MEASUREMENT IN TRAFFIC SAFETY

THE FEASIBILITY IS INVESTIGATED OF APPLYING COST/ EFFECTIVENESS TREATMENT TO TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAMS. THE TRANSITION FROM BASIC DATA TO QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS OF THE TYPE NEEDED TO EVALUATE TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAMS IS EXAMINED. FOUR GENERAL TYPES OF MEASUREMENTS ARE IDENTIFIED AND DISCUSSED: (1) THOSE BASED ON GROSS STATISTICS THAT REVEAL THE MAGNITUDES OF THE VARIOUS PROBLEM AREAS IN TRAFFIC SAFETY, (2) THOSE THAT SEEK TO QUANTIFY CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS, OR DEGREES OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND THE OCCURANCE OF ACCIDENTS, (3) THOSE PERTAINING TO COSTS OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT, AND (4) THOSE THAT GAUGE THE BENEFITS AND EFFECTS THAT RESULT FROM APPLYING A PROGRAM. ATTENTION IS DEVOTED TO WAYS OF MODELLING THE UNDERLYING STRUCTURE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY ELEMENTS AND EXAMPLES PERTAINING TO VARIOUS ASPECTS OF MEASUREMENT. THE USE OF GROSS STATISTICS IS ILLUSTRATED TO IDENTIFY THE MAJOR ACCIDENT TYPES. THE ALCOHOL PROBLEM IS DESCRIBED WITH EMPHASIS ON ITS MEASUREMENT IMPLICATIONS. A PROBLEM IS PROPOSED FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRIVER EDUCATION AND IT IS SHOWN HOW A TRAFFIC SAFETY CAMPAIGN MIGHT BE EVALUATED. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THE MEASUREMENT PHASE CONTRIBUTES TO THE SERIOUS DEFICIENCIES OF DATA IN THE AREA OF TRAFFIC SAFETY.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Ii & 97 Pp, 8 FIG, 3 TAB, 19 REF, 4 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  Little (Arthur D), Incorporated

  Acorn Park
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02140
• Publication Date: 1966-11-4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohols; Benefit cost analysis; Driver training; Measurement; Statistical analysis; Traffic safety; Traffic safety education
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Education and Training; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219942
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 24 1994 12:00AM