Fatality Analysis Reporting System Research Articles

Analysis of driver casualty risk for different work zone types

Using driver casualty data from the Fatality Analysis Report System, this study examines driver casualty risk and investigates the risk contributing factors in the construction, maintenance and utility work zones. The multiple t-tests results show that the driver casualty risk is statistically different depending on the work zone type. Moreover, construction work zones have the largest driver casualty risk, followed by maintenance and utility work zones. Three separate logistic regression models are developed to predict driver casualty risk for the three work zone types because of their unique features. Finally, the effects of risk factors on driver casualty risk for each work zone type are examined and compared. For all three work zone types, five significant risk factors including road alignment, truck involvement, most harmful event, vehicle age and notification time are associated with increased driver casualty risk while traffic control devices and restraint use are associated with reduced driver casualty risk. However, one finding is that three risk factors (light condition, gender and day of week) exhibit opposing effects on the driver casualty risk in different types of work zones. This may largely be due to different work zone features and driver behavior in different types of work zones.

Fatality risk in motorcycle collisions with roadside objects in the United States

Motorcycle crashes with roadside objects often involve more than one impact event: typically involving a collision with the ground and another object. The objective of this study was to determine the fatality risk in these roadside object collisions when compared with crashes only involving a collision with the ground. The roadside objects analyzed included guardrails, concrete barriers, signs, utility poles, and trees. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database was used in conjunction with the General Estimates System (GES) to analyze fatality risk for motorcycle crashes from 2004 to 2008. The analysis was based upon over 3600 fatal motorcycle crashes with roadside objects. Collisions with roadside objects were found to have a higher fatality risk than collisions with either the ground or another motor vehicle. Based on the most harmful event reported in the crash, motorcycle collisions with guardrail were 7 times more likely to be fatal than collisions with the ground, and collisions with trees were almost 15 times more likely to be fatal than collisions with the ground. Additionally, the roadside object was reported as the most harmful event in the majority of the crashes in fatal two-event crashes involving a roadside object and a collision with the ground, with the exception of collisions with signage. From these analyses it was concluded that collisions with fixed objects are more harmful to motorcyclists than collisions with the ground.

Trends and characteristics of animal-vehicle collisions in the United States

Introduction Since 1990, fatal animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) in the United States have more than doubled. This paper examines annual AVC trends in the United States over a 19-year period, seasonal and diurnal patterns of AVC risk, the geographic distribution of crash risk by state, and the association between posted speed limit and AVC crash risk in darkness. Method AVCs were compiled from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) for the years 1990-2008 to examine annual crash trends for fatal and nonfatal crashes. Seasonal trends for fatal AVCs were examined with the aggregated FARS dataset; seasonal trends for fatal and nonfatal AVCs were also examined by aggregating four years of Michigan crash data. State-by-state distributions of fatal AVCs were also described with the aggregated FARS dataset. Finally, the relationship between posted speed limit and the odds that a fatal or nonfatal AVC occurred in darkness were examined with logistic regressions using the aggregated FARS and Michigan datasets. Results Between 1990 and 2008, fatal AVCs increased by 104% and by 1.3 crashes per trillion vehicle miles travelled per year. Although not all AVCs involve deer, daily and seasonal AVC crash trends follow the general activity pattern of deer populations, consistent with prior reports. The odds that a fatal AVC occurred in darkness were also found to increase by 2.3% for each mile-per-hour increase in speed; a similar, albeit smaller, effect was also observed in the aggregated Michigan dataset, among nonfatal crashes. Conclusion AVCs represent a small but increasing share of crashes in the United States. Seasonal and daily variation in the pattern of AVCs seem to follow variation in deer exposure and ambient light level. Finally, the relative risk that a fatal and nonfatal AVC occurred in darkness is influenced by posted speed limit, suggesting that a driver's limited forward vision at night plays a role in AVCs, as it does in pedestrian collisions. Impact on Industry The association between speed limit and crash risk in darkness suggests that AVC risk might be reduced with countermeasures that improve a driver's forward view of the road.

