Injury analyses of fatal motorcycle collisions in south-east Scotland

The timing of death and pathological findings in fatal motorcycle accidents in south-east Scotland between 1987 and 1997 were investigated. Of the 59 motorcyclists who died, 38 were dead when found at the accident scene, six others were alive when found but died at the scene, two died in an ambulance in transit to hospital and 13 died after reaching hospital. Scoring of the injuries according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale revealed Injury Severity Scores (ISS) ranging from 25 to 75. Overall, injuries to the head, neck and chest were responsible for the most severe injuries. Twenty-five motorcyclists had injuries acknowledged to be unsurvivable (ISS = 75), most of which involved the thoracic aorta, brainstem and cervical spinal cord. The greatest potential to reduce the death rate amongst motorcyclists lies with accident prevention/injury reduction measures, rather than through improved treatment of injuries. Efforts to try to alter driving behaviour and to improve the design of vehicles and helmets need to continue.     

Death by motorcycle: background, behavioral, and situational correlates of fatal motorcycle collisions

Motorcycle fatalities in the United States continue to increase on both crude and adjusted bases. This paper examines fatal motorcycle accidents as a cause of death, using a retrospective analysis of motorcycle operator fatalities from 2003 to 2008 in the state of Indiana. During these six years, out of more than 18,000 motorcycle operators in crashes, 601 were killed. Based on police report data, motorcycle operators during this period are examined to reveal key factors that are in place when a motorcyclist is killed in a collision. The major correlates of death identified were objects of impact, risky behaviors, and speed. The largest positive effects on the chances of death were linked to trees, posts-signs-poles, bridge-guardrail-median, and other motor vehicles. In conjunction with speed, these objects were the primary mechanisms by which fatal injuries were sustained by motorcyclists. Various types of risky behavior were also major correlates of death by motorcycle.     

Displaced agendas: current regulatory strategies for germline gene therapy

Recent developments in biotechnology are radically affecting the nature of reproduction and the manner in which we approach disease. In particular, germline gene therapy, or the insertion of genetic material into cells while they are developing and dividing, offers the promise of eradicating genetic defects in humans during embryonic development. In this article, the authors argue that the social and ethical implications of the developments in the field of germline gene therapy have not yet received adequate consideration. Unlike previous technologies which targeted already-developed cells, germline gene therapy can potentially correct and eliminate genetic deficiencies at the developmental stages of a cell. This raises issues of genetic enhancement beyond the therapeutic applications of this technology. However, the authors submit that an established pattern of subordinating social and ethical issues to technical and scientific debate in the regulatory arena is repeating itself in the case of discussions over germline gene therapy. The authors suggest that the American scientific regulatory process fails to fully meet the challenges of this technology, particularly because social and ethical issues are not formally considered in the existing process. They therefore suggest that American regulatory agencies should look to the approach taken by Europe with regard to germline gene therapy as an emerging technology, and that it may be necessary to incorporate effective public debate over social and ethical concerns into a regulatory process which is primarily concerned only with the efficacy of new technologies.     

Drive-away policing and situational crime prevention in China: an analysis of motorcycle ban (jinmo) policy in Guangzhou

Using the example of motorcycle ban policy in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, this article examines how situational crime prevention strategies are used in contemporary urban China. The article argues that although a motorcycle ban policy may reduce motorcycle snatch theft (feiche qiangduo) in Guangzhou, it inevitably caused a problem of displacement. However, some types of displacement are desirable for local government. An argument about drive-away policing is proposed in this article to understand policing styles in contemporary China. In addition, the article argues that motorcycle ban, as a strategy to prevent snatch theft and robbery, is also a strategy to deal with the crisis in police legitimacy. Therefore, crime prevention in China has more social and political significance than just reducing crime.     

