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ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: FATAL ACCIDENTS, HEAVY TRUCKS/CARS

In Sweden about 1200 persons are killed in traffic accidents every year. About 180 of these people lose their lives in accidents involving heavy trucks. 50% of these fatalities - about 90 - consiste of people travelling in cars. During the three years 1970 - 1972, the Traffic Safety Department has investigated 191 accidents between cars and heavy trucks in which at least one person has been killed. These 191 accidents make up about 70% of the total number of accidents of this type occurring during the three years. In order to receive more detailed information about this type of accident, we started a survey. Material for the survey was obtained from police reports, post mortem reports and also the vehicle register of the various Provincial Authorities. The intention of the work is to determine the section of a truck with which a car generally comes into impact and to obtain an impact pattern in this way. The objective of this survey is to arrive at technical solutions on Volvo trucks which prevent or soften up accidents. We have also appraised various environmental measures which we believe can have the same effects. The part played by the truck in connection with accidents should be viewed against the number of hours the truck is used on the road, in other words the extent to which it is exposed for the risk of accidents in comparison with other types of vehicles so that the result assumes correct proportions. It would also be desirable to obtain information about mileages driven or the number of hours in traffic per year sub-divided according to the age of the car driver. Unfortunately statistics in this field are very defective. This deprives us of the possibility of using the survey to produce statistically confirmed conclusions. We hope that statistics will improve in the future so that similar surveys can be carried out more exactly. We should also like to take this opportunity to thank the National Swedish Road Safety Office and also the various police districts for all the assistance we have received in connection with the basic material for this survey.

  • Corporate Authors:

    VOLVO (FIRM) VOLVO, AB VOLVE, BUS DIVISION

    S.L.:
    ,    
  • Authors:
    • HOGSTROM, K
    • Svensson, L
    • Thorngvist, B
  • Publication Date: 1974-12

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; Photos;
  • Pagination: 24 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00148998
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Report Number 2
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 27 1977 12:00AM