THE EFFECTS OF AUTOMOBILE INSPECTIONS ON ACCIDENT RATES

The Auto Check sample consisted of 8,494 vehicles. These vehicles were involved in 753 accidents during the 21 months. The uninspected sample consisted of 32,284 vehicles. These vehicles were involved in 4,233 accidents. In summary, the accident rate of the Huntsville vehicles inspected by Auto Check was significantly lower than the uninspected vehicles. The first technique compared the accident rate of Auto Check inspected vehicles against the accident rates for the local population of uninspected vehicles. This technique is the same one used in Reference 1 and indicates that the inspected vehicles had a 9.1% lower accident rate than the unispected vehicles. The second technique compared the growth in accident rates as the mechanical condition of selected vehicles degraded. The majority of participants had their vehicles inspected only once. These vehicles had an initial accident rate 9.2% lower than the uninspected vehicles. However, as time passed, these vehicles degraded normally to a condition equivalent to uninspected vehicles. After this degradation, their accident rate was the same as the uninspected vehicles suggesting that a minumum of a 9.2% reduction in accident rates is possible. The third technique compared the accident rates of the Auto Check inspected vehicles prior to and after inspection (and presumably repair). This technique indicated that post inspection accident rate dropped 11.8%. The Auto Check vehicles involved in accidents had significantly higher percentages of substandard safety critical systems than those Auto Check vehicles that were not involved in accidents. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Related Report: SRIS 771-86 entitled A Comparison of the Accident Rates of Auto Check Vehicles Versus Uninspected Vehicles.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Alabama, Huntsville

  Johnson Environmental and Energy Center
  Huntsville, AL  United States  35807
• Authors:
  • Schroer, B J
  • Peyton, W F
• Publication Date: 1977-8-31

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 86 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Automobiles; Crash rates; Inspection; Motor vehicles; Safety; Vehicle performance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00178506
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: Report No. UAH 202 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-HS-5-01056-Mod.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 14 1978 12:00AM