VEHICLE DESIGN ELEMENTS AFFECTING TRAFFIC SAFETY ROAD SYSTEM / CHARACTER STUDY

VSDSS REPORT #10 DEALT WITH THE RELATIONSHIP OF ROAD AND ROAD CHARACTER TO ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. ROAD SYSTEMS WERE CLASSIFIED AS LIMITED ACCESS ROADS (EXPRESSWAYS), STATE HIGHWAYS, PRIVATE, COUNTY, AND TOWN ROADS AND MUNICIPAL STREETS. ROAD CHARACTER WAS DEFINED BY ROAD CURVATURE AND GRADIENT. OTHER STUDY VARIABLES INCLUDED DRIVER AGE, SEASON, AND SEVERITY OF ACCIDENT. STUDY FINDINGS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: (1) ALL AGE GROUPS HAD MORE WINTER AND LESS SUMMER ACCIDENTS THAN EXPECTED EXCEPT MAINLY FOR STRAIGHT AND LEVEL ROADS WHERE THE CONVERSE WAS TRUE. (2) ON TOWN AND MUNICIPAL ROADS AGED 16-29 DRIVERS HAD MORE ACCIDENTS THAN EXPECTED ON CURVED AND GRADED ROADS, OLDER DRIVERS HAD THEIR PROBLEMS ON THESE ROADS' STRAIGHT AND LEVEL STRETCHES. (3) LIMITED ACCESS, STATE HIGHWAY AND COUNTY ROAD SYSTEMS HAVE PROPORTIONATELY MORE FATAL AND SERIOUS ACCIDENTS THAN OTHER ROAD SYSTEMS. (4) ROAD SYSTEMS DIFFERED IN THEIR EXPECTED SEVERITY OF ACCIDENTS. (5) MOST SEVERE ACCIDENTS OCCUR ON ROADS OF A CURVED NATURE AND ON COUNTY ROAD SYSTEMS. (6) THE GREATEST PERCENT OF SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENTS OCCUR TO DRIVERS 16-29 YEARS OF AGE AND ESPECIALLY ON TOWN AND COUNTY ROADS. (7) DRIVERS 16-29 YEARS OF AGE GENERALLY HAVE MORE ACCIDENTS THAN EXPECTED ON THOSE ROAD SYSTEMS WHERE THE ROAD CHARACTER IS CURVED AND/OR GRADED. THE OLDER DRIVERS GENERALLY HAVE MORE ACCIDENTS THAN EXPECTED ON ROADS OF A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL NATURE. THIS PATTERN IS TRUE FOR BOTH SEASONS. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

  Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
  Albany, NY  United States  12228
• Authors:
  • Riley, R K
• Publication Date: 1971-5

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 19 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; County roads; Crash rates; Crash severity; Freeways; Highway curves; Highway grades; Slopes; State highways
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223837
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 7 1972 12:00AM