A COLLECTION OF RECENT ANALYSES OF VEHICLE WEIGHT AND SAFETY. NHTSA TECHNICAL REPORT

This report documents the results of an analysis of the effect of car weight on safety. The analysis encompassed a number of crash modes including fatality risk in single-vehicle nonrollover crashes, serious injury and fatality risk in car-to-car crashes, and serious injury risk in collisions of cars with medium/heavy trucks. This work was undertaken as part of an effort to study the long-term effects of the major reductions in passenger car weight of the 1970's and 1980's. Data from the State of Texas for accident years 1984 through 1987 and the State of Maryland for accident years 1984 through 1988 were used. The analysis employed logistic regression methods to model the (conditional) risk of serious injury as a function of a number of accident-level and person-level covariates. The findings of these analyses are as follows: In car-to-car crashes, the change in injury rate associated with the reduction in vehicle fleet weight from 3,700 to 2,700 pounds has been estimated from the Texas data to be an additional 14%. The Maryland data produced an estimated increase in the serious driver injury rate of 4% for the shift from a 3,700 to a 2,700 pound average fleet weight. The impact on fatal injuries was not statistically significant, possibly due to a paucity of state data for fatally injured drivers. In collisions involving cars and medium/heavy trucks, the change in the serious injury rate associated with the reduction in vehicle fleet weight from 3,700 to 2,700 pounds has been estimated from the Texas data to be an increase of approximately 11%. For single-vehicle nonrollover crashes, the change in fatal injury rate associated with the reduction in vehicle fleet weight from 3,700 to 2,700 pounds has been estimated from the Texas data to be an increase of approximately 10%.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Statistics and Analysis

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Klein, T M
  • Hertz, E
  • Borener, S
• Publication Date: 1991-5

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 21 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Crashes; Data analysis; Fatalities; Hazards; Injuries; Logistic regression analysis; Logistics; Mathematical analysis; Regression analysis; Risk assessment; Single vehicle crashes; Traffic safety; Trucks; Vehicle weight
• Geographic Terms: Maryland; Texas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Freight Transportation; Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00622634
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-807 677
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 30 1996 12:00AM