IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING OF COUNTERMEASURES FOR SPECIFIC ALCOHOL ACCIDENT TYPES AND PROBLEMS-VOLUME III: THE HEAVY TRUCK ALCOHOL PROBLEM

This report summarizes the results of work conducted during 1979 pertaining to the scope and nature of the heavy truck alcohol problem. Included in a review of literature available at that time, a detailed examination of the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), and an examination of prospective countermeasure concepts to address the problem. The search of literature and other informational sources revealed that rather little was available on the scope or nature of the drinking-driver problem among heavy truck drivers. Studies using police reports indicated that about two percent of the accident-involved truck drivers were alcohol-impaired while studies using blood tests and small samples indicated that 25-33 percent of fatally injured truck drivers had positive blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). Using FARS data from nine states where at least 80 percent of fatally-injured drivers are routinely tested for alcohol presence, 19 percent of the truck drivers had positive BACs. Regarding accident types, single-vehicle, road departure accidents, often at night, were found to be predominant for drinking truck drivers. Countermeasures examined include in-vehicle devices to monitor driving performance and provide feedback or warning information to the driver and deterrent approaches such as use of the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety (BMCS) regulatory structure to detect impaired drivers. Feasibility determination was limited because of the lack of appropriate data defining the problems and the specific individuals involved. Suggestions for future data collections are presented.

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• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1402
• Corporate Authors:

  Calspan Field Services, Incorporated

  P.O. Box 400, 4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14225

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • RANNEY, T A
  • PERCHONOK, K
  • Pollack, L E
• Publication Date: 1984-12

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 117 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Driver performance; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Edge lines; Frontal crashes; Highway curves; Measures of effectiveness; Personnel performance; Rear end crashes; Road shoulders; Rumble strips; Single vehicle crashes; Tracking systems; Truck drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Tracking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00396301
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: 6551-Y Final Rpt., HS-806 651
• Contract Numbers: DOT-HS-9-02085
• Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 31 1985 12:00AM