The relationship between vehicle aggressivity and the year of manufacture of Australian passenger and light commercial vehicles manufactured from 1964 to 2000 was investigated. Trends were examined by year of manufacture both for the fleet as a whole and by market group for vehicles manufactured from 1982 to 2000. Aggressivity was measured by a combination of injury severity (of injured drivers) and injury risk (of drivers involved in crashes). The ratings were adjusted for the sex and age of the focus driver (that is, the driver of the vehicle impacted by the vehicle of the specific year of manufacture and/or market group), the speed limit at the crash location, the state in which the crash occurred and the year in which the crash occurred. These factors were strongly related to injury risk and/or severity for aggressivity. The aggressivity rating estimates the risk of the focus driver being killed or admitted to hospital when involved in a tow-away crash, to a degree of accuracy represented by the confidence limits of the rating in each case. The results of this report are based on a number of assumptions and warrant a number of qualifications that should be noted. (Author/publisher)
Abstract