Toward Understanding the Recent Large Reductions in U.S. Road Fatalities

Background: From 2005 to 2009, U.S. road fatalities dropped by 22 percent (from 43,510 to 33,963). A reduction of such magnitude over such a short time has not occurred since road safety statistics were first kept (starting in 1913), except for the reductions during World War II. Objective: The study was performed to contribute to our understanding about the mechanisms that could be responsible for this unprecedented drop in road fatalities by analyzing the detailed information from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)—a census of all U.S. crashes that involve a fatality. Method: The study compared the data for 2005 (the recent peak year in terms of road fatalities) with the data for 2008 (the latest year for which detailed data are available). The focus was on identifying those conditions that showed the largest reductions and those that showed the smallest reductions (or increases of any magnitude). The analysis involved an examination of the variables in the FARS database, which is divided into accident, vehicle, driver, occupant, and nonmotorist subsets. Results: The report highlights the most interesting patterns of changes for 19 variables.

Crash avoidance potential of four passenger vehicle technologies

ObjectivesThe objective was to update estimates of maximum potential crash reductions in the United States associated with each of four crash avoidance technologies: side view assist, forward collision warning/mitigation, lane departure warning/prevention, and adaptive headlights. Compared with previous estimates (Farmer, 2008), estimates in this study attempted to account for known limitations of current systems. MethodsCrash records were extracted from the 2004–08 files of the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS GES) and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Crash descriptors such as vehicle damage location, road characteristics, time of day, and precrash maneuvers were reviewed to determine whether the information or action provided by each technology potentially could have prevented or mitigated the crash. ResultsOf the four crash avoidance technologies, forward collision warning/mitigation had the greatest potential for preventing crashes of any severity; the technology is potentially applicable to 1.2 million crashes in the United States each year, including 66,000 serious and moderate injury crashes and 879 fatal crashes. Lane departure warning/prevention systems appeared relevant to 179,000 crashes per year. Side view assist and adaptive headlights could prevent 395,000 and 142,000 crashes per year, respectively. Lane departure warning/prevention was relevant to the most fatal crashes, up to 7500 fatal crashes per year. A combination of all four current technologies potentially could prevent or mitigate (without double counting) up to 1,866,000 crashes each year, including 149,000 serious and moderate injury crashes and 10,238 fatal crashes. If forward collision warning were extended to detect objects, pedestrians, and bicyclists, it would be relevant to an additional 3868 unique fatal crashes. ConclusionsThere is great potential effectiveness for vehicle-based crash avoidance systems. However, it is yet to be determined how drivers will interact with the systems. The actual effectiveness of these systems will not be known until sufficient real-world experience has been gained.

Trends in Fatalities From Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008

We examined trends in distracted driving fatalities and their relation to cell phone use and texting volume. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records data on all road fatalities that occurred on public roads in the United States from 1999 to 2008. We studied trends in distracted driving fatalities, driver and crash characteristics, and trends in cell phone use and texting volume. We used multivariate regression analysis to estimate the relation between state-level distracted driving fatalities and texting volumes. After declining from 1999 to 2005, fatalities from distracted driving increased 28% after 2005, rising from 4572 fatalities to 5870 in 2008. Crashes increasingly involved male drivers driving alone in collisions with roadside obstructions in urban areas. By use of multivariate analyses, we predicted that increasing texting volumes resulted in more than 16,000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007. Distracted driving is a growing public safety hazard. Specifically, the dramatic rise in texting volume since 2005 appeared to be contributing to an alarming rise in distracted driving fatalities. Legislation enacting texting bans should be paired with effective enforcement to deter drivers from using cell phones while driving.

An Interactive Tool to Compare and Communicate Traffic Safety Risks: TrafficSTATS

TrafficSTATS (www.traffic-stats.us) is a publicly-available, interactive, web-based query tool that provides estimates of passenger vehicle and other traffic safety risks. Using "cube" database technology, TrafficSTATS houses publicly-available government data on traffic fatalities from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and personal travel behavior from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and calculates risk statistics in real time for user-specified queries. We describe the motivation for developing the tool, explain the technology developed to store the data and facilitate the queries, and provide a series of examples of the types of comparisons that can be made quickly and efficiently.

