The goal of this study was to explore the effects of drivers’ personal characteristics and the in-car and out-car conditions associated with a car crashes on the types of crashes that drivers are most likely to be involved in. It was hypothesized that personal and environmental characteristics surrounding a car crash will affect the types of crashes the drivers get involved in. Also, it was hypothesized that some differences in crash type patterns exist among the four Midwestern states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) and between the Midwest and the country as a whole. The results of this study confirmed that these differences do exist. Another goal of this study was to analyze the effect of different types of driver distractions on the crash types drivers get involved in. The results of this analysis showed that different sources of distraction lead to different types of crashes. (Author/publisher)
Abstract