Heavy Trucks, Conspicuity Treatment, and the Decline of Collision Risk in Darkness

In Minahan and O'Day's 1977 analysis of fatal car-truck underride crashes in Michigan and Texas, most accidents were found to occur on straight rural roadways at night and a linkage was drawn between the visibility of heavy trucks and crash risk. Subsequent studies have also found that disproportionately more fatal crashes involving angle and rear-end collisions between cars and tractor-semitrailers occur at night. In 1980, the National Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a research program to examine truck conspicuity that resulted in the revision of safety standards for conspicuity treatments for tractor-semitrailers. In 2009, a phase-in of conspicuity treatments for tractor-semitrailers in the U.S. was completed; this paper uses logistic regression to analyze crash data from 1987 to 2009 to determine any change in the odds of a rear-end or angle crash occurring in darkness. Findings suggest that conspicuity treatments are most effective in reducing rear-end collisions (approximately 43% reduction) and moderately effective in reducing angle collisions (17% reduction) in darkness.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/20782681
• Authors:
  • Sullivan, John M
  • Flannagan, Michael J
• Publication Date: 2013-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 25-29
• Serial:
  • Accident Reconstruction Journal
  • Volume: 23
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists
  • ISSN: 1057-8153
  • Serial URL: https://www.napars.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash data; Crashes; Darkness; Heavy vehicles; Logistic regression analysis; Nighttime crashes; Rear end crashes; Side crashes; Trend (Statistics); Trucks; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01487361
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 18 2013 1:57PM