Predicting Truck At-Fault Crashes Using Crash and Traffic Offence Data

Abstract

Introduction:The number of truck-related injuries and deaths can be reduced by understanding the factors that contribute to the higher risk of truck-related crashes and violations. Truck drivers are at fault of more than 80% of all the truck crashes on Wyoming interstates, and the literature review indicated that in order to identify appropriate countermeasure to crashes, each crash type should be analyzed individually. The literature review also revealed that relationships exist between driving records and driver culpability in crashes.Method:This study employed two approaches to identify contributory factors to truck-at-fault fatal and injury crashes, and truck-related violations. Interstate 80, a Wyoming corridor in a mountainous area with one of the highest truck crash rates in the US, was selected as a case study. Only truck-at-fault crashes and specific types of truck-related violations were considered in this study. The analyses include two approaches. First, the logistic regression model was employed to explore vehicle, driver, crash, and environmental characteristics that contribute to truck-at-fault fatal and injury crashes. Second, truck violations were used as a proxy for truck crashes to examine the tendency to violate truck-related traffic laws in relation to driver and temporal characteristics. Based on the literature, only violations associated with higher risk of severe crashes were included in the analyses. The included violations accounted for more than 70% of all the violations.Result:This study considered more than 30 variables and found that only 10 variables impact truck-at-fault crashes. These factors included: gender, history of past violation, crashes involving multiple vehicles, exceeding the speed limit, occupant distraction, driver ejection, fatigued driving, non-seat belt usage, overturn, and head-on collision. Results of the second analysis indicated that both residency and time of crash are factors that impact truck-related violations. Results of the analysis also indicated that both residency and time of the crash are factors that impact truck-related violations.