THE DRIVER'S VISION AND GENERAL HEALTH AS FACTOR IN FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS IN CROSSING

The statements regarding fatal motor vehicle accidents at crossings during 1970 and 1971 worked out by the Traffic Insurance Companies were examined in the light of military medical cards received from the Headquarters of the Finnish Army. Within this period, 163 drivers were involved in 82 fatal accidents at crossings. The Board of Enquiry considered that the main cause in the accidents was an error of judgment or lack of due care in traffic. The degree of elegibility for active military service was reduced in every fifth driver. In ordinary conscription material, the percentage is 13. In more than half of the accidents, one driver was over 60 years old, or his health was chronically defective. Decreased visual acuity was shown to exist in 15 cases (18.5%). In ten of the cases, one eye was amblyopic. The side with the weaker eye was more dangerous. Motor defects such as polyarthritis of the limbs may have cuased problems in four of the accidents. In three cases, mental disorders may have had an influence on the accident situation. Three drivers suffered from defective hearing and six from chronic circulatory or respiratory diseases. /Author/SRIS/

• Corporate Authors:

  Int'l Congress on Vision and Road Safety, First

  Int'l Assn for Accident & Traffic Medicine, 119 Karlavagen
  S-115 26 Stockholm,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • Casten, J
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 25-30
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Int'l Congress on Vision and Road Safety, First
  • Publisher: Int'l Congress on Vision and Road Safety, First

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Diseases and medical conditions; Drivers; Fatalities; Health; Hearing loss; Mental illness; Motor vehicles; Railroad grade crossings; Vision
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver age
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• Subject Areas: Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00153864
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 1977 12:00AM