Organisation: Department for Transport
Date uploaded: 27th October 2011
Date published/launched: Pre 2009
The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the trends and circumstances of fatal accidents by reviewing existing data on road traffic fatalities and by identifying potential counter-measures.
and by identifying potential counter-measures.
The objectives were as follows:
1. To what extent can trends be explained in terms of:
• accident circumstances;
• survivability of crashes;
• health care after injury; and
• deprivation.
2. To identify main contributors to fatal trends in terms of:
• the people involved;
• their behaviour;
• the vehicles they drive;
• the environments in which they have their accidents; and
• the injuries that lead to fatalities and the health services response to them.
3. To take into account factors which may influence fatal trends in terms of exposure and risk, such as:
• licence holding and vehicle ownership;
• changes in exposure in terms of average distance driven by car drivers;
• trends in the manufacture of larger, heavier cars and polarisation of the fleet
in terms of size and mass.
A collaborative multidisciplinary approach was adopted involving research teams from University College London (UCL) and the universities of Surrey and Swansea; the University of Nottingham; and the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
This report is a synthesis of the research undertaken by each group.
For more information contact:
Heather Ward