The authors have completed three projects for the Department for Transport, on right-turning accidents, overtaking accidents and young drivers' accidents, and have recently started a fourth study looking at motorcyclists' accidents and work-related road accidents. This paper outlines their method and reports the findings of the young drivers study. 1,284 detailed accident cases were drawn from Midland police forces, involving drivers aged 17–25, covering four situations: (a) right turns; (b) rear-end shunts; (c) loss of control on bends; and (d) accidents in darkness. Findings include a breakdown of the role of attitude and skill factors, and a profile of changing causal patterns round the clock as road conditions and usage change. The paper also describes progress so far on the study of motorcycling and work-related accidents. (Author/publisher) For the covering abstract see ITRD E116881.
Abstract