An indepth study of 121 fatal motor vehicle collisions involving 154 vehicle occupant fatalities; collision characteristics, causation and seat belt effectiveness.

Based on 121 indepth collision investigations involving 154 vehicle occupant fatalities in Manitoba, the following observations were made: 1. A primary causal factor to which the occurrence of a fatal collision can be attributed is driver impairment due to the consumption of alcohol. 2. A possible causal factor, apparent in 13 or 85 % of multi- vehicle daytime collisions, is physiologic impairment due to advanced age of a driver. 3. Based on clinical estimates, it was determined that seat belts would have been 39 to 54% effective in salvaging 106 unrestrained occupants.