This study, which focuses on fatalities from traffic accidents in Europe and the United States, was undertaken to compare certain demographic and accident characteristics between the two continents. The objectives of the study were to: (1) Identify changes in fatalities and fatality rates for different age groups and road user groups; (2) Determine whether there were statistically significant changes in the fatal traffic accident characteristics between 1978 and 1987; (3) Show how people died; (4) Show where people died; (5) Show the number of persons killed in alcohol-related accidents. Overall, it can be stated that over the investigated time period Western Europe had experienced a better development in traffic safety than the United States for different age and road user groups. But, if one looks at the ratio of the percentage share of fatalities for different age and road user groups, then the situation in Western Europe is clearly worse than that in the United States. This is clearly supported by the fatality rate which indicates that the risk of being involved in a fatal accident in the United States is much lower than that in Wester Europe. (A)
Abstract