How Risky is It? An assessment of the relative risk of engaging in potentially unsafe driving behaviors
How Risky is It? An assessment of the relative risk of engaging in potentially unsafe driving behaviors AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Established in 1947 501 (c)(3) Not-For-Profit Research affiliate of AAA/CAA North American Focus Mission Identify traffic safety problems
How Risky is It? An assessment of the relative risk of engaging in potentially unsafe driving behaviors
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How Risky is It?An assessment of the relative risk of engaging in potentially unsafe driving behaviors
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety • Established in 1947 • 501 (c)(3) Not-For-Profit • Research affiliate of AAA/CAA • North American Focus
Mission • Identify traffic safety problems • Foster research that seeks solutions • Disseminate information and educational materials
Funded through the generosity of and its members
Published December 2006 Prepared by: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Available online at: www.aaafoundation.org
Purpose of Study • Perform additional analysis of data collected under previous 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study to investigate impacts of various behaviors on crash risk • Behaviors studied: • speeding • drowsy driving • aggressive driving • distracted driving
The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study • $3 Million study sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Virginia DOT, and Virginia Tech • Conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute • Collected unprecedented level of driving data pre-crash and normal driving behavior
100-Car Study “Naturalistic” Approach • Used in-vehicle camera and custom-built advanced “black box” to monitor drivers • 100 equipped vehicles • 12-13 months of data collection, no “experimenter” present • Subjects not “coached,” instructed to drive “as usual” • Instrumentation was unobtrusive and inconspicuous to other drivers, but not invisible • NHTSA-sponsored work indicates subjects’ driving was uninfluenced by in-vehicle monitoring after the first few hours (out of 12-13 months)
100-Car Study Equipment Driver Face Camera Forward Road Camera “Black Box”
100-Car Study Participants • 109 primary drivers • Ages 18-68 • 60% male, 40% female • Recruited in Washington DC & Northern VA • Range from “very safe” to “very unsafe” • Wide range of driving mileage • Drove on all road classes • Mostly urban & suburban driving, some rural • Drove sedans and SUVs • Also 132 secondary drivers
100-Car Study Database Statistics Captured data on: • 42,300 hours and ~2 million miles of driving • 82 Crashes and collisions • Defined as any contact between the subject vehicle and another vehicle, object, pedestrian, cyclist, or animal • 761 Near crashes • Defined as a conflict situation requiring a rapid, severe evasive maneuver to avoid a crash • 8,295 Incidents • Conflict requiring an evasive maneuver, but of less magnitude than a near crash • 20,000 normal baseline driving epochs • To compare driver behavior during normal driving to behavior leading up to crashes, near crashes, and incidents
This Study • Investigated the frequency with which drivers engage in various potentially risky behaviors during ordinary driving and immediately prior to crashes, near-crashes, and incidents • Analyzed the impacts of various behaviors on the risk of being involved in a crash or near-crash
Results – Risk of Crash or Near Crash Note: Odds of crash or near-crash with behavior present vs. absent; computed using logistic regression to control for other behaviors; odds ratio > 1 indicates increased risk
Conclusions • The odds of being involved in a crash are nearly tripled when driving while drowsy or driving faster than surrounding traffic. • The odds of being involved in a crash are approximately doubled when driving aggressively or when looking away from the road for longer than 2 seconds.
For more information on the 100-Car Study, please go to: http://www.vtti.vt.edu and click on 100-Car Study Or go to: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-13/newDriverDistraction.html
For more information about this study sponsored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, please go to: www.aaafoundation.org
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a 501(c)(3) public charity located in Washington, DC that is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries. It is supported by donations from AAA/CAA Clubs, AAA/CAA members, and other organizations associated with AAA/CAA.