Contributing Factors to Truck Type, Alcohol Use, and Seatbelt Use during Single Vehicle Truck Crashes in the State of Ohio.

Crashes involving large trucks have detrimental impacts on commerce as a result of the value of goods being transported. This study investigates the contributing factors affecting truck related crashes, alcohol relation, and the use of safety equipment in an effort to relate them to truck unit type. The relationships between these factors are examined through a multivariate probit model, which is developed using single vehicle crash data for the years 2010 to 2013 from the state of Ohio. The results indicate that crashes occurring at night are more likely to involve combination-unit trucks (CUT), and that crashes where a passenger is present are more likely to involve a single-unit truck (SUT). When operators do not have insurance, they are less likely to use a seatbelt and are significantly more likely to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. This indicates that operators who partake in one risky behavior tend to disregard safety and to compound their behavior with other risky actions. Failure to yield and negligent driving are signs that an operator is more likely to be under the influence of alcohol, since alcohol impairs reaction time and motor skills. The correlation coefficients indicate that operators of SUTs are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, and drivers of CUTs are less likely to be under the influence of alcohol and more likely to use a seatbelt at the time of a crash.