National accident sampling system 1982 : a report on traffic accidents and injuries in the U.S. collected in the U.S. in the year 1982.

This is the fourth report on traffic accident statistics in the United States from the National Accident Sampling System (NASS). It is designed to provide basic information on a representative sample of police-reported accidents in the U.S. NASS is based solely on police-reported accidents. For 1982, 8,718 such accidents were investigated by NASS. While fewer than half of all motor vehicle accidents are reported to the police, almost all of the more serious crashes are reported: those in which there is significant personal injury or major property damage. Since the majority of accidents not reported to the police involved no (or only very minor) injury, this report focuses on those accidents reported by the police. Investigators can determine the circumstances and outcome of most accidents that are reported to police, thereby providing detailed information that is important to safety research. The purpose of this report is to present to the reader some estimates of the accident experience on the nation's highways. With well over 200 data elements for each of the 8,700 accidents investigated in 1982, the possible number of tabulations showing the relationship between two or three variables is much larger than can or should be presented in a report of this kind. The information presented in this report is based on investigations of accidents that took place in 1982. In some cases (which are identified) these data are combined with data from 3,413 crashes investigated in 1979; 2,973 crashes investigated in 1980; and 5,986 crashes investigated in 1981. NASS and the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) provide the most detailed information that is available on national traffic accidents. Both programs are operated by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). NASS data are used to identify traffic safety problems, and to support research, development, and evaluation of motor vehicle and highway safety countermeasures. Appendix 4 shows the number of accidents investigated from 1979 through 1982, and the primary national estimates derived from them.