Citation

Ray MH, Troxel LA, Carney J. J. Transp. Eng. 1991; 117(3): 281-297.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Society of Civil Engineers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Each year approximately 160,000 people are involved in accidents where the side of a vehicle strikes a fixed-roadside object such as a tree, utility pole, or guardrail. Of these 160,000 occupants, 60,000 are injured and 1,600 are killed. When a side-impact accident with a fixed object occurs, an occupant has one chance in three that he will be injured and one chance in 100 that they will be fatally injured. This level of injury and death represents a loss to our society of $3 billion each year. Trees and utility poles are by far the most frequently struck objects, the objects that result in the highest risk of injury, and hence the objects causing the greatest loss to society. Data from the National Accident Sampling System and the Fatal Accident Reporting System are used to identify characteristics of this accident scenario.