Category of Explanatory Variables | Variable Levels | Effect | Causes More Rear-end Accidents |
---|---|---|---|
Psycho-somatic Stress | - | - | - |
Calm | - | + | - |
Nervous, or hot-tempered[8] | - | --- | Angry, aggressive drivers are a significant psychological and health hazard on the road |
Poor Health Condition | - | - | |
Anxiety and insomnia | - | -- | Causing serious accidents |
Social dysfunction [9] | - | -- | - |
Depression | - | -- | Causing serious accidents |
Physical health [8] | relationships existing between personality, emotion, and behavior, and indicating that public self-consciousness interacts with anger to influence aggression while driving | --- | Angry, aggressive drivers are a significant psychological and health hazard on the road |
Road Environment Factors | - | - | - |
Number of lanes | Others vs. 2-lane | / | - |
6-lane vs. 2-lane | / | - | |
4-lane vs. 2-lane | - | 2-lane | |
Divided/undivided highway | Undivided vs. divided | - | Divided |
Accident time | Night vs. daytime | -- | Day time |
Road surface condition [10] | Wet vs. dry | ++ | Wet |
Slippery vs. dry | ++ | Slippery | |
Light condition | ---- | - | |
Urban/rural | urban vs. rural | + | urban |
Highway character | curve upgrade/downgrade vs. straight-level | + | curve upgrade/downgrade |
curve-level vs. straight level | + | curve-level | |
straight up/downgrade vs. straight-level | + | straight up/downgrade | |
Speed limit [9, 10] | 55 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 55 mph |
50 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 50 mph | |
45 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 45 mph | |
40 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 40 mph | |
35 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 35 mph | |
30 mph vs. 25 mph | ++ | 30 mph | |
Check your speedometer and discover that you are unknowingly traveling faster than the legal limit. | --- | ||
Striking drivers - Driver characteristics | - | - | - |
Alcohol/drug use[11] | Alcohol under influence vs. No | + | Alcohol under influence |
Drug under influence vs. No | + | Drug under influence | |
Alcohol-Drug under influence vs. No | + | Alcohol-Drug under influence | |
Had been drinking vs. No | + | Had been drinking alcohol | |
Drink on the way back from a party, or pub, even though you realize that you may be over the legal blood-alcohol limit. | --- | - | |
Age [10] | 26–35 vs. <26 | - | <26 |
36–45 vs. <26 | - | <26 | |
46–55 vs. <26 | - | <26 | |
56–65 vs <26 | - | <26 | |
66–75 vs. <26 | - | <26 | |
>75 vs. <26 | - | <26 | |
Residence [9] | live in the local county vs. another county | - | another county |
elsewhere in the state of Florida vs. another county | - | another county | |
other states vs. another county | - | another county | |
Gender [10] | Male vs. Female | + | Male drivers |
Vehicle type | - | - | - |
Accident vehicles [10] | passenger van vs. passenger car | + | passenger van |
pickup/light truck vs. passenger car | + | pickup/light truck | |
large size vehicle vs. passenger car | + | large size vehicle | |
AADT | Average daily traffic flow | + | Higher traffic volume |
Measurement of aberrant driving behavior [11, 12] | Slips and lapses: for example, fail to read the signs correctly, and exit from a roundabout on the wrong road. | --- | - |
Errors: Applying brakes too quickly on a slippery road and/or steer the wrong way in a skid. | ---- | - | |
Violations: ➢ Being impatient with a slow driver in the outer lane and overtake. ➢ Stay in a motorway lane that you know will be closed ahead until the last minute before forcing your way into the other lane. |
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Machinery/mechanical problems [9, 12, 13] |
Tire failure: According to the Crash Stats report, “the tire problem is accounted for about 11.4% of the crashes” where vehicle failures were the cause of the crash making the tire failure the most common cause of a vehicle failure crash. Two of the most common types of problems with tires are tired blowouts and worn tire |
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Brakes According to the crash stats report, brake related problems as critical reasons accounted for about 15.4% of crashes where vehicle failure was the cited cause of the crash. Poor condition of brakes is a major factor in rear-end collisions, where the inability to stop in time causes a vehicle to ram right into the vehicle in front. |
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Steering and Suspension The third most-common critical reason for a car accident cited in the NHTSA report was a combination of steering, suspension, transmission, engine-related problems. This combination category accounted for just 3 % of the crashes cited in the report [9] |
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Headlights and Taillights In low visibility conditions, such as nighttime, foggy roads, or during storms, it becomes much harder to see other vehicles on the road[9] |
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Windshield Wipers Never underestimate the importance of the windshield wipers. When it’s raining hard, visibility is greatly reduced. Windshield wipers help clear rain and debris from the windshield, helping improve visibility so as to clarify the vision side.[13] |
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