Intersection Crashes among Drivers in their 60s, 70s and 80s

Analyses of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and National Automotive Sampling System (NASS)/General Estimates System (GES) data from 2002–2006 revealed specific performance errors and combinations of driver, vehicle, and roadway/environmental characteristics associated with older drivers' crashes at intersections. For subsets of the two-vehicle crash data within each national database, crash involvement ratios based on comparisons of at-fault to not-at-fault drivers within groups of drivers aged <20 to 80+, segregated in 10-year cohorts, provide exposure-adjusted estimates of the magnitude of particular risk factors. While FARS and GES data show elevated crash risk for older drivers, the effect was more pronounced in the FARS data. This exaggeration likely reflects increased frailty with increasing age; young and middle-aged drivers may have survived crashes that were fatal to the oldest drivers. While the data are consistent with the literature in that more complex driving tasks pose the most risk for older drivers, these data also provide information about the scale of the increased risk.

Effectiveness of seven programs to reduce alcohol-impaired driving

This presentation reports on the results of a complex, seven-state demonstration program to reduce alcohol-impaired driving through well-publicised and highly visible enforcement. Each of the demonstration programs was unique and...

The Effect of Sunday Sales of Alcohol on Highway Crash Fatalities

Abstract A large body of evidence indicates that increased alcohol availability leads to increased consumption of alcohol. From 1995 to 2008, fourteen states relaxed or repealed their bans on the Sunday sale of packaged alcohol. This paper leverages these repeals to provide quasi-experimental evidence on the effect of Sunday sales bans on alcohol related crash fatalities. Previous published studies in this area have found conflicting results regarding the effect of Sunday sales on traffic accidents and fatalities, but these studies have focused on repeals in single states, cities, or provinces; are outdated; or have failed to control for underlying changes in traffic fatalities that may be correlated with repeals but are due to other factors affecting traffic safety. Drawing upon data from the lower 48 states from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), this paper finds that only the repeal in New Mexico led to an increase in fatalities. The effect is evident only in New Mexico because this repeal led to larger increases in drinking in New Mexico than in other states, residents of New Mexico drive more than residents of the other repeal states, and there is a greater fraction of traffic fatalities involving alcohol in New Mexico than in the other repeal states.

DEAD ON ARRIVAL: ZERO TOLERANCE LAWS DON'T WORK

By 1998, all states had passed laws lowering the legal blood alcohol content for drivers under 21 to effectively zero. Theory shows these laws have ambiguous effects on overall fatalities and economic efficiency, and the data show they have little effect on driver behavior. A panel analysis of the 1988–2000 Fatality Analysis Reporting System indicates that zero tolerance laws have no material influence on the level of fatalities, while quantile regression reveals virtually no change in the distribution of blood alcohol content among drivers involved in fatal accidents. (JEL: I18, K32, D11)

The Effect of Sunday Sales of Alcohol on Highway Crash Fatalities

A large body of evidence indicates that increased alcohol availability leads to increased consumption of alcohol. From 1995 to 2005, thirteen states relaxed or repealed their bans on the Sunday sale of packaged alcohol. This paper leverages these repeals to provide quasi experimental evidence on the effect of Sunday sales bans on alcohol related crash fatalities. Previous published studies in this area have found conflicting results regarding the effect of Sunday sales on traffic accidents and fatalities, but these studies have focused on repeals in single states, cities, or provinces; are outdated; or have failed to control for underlying changes in traffic fatalities that may be correlated with repeals but are due to other factors affecting traffic safety. Drawing upon data from the lower 48 states from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), this paper finds that only the repeal in New Mexico lead to an increase in fatalities. The effect is evident only in New Mexico because this repeal led to larger increases in drinking in New Mexico than in other states, residents of New Mexico drive more than residents of the other repeal states, and a greater fraction of traffic fatalities involve alcohol in New Mexico than in the other repeal states.

