DRIVER INJURY IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CERTAIN CAR MODELS

THE VARIATION IN INJURY TO UNBELTED DRIVERS INVOLVED IN CRASHES WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS CAR MAKES AND MODELS IS DETERMINED. DATA WERE EXTRACTED FROM A POOL OF REPORTS ON 270 THOUSAND VEHICLES INVOLVED IN CRASHES IN NORTH CAROLINA IN 1966 AND 1968. DRIVER INJURY IN EACH CAR MAKE WAS COMPARED TO DRIVER INJURY IN THE AGGREGATE OF ALL VEHICLES AND THE COMPARISONS WERE MADE ON THE BASIS OF A SET OF CRASH CIRCUMSTANCES, SIMILAR AS TO SPEED, IMPACT SITE, AND ACCIDENT TYPE. INDEX SCORES FOR MANY MAKE-YEAR COMBINATIONS WERE CALCULATED. IT WAS FOUND THAT INDICES RANGED AMONG CAR MODELS FROM 50 OR LESS (HALF AS FREQUENT INJURY AS IN THE AGGREGATE) UP TO 200 OR MORE (TWICE AS FREQUENT INJURY AS IN THE AGGREGATE). INJURY VALUES TENDED (AS WOULD BE EXPECTED) TO BE LESS FREQUENT AMONG HEAVIER CARS AND MORE FREQUENT AMONG LIGHTER CARS, AND TO BE LESS FREQUENT AMONG LATER MODEL CARS AND MORE FREQUENT AMONG EARLIER MODEL CARS. IN TERMS OF BODY STYLE, AMONG THE STANDARD CHEVROLET, FORD, AND PLYMOUTH, DRIVERS OF STATION WAGONS AND HARDTOPS WERE INJURED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FREQUENTLY THAN IN THE AGGREGATE. /AUTHOR/

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 125 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00221236
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
  • Report/Paper Numbers: HS-009 385
  • Files: HSL, TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 25 1983 12:00AM