NEEDED HIGHWAY ACCIDENT RESEARCH

THREE FACTORS ARE INVOLVED IN EVERY ACCIDENT: THE VEHICLE, THE HIGHWAY, AND THE AND/OR PEDESTRIAN. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HEADLIGHTING, WHERE WE ARE UNCERTAIN AS TO WHAT CONSTITUTES TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH, AND LARGE AND HEAVY VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY COMBINATIONS, WE KNOW QUITE WELL HOW THE VEHICLE BEHAVES. WITH RESPECT TO HIGHWAYS, WE KNOW THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF ROADS ARE SAFER THAN OTHERS, BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH; WE NEED CONTINUING STUDIES ON THE FREQUENCY AND NATURE OF ACCIDENTS ON THE VARIOUS TYPES. IT IS CHIEFLY WITH RESPECT TO THE HUMAN FACTOR THAT OUR KNOWLEDGE IS DEFICIENT. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT RESEARCH PROGRAMS BE UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE OF VARIOUS GROUPS BY AGE, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND SO ON; SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO DEFINING THE TERM ACCIDENT-PRONE DRIVER AND TO FINDING MEANS OF DETECTING SUCH DRIVERS; THE APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED BY PANELS OF EXPERTS---ENGINEERS, PHYSICIANS, PSYCHOLOGISTS---WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION SQUADS. SIMILAR STUDIES SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO PEDESTRIANS.