Front Air Bag Nondeployments in Frontal Crashes Fatal to Drivers or Right-Front Passengers

Objective : Public concern has arisen about the reliability of front air bags because Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data indicate many nondeployed air bags in fatal frontal crashes. However, the accuracy of air bag deployment, the variable in question, is uncertain. This study aimed to provide more certain estimates of nondeployment incidence in fatal frontal crashes. Methods : Fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers and right-front passengers in frontal crashes were identified in two U.S. databases for calendar years 1998–2006 and model years 1994–2006: FARS, a census of police-reported fatal crashes on public roads, and National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS), a probability sample of tow-away crashes. NASS/CDS contains subsets of fatal crashes in FARS and collects detailed data using crash investigators. Front air bag deployment coding for front-seat occupant fatalities was compared in FARS and NASS/CDS, and case reviews were conducted. Results : Among FARS frontal deaths with available deployment status (N = 43,169), front air bags were coded as not deployed for 18 percent of front occupants. In comparison, NASS/CDS (N = 628) reported 9 percent (weighted estimate) nondeployment among front occupants killed. Among crashes common to both databases, NASS/CDS reported deployments for 45 percent of front occupant deaths for which FARS had coded nondeployments. Detailed case reviews of NASS/CDS crashes indicated highly accurate coding for deployment status. Based on this case review, 8 percent (weighted estimate) of front occupant deaths in frontal crashes appeared to involve air bag nondeployments; 1–2 percent of front occupant deaths represented potential system failures where deployments would have been expected. Air bag deployments appeared unwarranted in most nondeployments based on crash characteristics. Discussion : FARS data overstate the magnitude of the problem of air bag deployment failures; steps should be taken to improve coding. There are inherent uncertainties in judgments about whether or not air bags would be expected to deploy in some crashes. Continued monitoring of air bag performance is warranted.

The Role of Driver Age and Gender in Motor Vehicle Fatal Crashes

This study compares the age and gender of at-fault drivers who were involved in fatal crashes and the corresponding driving errors that contributed to these crashes. This comparison provides insights that may help traffic engineers devise countermeasures to lessen the number of these unnecessary deaths. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 2001 through 2003 were used in this study. The analysis included passenger vehicles (automobiles, utility vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks) involved in either single- or two-vehicle crashes. The driver responsible in each crash was identified through the driver error variable codes as listed in the FARS databases. Younger drivers (16 through 19 years of age) and the elderly (those 75 and older) were responsible for a disproportionate amount of fatality-related crashes. When combined these two groups accounted for only 6.4% of the total miles driven in 2001, but they were responsible for 83.1% of the fatal crashes attributed to driver-related errors. Driver operating error was listed as the contributing factor in 73% of fatal motor vehicle crashes when the driver was male and 83% of the crashes when the driver was female. The youngest drivers tended to be carrying the highest number of passengers when they were involved in fatal crashes. Failing to stay in the proper lane and driving too fast for road conditions were the two most frequent driver operating errors contributing to fatal crashes for male and female drivers.

Alcohol involvement among young female drivers in US fatal crashes: unfavourable trends

ObjectiveYoung men have greater representation in fatal alcohol-related crashes. Recent studies of young women and risky behaviours have raised concerns about the implications this may have for alcohol-related fatal crashes....

The Effect of the 1997 Texas Motorcycle Helmet Law on Motorcycle Crash Fatalities

This study seeks to determine the effect of the Texas motorcycle helmet law on fatalities since the repeal of the universal helmet law in 1997. Texas monthly motorcycle accident data between 1994 and 2004 were obtained from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and supplemented with motorcycle registration data from the Texas Department of Transportation. An ARIMA model was used to estimate the impact of the law. A sharp increase in fatality rates occurred immediately following the implementation of the law in September 1997. Deaths increased by 30%, fatality rates per motorcycle registrations increased by 15.2%, and fatality rates per vehicle miles traveled increased by 25% after repeal. Helmet use decreased from 77% in 1996 to 63% in 1997 and 36% in 1998 and thereafter. The parameter estimates of the ARIMA model (0,0,0) (0,1,1) show that the change in the law led to statistically significant increases of 2.3 fatalities and 1.18 fatality rate per 100 billion vehicle miles traveled. The repeal of the universal helmet law in Texas in 1997 has had a significant adverse effect on motorcyclist fatalities in Texas.

