This project has been carried out to provide guidance to motor manufacturers about the types of equipment which are likely to be most effective in reducing the number of accidents. In order to do this, extensive samples of accidents have been examined in order to determine their causes. This final project report describes the methods used to collect accident data, the analyses of these data and the guidance that has been developed. Two samples of over 1000 accidents were studied: one consisted of fatal accidents reported by the police and the other consisted of much less serious accidents reported by drivers to their insurer. Seven major clusters of accidents were identified. Among fatal accidents, accidents, these comprise pedestrian accidents and accidents involving loss of control because of excessive speed or a driver's lack of judgement of the car's path. The cluster of non-fatal accidents involve cars hitting other vehicles or objects in the carriageway because of the driver's distraction, failure to judge the other vehicle's speed or excessive speed, also loss of control because of ice or snow. (A)
Abstract