Part III – “Difference” data between Large Trucks & Passenger Vehicles
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Data Review – Large Truck vs. Passenger Vehicle
Evaluation of collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles demonstrated that there was no statistically significant variance between the “associated factors” for the trucks vs. the passenger vehicles identified to be responsible for the accidents examined. And, for both, a statistically significant link was found to exist between the following factors and the critical reason for the crash:
- Lack of familiarity with roadway;
- Driver inattention (“Inadequate surveillance”);
- Driving too fast for conditions;
- Illegal maneuver;
- Driver Inattention or distraction;
- Driver Fatigue; and,
- Misidentification of other driver’s actions;
However, the study did identify some “important differences . . . between the two vehicle types”, including:
- Following too closely and driver distraction were closely linked to accident causation for operators of large trucks, but not passenger vehicles;
- Use of alcohol and drugs were found to have a much higher and “statistically significant association” with responsibility for the accident in drivers of passenger vehicles;
- Driver fatigue was found to be causative of the accident twice as frequently in passenger vehicles than in large trucks; and,
- Illness was found to be a contributing factor to causing the accident five times more often in drivers of passenger vehicles than in large trucks
Given these data, the researchers concluded “adverse physical conditions” were more strongly linked to the cause of the crash with passenger drivers than with truck drivers.
For more information on the FMCA’s “large truck crash causation study”, visit the agency’s website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/news/news-releases/2006/ltccs-digest.htm.