Ethnicity, Age, and Trends in Alcohol-Related Driver Fatalities in the United States

Objective: To evaluate the 8-year ethnic-specific declining trend in the proportion of alcohol-impaired driver deaths in the United States. Methods: We used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which is a census of all fatal motor vehicle collisions occurring in public properties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico since 1975. For this study we only focused on driver fatalities. Data on ethnicity were not included in the FARS database until 1999, limiting the analysis to the years 1999–2006. Results: The proportion of alcohol-impaired driver deaths was higher among males compared to females, with Hispanics constituting the highest proportion in all age groups. During the past 8 years, only the decline in the proportion of alcohol-impaired driver deaths among male Hispanics 16–20 years old and male Whites 21–64 years old were significant. We were not able to identify any significant declining trend in the corresponding proportions among other age groups, or among female drivers, regardless of their age category. Conclusion: Though existing strategies have seemed to be successful in preventing an uptrend in alcohol-related fatal collisions in the country, their effectiveness in decreasing such incidents has been limited. Future studies should identify the factors that might influence the effectiveness of current anti–drunk driver policies.

Measuring Injury Risks from Motor Vehicle Crashes with an Integrated Approach

This article applies an integrated approach to an empirical measurement of injury risks to roadway users. This approach estimates exposure with time traveled and integrates injuries of different severity on the KABCO scale using corresponding unit costs. This approach is applied to the United States in 2001 for walking and motoring, using fatal-injury data from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS), nonfatal injury data from the General Estimate System (GES), and exposure data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The results for the most probable case indicate that the average risk is about $2.00 of expected injury costs per hour of exposure for motoring, and $1.69 per hour for walking.

Marketing and alcohol-related traffic fatalities: Impact of alcohol advertising targeting minors

Problem Alcohol-related youth traffic fatalities continue as a major public-health concern. While state and federal laws can be useful in tackling this problem, the efficacy of many laws has not been empirically demonstrated. We examined the impact of state laws prohibiting alcohol advertising to target minors. Method: Using statistics obtained from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), youth alcohol-related, single-vehicle, driver traffic fatalities were compared by state as a function of whether the state has a law prohibiting alcohol advertising that targets minors. Results: Overall, states possessing this law experienced 32.9% fewer of the above specified traffic fatalities. Discussion and Impact on Industry: The results suggest that not only are youth drinking rates affected by alcohol advertisements targeting youth, but also drink-driving behaviors. Indeed, we estimate that if this type of legislation were adopted in the 26 states that do not prohibit targeting of minors with alcohol advertising, then 400 youth lives could be saved annually.

An evaluation of graduated driver licensing programs in North America using a meta-analytic approach

Most jurisdictions in North America have some version of graduated driver licensing (GDL). A sound body of evidence documenting the effectiveness of GDL programs in reducing collisions, fatalities and injuries among novice drivers is available. However, information about the relative importance of individual components of GDL is lacking. The objectives of this study are to calculate a summary statistic of GDL effectiveness and to identify the most effective components of GDL programs using a meta-analytic approach. Data from 46 American States, the District of Columbia and 11 Canadian jurisdictions are used and were obtained from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the U.S. and from Transport Canada's Traffic Accident Information Database (TRAID) for Canada. The timeframe of this evaluation is 1992 through 2006, inclusive. Relative fatality risks and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated using fatality counts and population data for target and comparison groups, both in a pre-implementation and post-implementation period in each jurisdiction. The target groups were 16-, 17-, 18- and 19-year-old drivers. The comparison group was 25–54-year-old drivers. The relative fatality risks of all jurisdictions were summarized using the random effects DerSimonian and Laird model. Meta-regression using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Gibbs sampling was also conducted. Strong evidence in support of GDL was found. GDL had a positive and significant impact on the relative fatality risk of 16-year-old drivers (reduction of 19.1%). Significant effects were found for meta-regression models with 16-, 18- and 19-year-old drivers. These effects include length of night restriction in the learner stage, country, driver education in the learner stage and in the intermediate stage, whether night restrictions are lifted in the intermediate stage for work purposes, passenger restriction in the intermediate stage, whether passenger restrictions in the intermediate stage are lifted if passengers are family members, and whether there is an exit test in the intermediate stage. In conclusion, several GDL program components have an important effect on the relative fatality risk of novice drivers. These results help understand how such effects are achieved.