Identifying what works: Recent trends in crime prevention strategies

This paper reviews lessons learned from evaluations of crime prevention programs in the past three decades and discusses how crime prevention approaches have changed in terms of theory, research, evaluation, and public policy. We argue that present strategies of crime prevention may be best understood by tracing the failures of earlier American crime prevention efforts. The paper discusses different types of crime prevention strategies and draws upon examples from developmental, law enforcement, and criminal justice approaches. From this discussion emerges a set of principles for a new approach to crime prevention that is specific in terms of the problems addressed and the contexts examined. The paper concludes with examples of recent crime prevention strategies that utilize these lessons and that appear to have promising effects on crime. While these approaches suggest optimism in terms of the crime prevention potential of new strategies, we urge caution in that these new crime prevention efforts are at an early stage of development. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

交通事故中摩托车司乘人员致伤方式分析

通过对3例摩托车交通事故中司乘人员的损伤特征及车辆痕迹的检验结果比对,分析事故过程中摩托车司乘人员的运动过程及致伤方式,发现因其位置、姿势和应激状态不同,摩托车驾驶位乘员与后座乘员在碰撞、运动过程中损伤形成不同,其人体成伤机制、部位及程度与车辆相关部位的损害痕迹可以相互佐证,对于推断摩托车司乘人员的行为方式(谁是摩托车驾驶员)具有重要价值。进一步总结此类事故鉴定的共同特点,可为事故责任认定提供参考。     

Pulling levers focused deterrence strategies and the prevention of gun homicide

A number of jurisdictions have been experimenting with new problem-oriented policing frameworks to understand and respond to gun violence among gang-involved offenders. These interventions are based on the “pulling levers” deterrence strategy that focuses criminal justice and social service attention on a small number of chronically offending gang members responsible for the bulk of urban gun violence problems. Unfortunately, there is relatively little rigorous evaluation evidence on the effectiveness of these approaches to violence prevention. In Stockton, California, an interagency task force implemented a pulling levers strategy to prevent gun homicide among gang-involved offenders. A U.S. Department of Justice-sponsored impact evaluation suggests that the pulling levers strategy was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the monthly number of gun homicide incidents in Stockton. A comparative analysis of gun homicide trends in Stockton relative to other midsize California cities also supports a unique program effect associated with the pulling levers intervention.     

Fatal motorcycle accidents in the county of Funen (Denmark)

A study of motorcycle fatalities in the period 1977-1983 in the county of Funen, Denmark was compared with an analysis of data obtained from the Accident Register at the Odense University Hospital. Among the operators killed one fifth were illegally operating the motorcycle. A remarkable statistical difference in distribution of accidents involved motorcycles and the total distribution of motorcycles in the county was reported, thus finding an over-representation of heavy motorcycles in the present study. No important differences were found in the distribution of type of accidents compared to other studies. In the present study all but one victim were tested for blood-alcohol concentration (BAC). The results differ from previous studies in as much as 50% of the killed operators of an accident involving motorcycles had a BAC above 0.08%. The reported distribution by age, licensing experience and size of motorcycle in fatal motorcycle accidents seem to support introduction of a graduated licence depending on motorcycle size as well as operator age. Furthermore a limitation in the right to carry a pillion passenger should be considered, and the operator of the motorcycle carrying a pillion passenger should be held responsible for the passenger wearing a helmet.     

Compensation to landowners for use of bauxite lands in Jamaica: assessing the legal issues

Bauxite companies in Jamaica have increasingly begun to feel the ire of the owners of bauxite lands who believe that they have been denied reasonable compensation for the use of their lands by bauxite companies for the purposes of mining bauxite. The Mining Act speaks to the landowner being fairly and reasonably compensated for the damage done to the surface rights of the land during the bauxite mining process. It does not consider how a landowner should be compensated when the bauxite company unlawfully acquires the landowner’s property. Where property has been compulsorily acquired, the landowner must be adequately compensated.     

Clues in pedestrian-vehicle collisions and their significance for reconstruction of accidents

Investigations of clues in 87 fatal pedestrian-car accidents which took place with erect posture of the body are reported. Traces of paint proved to be most important clues transferred from the vehicle to the pedestrian's clothing. They derived from the outer paint layer of the collision sites at the front of the vehicle and occurred in 49% of the cases investigated. As has been shown by light and scanning electron microscopic investigations, there is intensive contact between the textile fibers and the paint traces which can be explained by action of heat in the collision. The higher the collision speed, the more readily paint is rubbed off. Because traces of rubbed off paint mark the site of the vehicle impact and indicate the color of the vehicle, they have a high evidence value for reconstruction of the accident. This also applies to traces of molten plastic material as well as to rubbed off chrome and rubber. In contrast to the prevalent view, paint splitters are unsuitable for determining the impact direction. Textile microtraces, traces of blood, hair and tissue occur as transferred clues from the pedestrian to the vehicle. These clues do not permit any statements with regard to the impact direction. They must be evaluated in connection with the remaining clues and the injuries.     

