In the years 1992 through 2001, 986 sport utility vehicle (SUV) drivers of ages 16 through 19 years were fatally injured in U.S. rollover crashes — 128 in the year 2001, the most recent year for which complete data exist in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). In these same years, 1,345 SUV drivers of ages 20-24 sustained fatal injuries in rollovers; of these, 326 occurred in the year 2001. Serious injuries were sustained in SUV rollovers by an estimated 16,000 drivers of ages 16-24 in the years 1992-2001, as estimated by the National Automotive Sampling System’s General Estimates System (GES). In response to concerns over numbers such as those cited above, this note looks at driving risks associated with younger drivers in SUVs. In the United States, the number of SUVs in the fleet has more than doubled from 10 million in 1995 to 21 million in 20011. With this increase, interest in the rate and circumstances of SUV crashes (particularly rollovers) has grown. In particular, members of the safety community are concerned about the increase in use of aging SUVs by younger drivers who may lack experience in the handling of these vehicles, but may be buying the used vehicles as they become affordable. To address the concerns raised, this note addresses the following topics: * Younger drivers in SUV crashes * Relative risk of rollover among differing age groups * Rollovers in aging SUVs * Groups at high risk. For this note, drivers of ages 16 through 24 are classified as younger drivers. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting