The characteristics of the typical accidents of four subpopulations of drivers who are over-represented in Texas traffic accidents were identified, and the information was disseminated to various groups with authority to implement appropriate countermeasures for each group of high-risk drivers. A univariate analysis of the data was conducted for 1978 accidents involving DWI drivers, drivers with two or more convictions or accidents in the previous two years, drivers 25 or under and drivers 65 or over. Tabulations of percentages of involvement by category on the driver license, driver history, vehicle registration and accident files were generated. Based on these data four variables were selected for inclusion in a logistic regression analysis to determine if accident severity related to these variables. The variables selected were time of day, day of week, contributing factor, and prior record. Results indicate that accident severity is linked to speeding for all four groups, to late night driving for all groups, and to weekend driving for all but DWI drivers This information, along with a descriptive analysis for each high-risk group based on the univariate data, has been sent to the Driver Education Division of the Texas Education Association, the Medical Advisory Board for the state of Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Centre for the Judiciary.
Abstract