A CAMPER ACCIDENT STUDY

A LEGAL LITERARY SEARCH SHOWED THAT OTHER STATES HAVE LITTLE OR NO LEGISLATION REGARDING CAMPERS AND THAT VERY LITTLE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE REGARDING THE SAFETY OF CAMPERS. A SEARCH OF THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL STATEWIDE ACCIDENT RECORDS FOR JANUARY THROUGH JULY 1970 RESULTED IN LOCATING 511 FATAL AND INJURY MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS INVOLVING 512 CAMPERS. THOSE 512 CAMPERS REPRESENTED 3.8% OF THE TOTAL PICKUP AND PANEL TRUCKS INVOLVED IN FATAL AND INJURY ACCIDENTS DURING THE SAME PERIOD AND 0.3% WHEN COMPARED WITH THE TOTAL VEHICLES INVOLVED IN FATAL AND INJURY ACCIDENTS OCCURRING FROM JANUARY THROUGH JULY 1969. THERE WERE 488 PERSONS INJURED IN THE CAMPERS INVOLVED IN THESE ACCIDENTS. OF THESE, 338 (69%) WERE IN THE CAMPER CAB AND 150 (31%) WERE IN THE CAMPER UNIT. SIXTEEN (3%) OF THE CAMPER VICTIMS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN 18 (3.5%) OF THE ACCIDENTS WAS A FLAT OR BLOWN OUT TIRE ON THE CAMPER. ONLY TWO WERE ON THE FRONT WHEELS; THE OTHER 16 WERE ON THE REAR WHEELS. THE DEPARTMENTS PASSENGER VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM SURVEYS SHOWED FEWER AVERAGE VIOLATIONS PER CAMPER INSPECTED THAN FOR TOTAL VEHICLES INSPECTED, POSSIBLY BECAUSE THEY WERE NEWER. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 56 Pp, Tabs
• Corporate Authors:

  Calfornia Highway Patrol

  P.O. Box 942898
  Sacramento, CA  United States  94298-0001
• Publication Date: 1970-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Camping; Crashes; Fatalities; Injuries; Laws; Pickup trucks; Reviews; Tires; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Violations
• Old TRIS Terms: Campers; Pickups
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223583
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 1 1971 12:00AM