VEHICLE FACTORS AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CAUSATION: AN INTERIM REPORT

The article first offers uniform definitions for the following pertinent terms: system unit, element, traffic accident, factor, causation, and vehicle factors. Using those basic definitions, the article reports upon certain aspects of vehicle factors and traffic accident causation. The data used are extracted from 390 multidisciplinary traffic accident investigations performed in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other states during the period of 1968-1970. The investigations consist of those performed by the Highway Safety Foundation (HSF) and others made available to HSF by certain groups performing similar investigations outside Ohio. A pragmatic structure was introduced for analysis of vehicle involvement in accident causation; and elementary decision models were constructed to afford insight as to accident prevention through interception of vehicle factors.