当前中国职业病防治问题的研究综述

通过对当前关于我国职业病防治问题研究的主题和方法进行综述,认为今后对职业病防治问题的研究,在研究主题方面,要立足于加强职业病防治体系建设的大背景,加大对职业病防治工作机制和职业病防治机构建设的关注与重视;在研究方法上要更加重视实证研究。     

北京市某区社会资本举办医疗机构现状及管理对策

本文首先对社会资本举办医疗机构的设置现状进行描述,进而分析其存在的问题,提出针对性的管理对策,为加强卫生法制建设,依法管理社会资本举办医疗机构提供建议。     

Attitudes toward sex and sex offences among Israeli and former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic youth: implication for prevention strategies for new immigrants

The phenomenon of sex offences among new immigrants from the former USSR is a source of concern in Israel. This research studied students from Israel (n = 257) and the Ukraine (n = 195) to learn about their system of social norms and values regarding sex and sex offences. For the purposes of this study, a new tool was structured and validated that examines attitudes toward 11 spheres of life connected with the research topic, such as the status of men and the victim's responsibility for rape. The principal findings show significant differences in the norms and values of the surveyed groups, reflecting negative norms among Ukrainian youth. Results are examined in light of the possible implications for understanding the phenomenon of sexual violence among immigrant youth from the former USSR and the appropriate methods for treating them in Israel. The discussion highlights possible implications for other countries that face similar issues.     

Gun Control in a Developing Nation: The Gun Court Act of Jamaica

Generally, the study of Third World crime can be approached from two acutely different theoretical perspectives. “Modernization” theory attempts to attribute crime in Third World societies to the rapid pace of industrialization and attempts to apply a variety of criminological theories that focus on the individual and the immediate social context of the actor. “Political economy/dependency” theory attempts to address the processes of imperialism and underdevelopment and the whole range of law violations and legal controls present in post-colonial societies.

This paper explains the Jamaican firearm crime problem, and the societal response to it, during the 1970's and early 1980's by applying the political economy/dependency theoretical framework. The legislative policy designed to curb increases in firearm crimes in Jamaica during the study period was the Gun Court Act. This mandatory piece of criminal legislation is examined in order to develop the connection between crime in underdeveloped nations and crime and social control.     

Revisiting the role of communication in adolescent intimate partner violence

A growing literature suggests that communication strategies can promote or inhibit intimate partner violence (IPV). Research on communication is still needed on a group ripe for early IPV intervention: high school-aged adolescents. This article revisits our previous analyses of young female reproductive clinic patients (Messinger, Davidson, & Rickert, 2011) by examining how the adolescent and young adult respondents differ. To explore replicability of the adolescent results across populations, they are compared to 487 adolescent female students sampled from four urban high schools. Across samples, all communication strategies were used more frequently within violent relationships. Multivariate analysis identified escalating strategies used and received as being positively associated with physical violence used and received in all three samples. Regarding verbal reasoning and temporary conflict avoidance, substantial differences appeared between the young adult and adolescent clinic samples, and results from the adolescent clinic sample were largely replicated with the adolescent school sample, suggesting that young adult samples in this literature are not adequate proxies for adolescents.     

Comparison of injuries sustained by drivers and pillion passengers in fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents

This study aimed to compare injuries sustained by motorcycle drivers with those sustained by pillion passengers in fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents. We examined 84 cases of fatal head-on motorcycle collision accidents, causing 79 deaths of drivers and 19 deaths of pillion passengers, using medical and medico-legal examination records. The distribution of superficial injuries, characteristic injuries, injury severity as well as fatal causes was evaluated and compared using χ(2) tests. The results revealed a significant difference in the distribution of superficial injuries between drivers and passengers. The proportions of injuries in the hand and perineum regions were significantly higher in drivers than passengers. Some characteristic superficial injuries on the palms, chest, abdomen as well as the perineum areas were observed in drivers, while none of these characteristic injuries were observed in pillion passengers. Drivers were found to have suffered more severe chest and abdomen injuries than passengers. In addition, there was a higher incidence of fatalities involving run-over injuries for drivers compared with pillion passengers. The proportion of fatal injuries related to tumbling was higher for passengers than for drivers. Overall, our results revealed a difference in injury severity, superficial injury distribution and characteristic injuries between drivers and passengers. Few characteristic injuries were found in pillion passengers. These findings could help to guide medico-legal examinations, particularly in identifying drivers among victims involved in traffic accidents.