ANALYSIS OF UNTRIPPED ROLLOVERS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has indicated that untripped rollover crashes were a "small but significant portion of the rollover crash problem (approximately 8% of all rollovers)" and that the public "perceives on-road, untripped rollovers to be egregious." The American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) did not believe that untripped rollovers comprised the proportion of rollover events specified by NHTSA and further believed that to address crashes of this type, additional information describing crash circumstances was required. This report examines the data file utilized by NHTSA to establish the relative proportion of untripped rollovers. The National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) data file contained 267 untripped rollovers for the data collection years 1992 through 1996. The accuracy of the coded information was examined and the situational factors and crash circumstances associated with cases that were determined to be untripped rollovers were documented. A subsample of tripped rollover crashes was examined to determine coding accuracy for these events. NASS hard copy case reports were examined at the storage facility in Arlington, Virginia. All of the data recorded by the on-site team were subsequently entered into a computerized database. This report documents the results of the clinical analysis sequence, utilizing tabulations of coded material contained in the database. Where relevant, interpretations of specific findings by the on-site team are also provided. Briefly, the team found that of the 267 cases, 160 cases were reassigned to other rollover categories. A random sample of 100 cases listed as trip-over events found 3 that should have been designated as turn-over (untripped rollover) events. Thus, the total number of cases discussed in this report is 270 with 160 of these cases changed to non-turn-over events and 110 cases retained as turn-over events.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report was prepared for the American Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.
• Corporate Authors:

  Calspan Corporation

  4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14225
• Authors:
  • Hendricks, D
  • Scheifflee, T
  • PAGE, J
  • Bellis, E
• Publication Date: 1998-5-15

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Tables;
• Pagination: 76 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Crash characteristics; Rollover crashes; Statistics
• Identifier Terms: National Automotive Sampling System
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00975877
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-043 644,, Final Report
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 13 2004 12:00AM