Citation

Meyers WS. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 808: 48-55.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A lack of verifiable exposure data (vehicle miles of travel) for passenger cars and trucks has made comparisons of their accident rates suspect. Such comparisons are particularly important at this time because of the current trend toward longer and heavier trucks that travel alongside smaller and lighter automobiles. In response to the weaknesses in the existing accident-rate data, a nationwide survey of accident rates was made of the 1976 through 1978 accident experience for 34 limited-access facilities. These included 21 toll expressways and turnpikes and 13 bridges and tunnels for which accurate exposure figures could be obtained. The results show that fatal accident rates for light and heavy trucks on expressways were significantly greater than that for passenger cars: the rate for light trucks was 135 percent greater than that for passenger cars and that for heavy trucks was 110 percent greater. The injury accident rate for light trucks was 55 percent greater than that for passenger cars, whereas the injury accident rate for heavy trucks was 37 percent higher compared with that for passenger cars. The overall expressway accident rates for light and heavy trucks exceeded that for passenger cars by 72 percent and 58 percent, respectively. For the bridges and tunnels, overall accident rates for light and heavy trucks were seven and four times greater than that for the average passenger car.