AN ANALYSIS OF DRIVERS MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR FATAL ACCIDENTS VERSUS A CONTROL SAMPLE

An experimental driver sample consisting of 267 motor vehicle operators judged to have been 'most responsible' for a highway fatality in the greater Boston area was investigated. Also, a matched control sample of 801 operators never responsible for a fatal highway accident was collected. The experimental sample was evaluated from two differing perspectives: accident typology and alcohol involvement. The typology results showed 103 (38%) TYPE I accidents where the operator was killed; 63 (24%) TYPE II accidents where the operator survived the crash which resulted in the death of another vehicular occupant; and, 101 (38%) TYPE III accidents where the operator struck and killed a pedestrian. Samples were also analyzed to establish pre-identification and predictive variables to identify operators who might be potential candidates for a fatal highway accident. The variables most significant in the discriminant function analysis included: previous arrests for DWI and speeding, alcohol use patterns, levels of education and occupation. The results detailed a Boston Predictive Formula for identifying potentially high risk operators from the general population.

• 
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1136
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1147
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report on Traffic Accident Research Project.
• Corporate Authors:

  Boston University

  School of Law, 11 Ashburton Place
  Boston, MA  United States  02108

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1976-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 177 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Alcoholism; Behavior; Control groups; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Forecasting; Hallucinogenic drugs; Human characteristics; Performance evaluations; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics; Mortality; Motor vehicle accidents
• Geographic Terms: Massachusetts
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00137041
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: Pt. 2 Final Rpt., DOT-HS-801-916
• Contract Numbers: DOT-HS-310-3-595
• Files: NTIS, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 23 1976 12:00AM