Injury Severity, Vehicle Safety Features, and Intersection Crashes
- 28 May 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Traffic Injury Prevention
- Vol. 9 (3), 268-276
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15389580802040311
Abstract
Objective: This article examines injury severity in crashes that occur within signalized intersections and identifies some factors that explain them. Method: It uses a random effect ordered logit model and an unbalanced longitudinal panel data for 303 intersections for one medium-size city. Results: Among its findings are 3% and 0.29% lower probabilities of sustaining evident and disabling injuries respectively when vehicle occupants wear three-point seat belts and corresponding 1.71% and 0.16% lower probabilities when they wear only shoulder belts. Also, the probabilities of sustaining evident and disabling injuries reduce by 0.87% and 0.08% when vehicles with airbags are involved in crashes. But, when front airbags deploy the probabilities of sustaining disabling, evident, and possible injuries increase by 1.3%, 11.93%, and 26.80%, respectively. Similarly, both side airbags deploying increases disabling and evident injuries by 1.8% and 15.53%, respectively. In addition, we find that the probability of sustaining severe injuries increases in head-on crashes. Conclusion: These results emphasize the effectiveness of seat belt use, especially three-point seat belts, the inclusion of airbags in all vehicles, increased awareness of possible injuries from airbags deploying, signalized intersection designs that include pedestrian crossing signals, and additional research to identify the predominant types of injuries associated with airbags deploying.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Some determinants of possible injuries in crashes at signalized intersectionsJournal of Safety Research, 2007
- The impact of driver distraction on road safety: results from a representative survey in two Australian statesInjury Prevention, 2006
- The crash severity impacts of fixed roadside objectsJournal of Safety Research, 2005
- Restraint Use and Age and Sex Characteristics of Persons Involved in Fatal Motor Vehicle CrashesTransportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2003
- Air Bag-Related Fatality in a Short, Forward-Positioned DriverAnnals of Emergency Medicine, 1996
- Airbag Module Cover InjuriesThe Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 1995
- Upper Extremity Injuries Related to Airbag DeploymentsThe Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 1995
- Belted and unbelted driver accident involvement rates comparedJournal of Safety Research, 1987
- Safety Belt Injury Reduction Related to Crash Severity and Front Seated PositionThe Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 1987
- The Effect of Minimum Drinking Age Legislation on Youthful Auto Fatalities, 1970-1977The Journal of Legal Studies, 1984