A DIFFERENT LOOK AT AMERICA'S HIGHWAY ACCIDENT RECORD

The author attempts to explain why accidents have not increased when there are more drivers, driving more vehicles for a greater number of miles. The national speed limit of 55 mile/h introduced in 1973 has eliminated and minimised many serious accidents. Commuters have increased their usage of public transport and car pooling schemes, other changes in driving habits such as the end of the Sunday drive have helped. Drivers today are more knowledgeable, benefiting from better education programmes and experience. Safety features in modern cars are more effective in minimising injury and vehicle failure is seldom the cause of an accident. Highway engineering has improved greatly with the advent of dual carriageways, crash barriers and hard shoulders. Enforcement of the traffic laws, now more suitable to modern conditions, has also increased the safety of road travel. Economics have also affected the driving habits of drivers. The high cost of petrol has led to the use of smaller cars, which although having better handling are more likely to suffer serious damage in collisions. However some 50000 people are still killed per year and many lives could still be saved by a coordinated effort by industry, public authorities and the driving public.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00132942
• Corporate Authors:

  Athens Center for Ekistics

  P.O. Box 471
  Athens 13L,   Greece 
• Authors:
  • Matthias, H
• Publication Date: 1984-4-5

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 256-259
• Serial:
  • Ekistics
  • Volume: 51
  • Issue Number: 306
  • Publisher: Athens Technological Organization
  • ISSN: 0013-2942

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: 55 mph speed limit; Automobiles; Behavior; Car pooling (Railroads); Carpools; Costs; Crash rates; Crashes; Drivers; Economics; Fatalities; Fuels; Highway engineering; Highways; Improvements; Injury severity; Law enforcement; Prevention; Public transit; Safety; Speed limits; Traffic crashes; Traffic law enforcement; Traffic safety; Vehicle safety
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Vehicular safety
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1661: Accident prevention; 1612: Accident rate; 9001: Behaviour; 1243: Car; 1119: Car pooling; 224: Cost; 1772: Driver; 1534: Enforcement (law); 3850: Fuel; 2755: Highway; 9108: Improvement; 744: Public transport; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 624: Speed limit; 8122: USA
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Finance; Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00399399
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM