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FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
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Causes, contribiting factors (age, sex, speed, seat belts, type of car). Table.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Causes, contribiting factors (age, sex, speed, seat belts, type of car). Table.

Paper Introduction:
FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS: WHERE AND WHY Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States ("Statistical Abstracts" and "International"). In 1988, 62,237 licensed drivers were involved in fatal motor-vehicle accidents. Statistics show that alcohol is a major contributing factor in accidents but what about other elements such as geographic region, income and driver's age? Do these things contribute to the possibility of a fatal car crash, and if so, how? In this paper these questions are examined. ACCIDENT FACTORS Accident factors have been divided into three groups: epidemiologic Factors or factors which do not cause accidents or deaths but are related to the national distribution of traffic fatalities in the United States; causes of accidents, actual

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Facts On File, Inc. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbiahave enacted mandatory seat belt use laws and all 5 states and theDistrict of Columbia have mandatory child safety seat laws. National Safety Council. Themortality map is a mirror-image of the population-density map. Scientific American Aug. On April 2, 1987,the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987allowed states to raise the speed limit to 65 on Interstate highwayspassing through areas with populations of less than 5 , . Thehighest death rate is seen in counties with fewer than five people persquare mile. The highcenter of gravity in these vehicles makes them prone to "rollover" typeaccidents in which occupants are often ejected. Death rateson Interstate highways are less than half the national average.Engineering and lighting on these roads are subject to higher federalstandards than public roads ("Accident, 1989," "Accident, 1988," andO'Neill).Color of Car Even the color of a car can have an effect on the incidence of fatalaccidents. Tougher laws against drunk driving across the nation have made drivingunder the influence very unattractive to most people. However, this rate varies from alow of less than 13.5 per 1 , , to more than 57.3 per 1 , , in thelower 1 per cent and upper 1 per cent of the counties studied. In contrast, thedeath rate in Manhattan, with more than 64, residents per square milewas only 2.5/1 , (O'Neill). In a Maryland study, a four-fold difference inthe use of seat belts was found to correlate inversely with median propertyvalues (O'Neill). C., 1989.Accident Facts. Age of Drivers in Fatal AccidentsAge Group Number % Per 1 , DriversTOTAL 64, 1 . FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS: WHERE AND WHY Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death inthe United States ("Statistical Abstracts" and "International"). High-speed accidents are also more deadly than low-speed ones.Injuries are more serious and death is more frequent. Thirty-eightstates raised the speed limit. Many people also do not like the"inconvenience" and wrinkled clothes which result from buckling up.Type of Car Utility vehicles (jeep-like vehicles and pickup trucks) are involvedin fatal accidents more often than other types of vehicles. The higher a vehicle's speed, the more likely anaccident. In this paper these questions are examined. The great variability reflects differences inlaws, enforcement, public information and educational programs. New England Journal of Medicine 316 (1987): 1384-1387.Drivin My Life Away. Thelonger the time between the occurrence of an accident and medical care, thegreater the likelihood of a fatality. 43 percent Women), they are involved in almost threetimes as many fatal vehicle accidents. Although smaller population groups are moresensitive to change (in a population of 2, one death would constitute a 5 percent mortality rate), the data was very consistent with respect to thedensity/mortality rate.Income There is an inverse relationship between the driver's income andlikelihood of being involved in a fatal accident. C., 1988.International Mortality Statistics. Even in theface of these impressive statistics, driver restraint in 1988 was estimatedto be only 5 per cent. Many factors contribute to this phenomena, among themare vehicle ownership, speed, road conditions, seat belt use, type of carand income. This heavyrepresentation of youth can be attributed to inexperience, poor or absentdriver training, alcohol, drugs, and youthful lack of caution.Improper Driving Improper driving is a contributory factor related only to the driverand includes such actions as speeding, right of way violations (failure toyield, passing stop signs and signals), driving on the wrong side of theroad, improper passing, illegal turns, and tailgating ("Accidents, 1989").Bad driving, although frequently just a matter of choice, can also be aresult of drug use (both legal and illegal), alcohol use, lack of properdriver training, and mental or physical illness.Sex of Driver Although men are involved in only slightly more accidents than women(57 percent Men vs. Still, alcohol is amajor factor in fatal accidents--particularly in the younger age groups.However, alcohol is less likely to be involved in accidents with driversunder 21, who are subject to minimum-age drinking laws in many states.Based on 1975-1986 data from 13 states, the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration found a 12 percent reduction in fatal accident involvementamong drivers affected by raising the legal drinking age ("Accident, 1989"and "A Matter"). Usagerates are also influenced by persistent myths about the survival value ofbeing "thrown clear" of a wreck and by fears of being trapped inside avehicle by a jammed seat belt buckle. New York, 1981.A Matter of Fact. 39Under 2 8,7 13.6 622 -24 11,2 17.5 6825-34 17,2 26.6 4335-44 1 ,5 16.4 3145-54 6,3 9.8 2655-64 4,4 6.9 2465-74 3,2 5. Washington D. Vehicle traffic in higher income metropolitan areas movesmore slowly than in lower income rural areas. Seat belts are 45 percent effective in preventing fatalities, 5 per cent effective inpreventing moderate to critical injuries and 1 per cent effective inpreventing minor injuries. 