MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS IN TRAFFIC SAFETY

SOME OF THE MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS IN TRAFFIC SAFETY ARE REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED TO IDENTIFY THE COUNTERMEASURE AREAS WHERE PAYOFF IS GREATEST IN TERMS OF INJURY AND DEATH REDUCTION. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THE END RESULTS OF INJURY AND DEATH ARE INFLUENCED BY MANY FACTORS IN ADDITION TO THOSE THAT DETERMINE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CRASH. THE PROBLEMS OF THE SOCIAL DRINKER, THE MAN BEHIND THE WHEEL, PEDESTRIAN CONTROL AND DRIVER EDUCATION ARE DISCUSSED. TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING A PREVENTION EFFORT ARE THE LACK OF DATA ON PARTICULAR CAUSES AND THE DIFFICULTY OF CROSS- CLASSIFYING DATA THAT DO EXIST. EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN SHOWING THAT ACCIDENTS HAVE MULTIPLE CAUSES AND THAT MULTIPLE REMEDIAL ACTIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR PREVENTION. COST EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION ARE POSSIBLE ONLY BY USING VARIOUS SETS OF COUNTERMEASURES APPLIED IN COMBINATION, SINCE THERE IS NO WAY OF ASSESSING THE VALUE OF VARIOUS TRADE-OFFS AMONG COUNTERMEASURES ON AN A PRIORI BASIS. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE NEED FOR GREATER STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF ACCIDENTS AND THE NEED TO INCREASE THE RELIABILITY OF STATISTICS.

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrnews/hr-news-31-01.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 31, pp 52-63, 43 REF. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Tarrants, W E
• Publication Date: 1968

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 52-63
• Serial:
  • Highway Research News
  • Issue Number: 31

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Crash causes; Driver training; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Highway safety; Injuries; Pedestrian safety; Prevention; Safety; Statistical analysis; Traffic safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Pedestrian protection
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219978
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 10 1994 12:00AM