TO DETERMINE WHETHER DIAGNOSTIC INSPECTIONS REDUCE ACCIDENTS, THIS PAPER COMPARES THE ACCIDENT RATES OF VEHICLES WHICH PARTICIPATED IN THE ALABAMA MOTOR VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC INSPECTION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM WITH VEHICLES WHICH DID NOT ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE. IN HUNTSVILLE THE ACCIDENT RATE OF INSPECTED VEHICLES REPRESENTS AN IMPROVEMENT OF 9.1% OVER THE RATE FOR UNINSPECTED VEHICLES. FURTHERMORE, THE ACCIDENT RATE OF INSPECTED VEHICLES DECREASED 5.3% AFTER INSPECTION. WHEREAS THE MONTHLY ACCIDENT RATE OF THE RESPONSIVE PARTICIPANT WHO RETURNED FOR SUBSEQUENT PERIODIC INSPECTIONS DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS, THE MONTHLY ACCIDENT RATE OF UNRESPONSIVE PARTICIPANTS INCREASED TO THE LEVEL OF UNINSPECTED VEHICLES. VEHICLES INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS WERE IN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE MECHANICAL CONDITION ON THE AVERAGE THAN THOSE NOT INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS. THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT POOR MECHANICAL CONDITION IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AND THAT ANNUAL INSPECTIONS ARE A DESIRABLE MEANS OF REDUCING ACCIDENT RATES.(Author/publisher).
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