PILOT STUDY OF HOUSETRAILER AND TRUCK CAMPER SAFETY PHASE II

THE SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSETRAILERS AND TRUCK CAMPERS WERE INVESTIGATED BY MEANS OF ACCIDENT DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, A MAIL SURVEY OF CALIFORNIA HOUSETRAILER OWNERS, AND WIND TUNNEL TESTING OF TRUCK CAMPER MODELS. THE ACCIDENT DATA IN THE FORM OF ACCIDENT REPORTS CAME FROM THREE SOURCES: THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, THE NEW MEXICO STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT, ONTARIO, CANADA. THE ANALYSES OF THESE REPORTS SHOW A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AMONG THE HOUSETRAILERS AND TRUCK CAMPERS, WHICH INDICATES THAT THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE HANDLING AND CONTROL PROBLEMS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THESE VEHICLES SHOW LOW RATES OF ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT IN TERMS OF MILAGE EXPOSURE, AT LEAST IN THE CALIFORNIA SAMPLE. THE DATA GATHERED IN THE WIND TUNNEL TESTS INDICATE THAT RELATIVELY LARGE AERODYNAMIC FORCES ARE INVOLVED IN TRUCK CAMPER OPERATIONS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract No B-1-44
• Corporate Authors:

  Itte, Calif Univ, Los Angeles

  ,    
• Authors:
  • WOJCIK, C K
  • Mellinger, R L
• Publication Date: 1971-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 198 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Camper trucks; Data collection; Mobile homes; Safety; Single vehicle crashes; Surveys; Traffic crashes; Wind tunnels
• Old TRIS Terms: Truck campers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219773
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: California Department of Public Works
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 25 1973 12:00AM