Citation

Tefft BC, Benson A, Horrey WJ. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2020; 30(1): 12-15.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Driver safety involves not just being able to drive safely in general, but also understanding and being familiar with the specific features and characteristics of one's own vehicle. In this study, the authors explore the relationship between driver familiarity with a vehicle and risk of causing a fatal traffic crash. Driver familiarity is identified as being the registered owner of the vehicle, and the authors analyze whether fatal-crash-involved drivers are more likely to be the owners of the vehicles they are driving (as opposed to to drivers of rental cars or of cars owned by others) and the odds that they have committed a driving error or other action contributing to the crash. They use crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to identify drivers involved in fatal crashes in the United States between 2008 and 2017. Their findings indicate that drivers of vehicles they own are less likely to be at risk for crash involvement than drivers of rental cars or drivers of cars owned by others, suggesting that lack of familiarity with a vehicle may have implications for crash risk.

Language: en

Keywords

Driver experience; Fatalities; Highway safety; Vehicle safety; Driver performance; Automobile ownership; Human factors in crashes; Vehicle components