Chapter 1 of this book outlines the main features of the road accident situation in Great Britain after a short description of the methods employed by the police in collecting the national accident statistics. Chapter 2 draws attention to the importance of the part played in accidents by interactions between the road user, the vehicle and the road environment. Chapter 3 deals with road users as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists or drivers. Their characteristics and capabilities and their involvement in accidents are described. Chapter 4 outlines the main features of roads which influence the risk of accidents, and is intended to assist accident investigators to give proper weight to the various components of the road environment. Chapter 5 deals with matters which influence the course of the events preceding an accident, such as visibility and the stability of vehicles at different speeds on dry and wet roads. Secondary safety, determined by factors which operate during and after the first contacts or impacts have occurred, is considered in chapter 6. The main part of the chapter describes the characteristics of the most important types of collision and the resulting damage, and this is followed by a brief consideration of motorcycle and commercial vehicle accidents. The mechanisms of injury to the different classes of road user and the various kinds of protective device are outlines in chapter 7. Chapter 8 lists the potential savings in accidents by the application of safety measures in Great Britain and chapter 9 contains general advice on accident investigation.
Abstract