1. Home
  2. TRID
  3. View Record
https://trb-annual-meeting.nationalacademies.org/registration

A SAMPLING STUDY OF DRIVERS ON THE HIGHWAYS FOR THE 24-HOUR PERIOD

THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF EXPERIENCE IS PRESENTED OF A ROUND- THE-CLOCK SAMPLING TECHNIQUE DESIGNED TO THROW LIGHT ON THE DRIVING HABITS OF THE LICENSED POPULATION CONSIDERING AGE, SEX, SPEEDS, AGE OF CAR DRIVEN, AND RELATED FACTORS. IT WAS FOUND THAT SPEED AND AGE ARE INVERSELY RELATED AT TIMES WHEN THE TRAFFIC FLOW IS LIGHT. HEAVY TRAFFIC SEEMS TO CRAMP THE STYLE OF SPEED DEMONS. THIS CLASSIFICATION OF DRIVERS IS MOST HEAVILY CONSTITUTED OF MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 TO 24. IN ALL 51.3 PERCENT OF THE TRAFFIC OBSERVED ON RURAL HIGHWAYS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 0700 WAS IN THE 20-TO-29-YR.-OLD GROUP, MOSTLY THOSE 24 AND BELOW. THIS FIGURE MAY BE CONTRASTED WITH 26.3 AND 8.4 FOR THE 30-TO-39 AND 40-TO-49YR.-OLD GROUPS RESPECTIVELY. FURTHER IT MAY BE COMPARED WITH 22.6 PERCENT FOR THE SAME AGE GROUPS IN DAYLIGHT DRIVING AND 24.0 PERCENT FROM 1700 UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THE AVERAGE PERCENT OF WOMEN DRIVERS ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND THE CLOCK WAS FOUND TO BE 14.5 OF THE TOTAL. THEIR HEAVIEST DRIVING HOURS WERE BETWEEN 1400 AND 1600. TWO OTHER MINOR PEAK TRAFFIC PERIODS FOR WOMEN WERE NOTED AT 1800 AND 2100. WOMEN DRIVE SLIGHTLY MORE DURING MIDWEEK THAN ON WEEK ENDS. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF A BLOCK OF WILD DRIVERS CONSTITUTING ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE 20-TO-24-YR.-OLD GROUP WHO FLAGRANTLY AND DANGEROUSLY VIOLATE THE RULES OF DRIVING SAFELY FROM MIDNIGHT TO 0400. ONLY RARELY WERE EXCESSIVE SPEEDS NOTED AMONG OTHER AGE GROUPS OR AT OTHER HOURS OF THE DAY. THE MEAN SPEED FOR ALL MEN OBSERVED WAS 47.6 MPH. AT AN AVERAGE OF 36.2. THE MEAN SPEED OF DRIVERS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 0500 WAS 50.6 MPH. AT AN AVERAGE AGE 29.3. IF MEN UNDER 27 WERE TO REDUCE THEIR ACCIDENTS TO THE AVERAGE FOR ALL MEN DRIVING, THE ACCIDENT TOLL AND CONSEQUENT FATALITY LISTS OF THE STATE SHOULD BE CUT BY 12 PERCENT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT NIGHT SPEED LIMITS WOULD REDUCE THE HAZARDS TO THE PUBLIC FROM THIS GROUP ONLY BY THE STRICTEST ENFORCEMENT BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 0500 DAILY. PROVISIONAL LICENSES FOR DRIVERS UP TO 24 AND GOVERNORS ON CARS REQUIRED FOR PERSONS APPREHENDED EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMITS MIGHT REDUCE ACCIDENTS RESULTING FROM DRIVING AT SPEEDS TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS OR FOR THE DRIVER'S EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING. /AUTHOR/

  • Record URL:
  • Supplemental Notes:
    • No 73, pp 14-31, 2 FIG, 12 TAB, 2 REF Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
  • Authors:
    • Lauer, A R
  • Publication Date: 1953

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00223233
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Jul 27 1970 12:00AM