6 research outputs found
Child car passenger fatalities – European figures and in-depth study
This paper reports on three approaches undertaken to study overall child car passenger fatality numbers across Europe and examine conditions when fatalities occur. Firstly, a literature review of previous specific studies and public data finds data from WHO for estimating the relevance of child road accident fatalities. Detail for child fatalities as car passengers is found to be limited and for the future it is important to collect and harmonise exposure data (especially distance travelled) to compare countries and different modes of traffic for their fatality risk. Secondly, interrogation of the EC CARE database (Community database on Accidents on the Roads in Europe) for child car passenger fatalities finds that 392 children (0 to 13 years) were killed as car (or taxi) passengers in 23 countries of the EU during 2008, 44% of all road fatalities for this age group. Over the previous 10 year period the reduction in child car passenger fatalities is estimated to be 50% for the EU-19 countries with available data. Thirdly, in depth analysis of French police child passenger fatality files has taken place. The CASIMIR project (Child Accident Study Investigating Mortal Incident on the Road), the collation and in-depth analysis of French police child passenger fatality files from 2001 to 2003, was reported at FISITA 2010. An update of this study with data from 2005 to 2010 is on-going, in order to see if there are some evolutions (for example, new child restraint systems, new generation of cars and changes in parents’ behaviour) and more than 250 fatal accidents will be included in the 2nd phase. From previous results, frontal and side impacts remain a priority, with a small proportion killed in rear impacts and fatalities in roll-overs mostly unrestrained. In this kind of study there are some limits on the information regarding the quality of use of the restraint systems. Therefore a sample of 60 accidents was investigated in-depth (mostly front and side impacts) with special attention paid to the quality of restraint use. Results of these in depth investigations are reported in the present paper. The complete data of the 2nd phase of the CASIMIR project, also considering sociological data, will be published when all fatal accidents for the period have been coded. Parts of this work have been undertaken in the EC CASPER project and are reported in Deliverable 3.2.1 (Kirk et al, 2011). The activities regarding the French police fatal files have been undertaken in both the CASIMIR project and CASPER
An analysis of speed related UK accidents using a human functional failure methodology
Accidents involving either illegal or inappropriate speeding play a part in a large proportion of accidents involving cars. The types of typical failure generating scenarios found in car accidents where illegal speeding or inappropriate speeding is contributory are compared using the detailed human functional failure methodology developed in the European TRACE project (TRaffic Accident Causation in Europe), funded by the European Commission.
Using on-scene cases from the UK ‘On The Spot’ database (funded by the UK Department for Transport and Highways Agency), a sample of cases where speed is contributory have been analysed. An overview of speeding cases from the 4,000 in-depth cases available in the dataset is also presented.
The results highlight not only the differences between inappropriate and illegal speeding cases, but also the differences in the functional failures experienced by both the ‘at fault’ and ‘not at fault’ road users in both types of speed-related accidents.
The results form a unique base of knowledge for future work on the human-related issues associated with speeding of both types, for all crash participants. Also considered is how new technologies can address speeding accidents
Trip related factors
WP3 of the European Project TRACE is concerned with Types of Factors to analyse the causation of
road traffic accidents from a factors' point of view. In task 3.3 'Trip-related Factors' it was tried to
characterise accidents that are caused by certain contributing factors found on a trip level.
This was done by applying one statistical method to existing databases of the WP3 Partners on the one
hand and on the other hand by performing an in-depth case analysis using the WP5 method.
The analysed factors stem from the Human Component of the accident causation classification,
namely "alcohol", "vigilance", and "experience", from the Vehicle Component, namely "vehicle
condition/maintenance", and from the Environment component, namely "road layout" and "road
condition". This selection resulted from the task 3.1 conclusions and feasibility reasons.
Due to inhomogeneous results for the databases from Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, and
Spain the detailed results will be pictured in an Internal TRACE Report by Sub-reports of the WP3
Partners, in this task report the main results are discussed with respect to findings and data in other
databases available to the TRACE partners as requested from WP8.
