@article{ref1,
title="What affects annual changes in traffic safety? A macroscopic perspective in Virginia",
journal="Journal of safety research",
year="2015",
author="Kweon, Young-Jun",
volume="53",
number="",
pages="17-21",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Virginia saw a 20% reduction in traffic fatalities in 2008, an unprecedented annual reduction since 1950, and safety stakeholders in Virginia were intrigued about what caused such large a reduction and more generally what affects traffic safety from a macroscopic perspective. <br><br>METHOD: This study attempted to find factors associated with such a reduction using historical data of Virginia. Specifically, the study related 18 factors to seven traffic safety measures. <br><br>RESULTS: In terms of annual changes, the study found that typical crash exposures were not generally associated with the seven measures, while two economic indicators (unemployment rate and U.S. Consumer Price Index [CPI]) were strongly associated with most of them. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Annual changes in the CPI and unemployment rate account for about half of the annual changes in total and fatal crash counts, respectively. On average, a 1 point increase in CPI and a 1% increase in the unemployment rate are associated with about 2,500 fewer traffic crashes and about 40 fewer fatal crashes annually in Virginia, respectively.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-4375",
doi="10.1016/j.jsr.2015.03.003",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2015.03.003"
}