1987: 2 -29.Statistical Abstract of the United States. SUMMARY Traffic fatalities in the United States follow a definiteepidemiologic pattern, although not the pattern one would expect. White is the mostvisible color except in desert areas where there is a lot of white sand.In these areas bright yellow and orange are the most visible. In 1988,62,237 licensed drivers were involved in fatal motor-vehicle accidents.Statistics show that alcohol is a major contributing factor in accidentsbut what about other elements such as geographic region, income anddriver's age? C., 199 .----------------------- 1 The difference is partly because ofdifferences in the amount of driving done by the members of each sex(1:54). Data from the National Safety Council shows that cars in colorsrated as more visible are involved in fewer accidents. Age of Driver The table below shows the age distribution in fatal traffic accidentsin 1988. Figures range from 65 per cent in North Carolinato 22 per cent in Utah. In 1988, male drivers accounted for72 percent of all fatal accidents. CAUSES OF ACCIDENTSAlcohol Alcohol is a factor in 5 percent to 55 percent of all fatal caraccidents. A road's gradient, curvature, lane width, lighting,striping, signs, ditches and the presence or absence of adequate shouldersand guardrails all contribute to the likelihood and severity of crashes.Highway design standards are minimal in rural areas where traffic volume isvery low. Alcohol impairs judgment, delays reflexes, disturbs vision andmay cause unconsciousness or blackouts in drivers. Do these things contribute to the possibility of a fatal carcrash, and if so, how? Washington D. These cars, especially pre-1968 models whichwere manufactured prior to occupant-protection standards, tend to be moreaccident prone. Public transportation isalso more likely to be available in higher-income urban areas ("Accident,1988").Vehicle Ownership Per capita vehicle ownership is much higher in sparsely populatedareas where public transportation is scarce. Themortality rate is inversely correlated with population density. Black anddark green are the least visible colors and the most likely to be involvedin accidents ("Accident, 1989" and "Accident, 1988"). Also, old and poorly maintained cars are more commonlyused in low income areas. CAUSES OF DEATHLack of Restraint Although not a cause of accidents, not wearing seat belts isobviously a contributing factor in auto fatalities. The popularity of thesevehicles and the lower incidence of seat belt usage in rural areas maycontribute substantially to the high fatality rates. About one-fourth of all public roads are unpaved. The Perian Press, 1986.O'Neill, Brian. Other contributory factors such as alcohol, age of driver, sexof driver, and color of car are unrelated to the higher rural death rate.According to data, the person least likely to die in a car accident wouldbe a sober, cautious, female urban driver over 65 in a white sedan and ahigh income bracket. National Safety Council. In recent years, groups like MothersAgainst Drunk Drivers (MADD), Students Against Drunk Drivers (SADD), anddesignated driver programs have heightened public awareness of the problem. Washington, D. Other gender-difference factors such as superior reflexes and morecareful driving habits in women have not been sufficiently studied atpresent.Speed Speed Kills--as the anti-drug posters of the 7 s said, and the sayingis also true on the road. For these states, 1987 rural Interstatefatalities were 19 per cent higher during the period after the speed limitswere increased through the end of the year than for the same period in 1986("Accident, 1989").Poor Highway Conditions Poor highway conditions contribute to the higher number of accidentsin rural areas. That is,fatal traffic accidents occur at a much higher per capita rate in ruralthan in urban areas. Bureau of the Census. Geographic Variations in Mortality from Motor VehicleCrashes. Works CitedAccident Facts. ACCIDENT FACTORS Accident factors have been divided into three groups: epidemiologicFactors or factors which do not cause accidents or deaths but are relatedto the national distribution of traffic fatalities in the United States;causes of accidents, actual causes of accidents; and causes of death, whichare not causes of accidents.Epidemiologic Factors Causes of AccidentsGeographic Region AlcoholIncome Driver's AgeVehicle Ownership Improper DrivingAvailability of Emergency Driver's SexMedical Care SpeedCauses of Death Poor Highway ConditionsLack of Restraint Color of VehicleType of Vehicle EPIDEMIOLOGIC FACTORSGeographic Region The death rate of occupants of motor vehicles is 18.7 per 1 , population for the entire United States. For example, the highest death rate was seen in LovingCounty, Texas, where 4 of the 91 residents (1456/1 , ) died in motorvehicle crashes in the period from 1979 through 1981. In actuality, the fatality rate forejected occupants is 4 times that of restrained occupants and there is noevidence that wearing a seat belt increases the risk of death in a burningor submerged vehicle ("Accident, 1989"). For many years in thiscountry drunk driving was considered a minor offense, punishable only by ashort jail sentence or a small fine. Use of seat belts variesdramatically with income. Ownership in rural areas isapproximately 1:1, contrasted with about 1:5 in heavily populated areas("Statistical").Availability of Emergency Medical Care In many rural areas, emergency help is not readily available. Income is also a factor in thiscase, with higher-income victims more likely to receive treatment. 2575+ 2,5 3.9 66_________________________________________________________________ ("Accident, 1989") From this table we can see that although drivers in the 25-34 agegroup accounted for 27 per cent of fatal accidents, the accidentinvolvement rates were highest in the two youngest age groups.

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