Time to Death Analysis of Road Traffic Accidents in Relation to Delta V, Drunk Driving, and Restraint Systems

Abstract

Objective: The main goal of this research is to identify variables related to the expected time to death due to road traffic accidents (RTAs). Such research is expected to be useful in improving safety laws and regulations and developing new safety systems. The resulting information is crucial not only for reducing accident fatalities but for assessing related insurance policies.

Methods: In this article, we analyze factors that are potentially associated with variation in the expected survival time after a road traffic accident using Weibull regression. In particular, we consider the association with alcohol involvement, delta V, and restraint systems.

Results: Our empirical results, obtained based on the NASS-CDS, indicate that the expected survival time for non-alcohol-impaired drivers is 3.23 times longer at a delta V of 50 km/h than that for alcohol-impaired drivers under the same conditions. In addition, it was observed that, even when occupants were alcohol-impaired, if they were protected by both air bags and seat belts, their expected survival time after an RTA increased 2.59-fold compared to alcohol-impaired drivers who used only seat belts.

Conclusion: Our findings may be useful in improving road traffic safety and insurance policies by offering insights into the factors that reduce fatalities.

Keywords:

• road traffic accidents
• time to death
• Weibull distribution
• restraint system
• delta V
• alcohol
• National Automotive Sampling System–Crashworthiness Data System