DRIVER AGE, CAR MASS AND ACCIDENT EXPOSURE - A SYNTHESIS OF AVAILABLE DATA

The tendency of younger drivers to be more likely than older drivers to drive smaller cars has been an important consideration in a number of prior investigations of the relation between car size and traffic safety. The purpose of the present study is to quantify this effect on a firmer basis than hitherto by fitting data from seven independent sources to a unified general model. More specifically, when the exposure measures "per unit distance of travel" or "per registered car" are used in studies of car mass effects on traffic safety, the exposure information often does not contain the variable driver age. This work develops a general procedure for disaggregating such exposure data into three driver (or owner) age categories; a1: 16-24; a2: 25-34; and a3: >35 years. Data from the seven sources are fitted to an equation where m is the car mass in kg, and f(i,m) is the fraction of cars of mass m which are driven (owned) by persons in the a1 (i=1,2,3) age category. The form of this equation permits easy comparison of 900 and 1800 kg cars. Those particular masses that have been chosen for illustrative comparisons in earlier work. The seven sets of data are used to derive overall average values of the parameters. The data from all seven sources show consistent effects which are summarized in one analytical expression which is well suited for use in future studies of car size effects because it reflects a synthesis of much prior data and it permits sensitivity analyses to be performed conveniently. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Evans, Leonard
• Publication Date: 1985-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 439-448
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Age; Compact automobiles; Crash exposure; Data analysis; Drivers; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Teenage drivers; Traffic safety; Vehicle size
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver age
• Old TRIS Terms: Small car
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1757: Age; 1243: Car; 8513: Classification; 9014: Dimension; 1772: Driver; 6473: Mathematical model; 1665: Safety; 292: Vehicle mile; 315: Vehicle ownership; 5485: Weight
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00465990
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-039 630
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1990 12:00AM