Suchergebnisse

A controlled experiment was conducted to determine the relative importance of pedestrian, vehicle, and situational factors in influencing drivers to give way to crossing pedestrians. The following variables were combined in a complete factorial design: (1) type of crossing; (2) distance between oncoming vehicle and pedestrian; (3) orientation of pedestrian; (4) number of pedestrians; and (5) approach velocity of vehicle. Trained pedestrians performed the start of an ordinary street crossing attempt and interacted with regular drivers whose response was measured in terms of changes in vehicle velocity. The experiment was replicated at two sites for a total of 960 crossing trials. The results show that drivers slowed down, or stopped more, for crossing pedestrians when: (1) the approach speed of the vehicle was low; (2) the crossing took place on a marked crosswalk; (3) there was a relatively long distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian's point of entry into the road; (4) a group of pedestrians, rather than an individual, attempted to cross; and, (5) the pedestrian did not look at the approaching vehicle. Additionally, female drivers and older drivers slowed down more than other drivers. Implications of the results for pedestrian safety, road design, and further research are discussed.

SummaryIn a sample of 345 women aborting at a New York clinic, women having a repeat abortion had delayed significantly less in seeking abortion than had women aborting for the first time. Those having a repeat abortion were more likely to anticipate, suspect and acknowledge pregnancy, and to have located the abortion clinic more rapidly, once the decision to have an abortion was made. Psychological reactions to the decision did not differ between women having first and repeat abortions. The complex interactions of many of the factors involved in the decision-making process were examined by path analysis. Variables entering the path analysis explained 36·0 and 52·4% of the variance in delay for first and repeat abortions, respectively. The analyses suggest that women having repeat abortions come from at least three groups: (1) those whose contraceptive method failed because of technical failure; (2) those experiencing contraceptor failure due to social and personal interactions with the method not conducive to optimal contraceptive practice, and (3) those women who are not practising contraception and for whom repeated unwanted pregnancies may be a response to neurotic needs.