Citation

Baldwin DM. Highw. Res. Board bull. 1953; 74: 1-6.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1953, National Research Council (U.S.A.), Highway Research Board)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A summary is presented of traffic accident statistics since 1899. It is concluded that death rates have followed the following patterns: (1) increase according to population to 1937, dropping in 1943, and climbing to 24.3 in 1951, (2) accidents are high with vehicle registrations in 1926, then climb up in 1934, and down to an all-time low in 1951 of 7.1, (3) vehicle-mile statistics have decreased steadily from 1925 to 1950 and 1951, staying at a low of 7.6, (4) the trend toward a predominently rural problem, indicates in 1951 rural deaths were 71% of the total, and were up 60% from 1930 while urban deaths were down about a third, (5) the mileage death rate for rural areas has consistently been 50% greater than the urban rate, and is today more than twice the urban rate, (6) changes in the types and circumstances of accidents are primarily due to the urban- rural shift, (7) the major change in rural fatals, other than a general increase, has been in two-vehicle intersection collisions and in noncollision, ran-off- straight-road accidents, both of which have increased, (8) few changes are found in the pattern of accident circumstances and conditions, (9) major differences are apparent in the accident pattern for the most modern super-highways, (10) current research suggests the need for more attention to the control of access, even by vehicles parked on the shoulder, and (11) better accident information is needed for good accident statistics.