Crash causation:​ a case study of fatal accident circumstances and configurations

Viano, David C.; Ridella, Stephen A.

Affiliations

¹General Motor Research Laboratories, Warren, MI 48090-9055 USA

Abstract

The causes for 131 fatal crashes of lap-shoulder belted occupants were analyzed for accident avoidance opportunities. Fourteen crash scenarios were determined to depict the situation and circumstances of the accidents. Each scenario is discussed in relation to crash type, driving action or behavior, inadvertent error, and influencing factors associated with crash causation. Nearly a third involved a rapid, unpredictable onset by reckless action or mistake by another vehicle. The others were single-vehicle crashes caused by excessive speed, aggressive driving, or drifting and multivehicle crashes related to driving errors or other factors. Some involved right-of-way violations at an intersection, loss of control on wet roads, impact of a stationary vehicle, and lane changing. Based on these scenarios, concepts for crash avoidance are discussed.

Cited Works (4)

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Cited By (3)

Year	Entry
1996	Thomas C, Perron T, Le Coz J-Y, Aguade V. What happens on the road before fatal car crashes? In: 40th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 7-9, 1996; Vancouver, BC.127-140.
2009	Zaloshnja E, Miller TR. Cost of crashes related to road conditions, United States, 2006. In: 53rd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 2009; Baltimore, MD.141-153.
1991	Viano DC, Davis RF, Bennett MR, LeFevre RL, Rasmussen RE, Scherba MC. Opportunities in automotive safety: a public health perspective. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). November 4-7, 1991; Paris, France.438-449.