Citation

Chira-Chavala T. Transp. Res. Rec. 1986; 1068: 70-75.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A study of wet-pavement truck accidents was carried out for over-the-road trucks authorized by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The study was based on accident data from the Bureau of Motor Carriers Safety (BMCS) for 1979 through 1981. The analysis was limited to truck accident involvements on four-or-more-lane highways in Texas. Discrete-multivariate methods were used for the analysis. The analysis indicates that empty trucks show up to three times higher propensity for single-truck accident involvements (run-off-road, jackknife, overturn, and separation of units) on wet pavements than do loaded trucks. The ratios of wet-pavement to dry-pavement accident involvements were found to be influenced by the following factors: empty/loaded, truck type, and accident type, but not by day/night. The ratio of single-truck accident involvements on wet pavements to those on dry pavements was found to be much higher for empty trucks than for loaded trucks, after adjusting for truck type. Heavy-truck involvements in multivehicle collisions were used as a comparison group. These findings appear to strongly support the prediction by Horne and the laboratory study conducted by Ivey, that truck tires can hydroplane at highway speeds when the trucks are empty or lightly loaded.

Language: en

Keywords

HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS - Analysis; MOTOR TRUCKS; MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES - Variational Techniques; PAVEMENTS - Moisture Control