An Investigation of the Risk Factors Causing Severe Injuries in Crashes Involving Gravel Trucks

Abstract

Objective: Gravel trucks that transport heavy materials such as gravel, sand, dirt, or crushed rock require great skill and attention for safe driving, especially when they carry excessive loads or drive at unwarranted speeds that tend to cause serious accidents. Very few studies in the past have attempted to examine the effect of risk factors on the severity of injury associated with gravel truck crashes. This study intends to assess the impact of risk factors on the severity of injury associated with gravel truck crashes. Methods: Factors that contribute to 2 severity levels of fatalities or injuries and property damage only were examined by using the binary logit model. This article also estimates the effects of risk factors on various types of crashes involving gravel trucks; for example, head-on, angle, sideswipe, and rear-end. Results: Some factors associated with lack of driver awareness, geometric improvements to roads or intersections, and the desire to achieve higher salaries by making more runs in a day were found to have a significant effect on causing severe injuries in gravel truck accidents. Conclusions: Some policy recommendations to prevent gravel truck–involved crashes that resulted in serious injuries include mandating gravel truck operators and companies to strictly enforce the maximum legal driving hours and improve the wage system of a low pay base and high-bonus by runs, in addition to a required driver training program, mandating gravel truck drivers to attend a traffic safety program for the education and awareness of risky driving behaviors—for example, overloading, speeding, and prolonged driving—before obtaining a professional driver's license.