Reports of in depth crash studies from Australia, UK, Europe and the USA were reviewed. Successful studies were found to have defined and explicit objectives, a sound statistical design, appropriate analysis, and a substantial report which was related to the objectives of the study. On scene studies gather transient information, and allow development of insight into the crash process; follow up studies are more convenient, but at the cost of lost information. The resources required for each are similar. Apart from a small rural study near Adelaide, there has been no field study of crash performance of vehicles in Australia since 1977. There is a need for a system for continual monitoring of the effects of changes in vehicles and the environment on injuries and the crash process. This should be done through on scene studies of rural and urban crashes, and through a system of augmented police reports. (A)
Abstract