This paper reports the development of a system of accident classification, based on brief written reports by drivers, and its use to determine the relations of age, sex, and driving experience to risks of specific accident types. Understanding such relationships should eventually help to reduce accident risks by enabling better-targeted interventions and providing more clues about the psychological processes behind excessive risks. Four groups of drivers, participating in a national accident survey, were asked to provide brief written descriptions of accidents in which they had been involved. Each driver was sent a questionnaire to complete and return. The system for classifying accidents was developed in several stages. It was found that brief accident descriptions could be coded reliably into scripts, and that the involvement of drivers in different accident types, as both active and passive participants, could be estimated. For specific types of accident, significant relationships were found with age, sex, and driving experience. Young British males are more likely to be involved in accidents with loss of vehicle control. Young drivers generally are at more risk of accidents while reversing. There was no evidence of correlation of causing an accident by pulling out with young or male drivers. Driving experience played little part, except for some evidence that inexperienced drivers made more right of way violations.
Abstract