in developing countries

Objectives To explore the effect of drivers’ use of mobile (cell) phones on road safety. Design A case-crossover study. Setting Perth, Western Australia. Participants 456 drivers aged ≥ 17 years who owned or used mobile phones and had been involved in road crashes necessitating hospital attendance between April 2002 and July 2004. Main outcome measure Driver’s use of mobile phone at estimated time of crash and on trips at the same time of day in the week before the crash. Interviews with drivers in hospital and phone company’s records of phone use. Results Driver’s use of a mobile phone up to 10 minutes before a crash was associated with a fourfold increased likelihood of crashing (odds ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval 2.2 to 7.7, P < 0.001). Risk was raised irrespective of whether or not a hands-free device was used (hands-free: 3.8, 1.8 to 8.0, P < 0.001; hand held: 4.9, 1.6 to 15.5, P = 0.003). Increased risk was similar in men and women and in drivers aged ≥ 30 and < 30 years. A third (n = 21) of calls before crashes and on trips during the previous week were reportedly on hand held phones.

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/331/7514/428.full.pdf

Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study

This report provides a comprehensive review of the current research on driver distractions deriving from within the vehicle. The impact of technology ( e.g., mobile phones and route guidance systems) and non technology-based distractions (e.g., eating, smoking and conversing with passengers) on driving performance is examined and the relative influence of these distractions on driving is discussed. Approximately one quarter of vehicle crashes in the United States are estimated to result from the driver being inattentive or distracted. Whilst the full extent to which distraction is a causal factor in vehicle crashes in Australia is not yet known, there is converging evidence that it likely to be a significant problem here. As more wireless communication, entertainment and driver assistance systems proliferate the vehicle market, the prevalence of distraction-related crashes here and overseas is expected to escalate. The various methods that have been employed to measure driver distraction are examined and those measurement techniques that appear most promising in being able to accurately measure in-vehicle distraction are identified. In the final section of the report, recommendations for research and for the management of driver distraction are provided as a first step in stimulating development of a national agenda for dealing with this issue.

Driver distraction: A review of the literature

Wireless telephones and the risk of road crashes.

OBJECTIVE: The US and some Canadian government agencies have waived commercial license restrictions for some insulin-using diabetic drivers However, the US Federal Highway Administration is no longer giving waivers Scientific evidence to support such regulations has been sparse This article presents detailed analyses of crash risks for users and nonusers of insulin among diabetic truck-permit holders in Quebec, Canada RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Diabetic truck-permit holders were group-matched by age to a random sample of healthy permit holders Data on permits, medical conditions, and crashes involving 13,453 permit holder-years in 1987-1990 were extracted from the files of the public insurer for automobile injuries in Quebec Additional health status data were obtained from the provincial public health insurer A telephone survey was conducted to collect data on driving patterns and exposure Risk ratios were estimated using negative binomial regression models RESULTS: Risk ratios for crashes vary by category of diabetes Permit holders for single-unit trucks (STs) who are diabetic without complications and not using insulin have an increased crash risk of 168 when compared with healthy permit holders of the same permit class When controlling for risk exposure, commercial drivers with an ST permit and the same diabetic condition have an increased risk of 176 Insulin use is not associated with higher crash risk CONCLUSIONS: The increased crash risk for the group with uncomplicated diabetes not using insulin is a new finding The lack of consistent increases in crash risks among diabetic commercial drivers with complications or who use insulin may be a "healthy worker effect" masking the real risk, because these licensees have a lower participation rate as professional drivers

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/23/5/612.full.pdf

Impact of diabetes on crash risks of truck-permit holders and commercial drivers.

https://www.cirrelt.ca/DocumentsTravail/CIRRELT-2008-48.pdf

Occupant injury severity from lateral collisions: A literature review

The ability and willingness of health care workers to report for work during a pandemic are essential to pandemic response The main contribution of this article is to examine the relationship between risk perception of personal and work activities and willingness to report for work during an influenza pandemic Data were collected through a quantitative Web-based survey sent to health care workers on the island of Montreal Respondents were asked about their perception of various risks to obtain index measures of risk perception A multinomial logit model was applied for the probability estimations, and a factor analysis was conducted to compute risk perception indexes (scores) Risk perception associated with personal and work activities is a significant predictor of intended presence at work during an influenza pandemic This means that correcting perceptual biases should be a public policy concern These results have not been previously reported in the literature Many organizational variables are also significant

Health Care Workers’ Risk Perceptions and Willingness to Report for Work during an Influenza Pandemic

The main goal of this research is to measure the effect of certain medical and optometric standards on traffic safety, on the private costs of trucking firms, and on the total or social costs incurred. More specifically, we want to check whether existing standards are linked to the significant factors used in calculating the rates of trucking accidents1 (frequency and severity). In other words, do truck drivers with diabetes mellitus, coronary disease, visual impairment, or high blood pressure have a significantly higher accident rate and more serious accidents than drivers who are officially in good health. We also want to check what impact these potentially higher levels of the frequency and severity of accidents may have on the reimbursements made by private insurance companies and on the net costs for trucking firms. The social or total costs for society are also included in our research protocol. The data from the study have made it possible to establish statistical links between truckers’ risk exposure and their accident rates. The results of this research are relevant to traffic safety regulations, because trucking accidents generate important externalities for society.

Analysis of The Economic Impact of Medical and Optometric Driving Standards on Costs Incurred by Trucking Firms and on the Social Costs of Traffic Accidents

Stéphane Messier

Papers

Wireless telephones and the risk of road crashes.

Impact of diabetes on crash risks of truck-permit holders and commercial drivers.

Occupant injury severity from lateral collisions: A literature review

Health Care Workers’ Risk Perceptions and Willingness to Report for Work during an Influenza Pandemic

Analysis of The Economic Impact of Medical and Optometric Driving Standards on Costs Incurred by Trucking Firms and on the Social Costs of Traffic Accidents