Both methods applied show that trip-related factors are possible to prevent not on a trip level only,
but also from a background level and as well on a level closer to the accident (driving task level).
However, only some suggestions are possible to give by these results. A more detailed view for
preventing the different accidents that result from trip-related factors is necessary, as shown by the
results of BASt with the statistic method, as well as by INRETS with the ultra in-depth WP5 method
Summary report on work package 3 "Types of Factors"
This summary report presents the main results of Work Package 3 "Types of Factors" of the TRACE
Project. The work as performed in the tasks 3.1 (accident related factors), 3.2 (sociological and cultural
factors), 3.3 (trip-related factors), and 3.4 (driving-task associated factors) and presented in the
Deliverables 3.1 to 3.4 and an additional internal TRACE Report (Collection of Sub-Reports for task
3.3) is summarized and discussed.
The objective of defining relevant accident related factors first and the objective of analysing traffic
accident causation
- from a factor's point of view while taking traditional views into account
- on different levels
- by using statistic methods for existing databases as provided by the Work Package 3 Partners and
- by using new (developed in Work Package 5 of the TRACE project) methods on new case analysis
in order to gain new knowledge on accident causation was possible to reach.
The scope of the identified key aspects as found by the Partners in their work for the relevance in
EU27 is discussed. In accordance, even further, appropriate suggestions for prevention of traffic
accidents can be derived
Driving task-related factors
Driving task-related factors by definition are ‘directly and causally contributing to the accident occurrence, very
specific and detailed, are short-term lasting or dynamic in nature, and refer to the actual conditions of the
components’.
The aim was to analyse specific driving task-related factors to investigate how these type of factors affect the
driver undertaking their tasks within driving. A selection of driving task-related factors were chosen and
analysed using two types of analysis; by a statistical method and by an in-depth methodology developed in
TRACE.
Typical characteristics of these accidents were identified, and for a number of factors, typical failure generating
scenarios were also identified. From this, a list of possible countermeasures were defined with the aim of
preventing such accidents occurring. These included driver education, in-vehicle technologies and design issues.
Finally, benefits and limitations of the analysis undertaken are given, with recommendation for future work on
driving task-related factors
Reconsidering accident causation analysis and evaluating the safety benefits of technologies: final results of the TRACE project
The objectives of the EU-funded project TRACE
(TRaffic Accident Causation in Europe, 2006-2008)
are the up-dating of the etiology of road accidents
and the assessment of the safety benefits of
promising technology-based solutions.
The analyses are based on available, reliable and
accessible existing databases (access to which has
been greatly facilitated by a number of partners
highly experienced in safety analysis, coming from 8
different countries and having access to different
kinds of databases, in-depth or regional or national
statistics in their own country).
Apart from considerable improvements in the
methodologies applicable to accident research in the
field of human factors, statistics and epidemiology, allowing a better understanding of the crash
generating issues, the TRACE project quantified the
expected safety benefits for existing and future safety
applications.
As for existing safety functions or safety packages,
the main striking results show that any increment of a
passive or active safety function selected in this
project produces additional safety benefits. In general,
the safety gains are even higher for higher injury
severity levels. For example, if all cars were Euro
NCAP five stars and fitted with EBA and ESC,
compared to four stars without ESC and EBA, injury
accidents would be reduced by 47%, all injuries
would be mitigated by 68% and severe + fatal
injuries by 70%. As for future advanced safety functions, TRACE
investigated 19 safety systems. The results show that
the greatest additional safety gains potential are
expected from intelligent speed adaptation systems,
automatic crash notification systems, and collision
warning and collision avoidance systems. Their
expected benefits (expected reduction in the total
number of injured persons if the fleet is 100%
equipped) are between 6% and 11%. Safety benefits
of other systems are more often below 5%. Some
systems have a very low expected safety benefit
(around or less than 1%)