Adjusting for Car Occupant Injury Liability in Relation to Age, Speed Limit, and Gender-Specific Driver Crash Involvement Risk

Abstract

It is well established that older drivers' fragility is an important factor associated with higher levels of fatal crash involvement for older drivers. There has been less research on age-related fragility with respect to the sort of minor injuries that are more common in injury crashes. This study estimates a quantity that is related to injury fragility: the probability that a driver or a passenger of that driver will be injured in crashes involving two cars. The effects of other factors apart from drivers' fragility are included in this measure, including the fragility of the passengers, the crashworthiness of cars driven, seatbelt use by the occupants, and characteristics of crashes (including configuration and impact speed). The car occupant injury liability estimates appropriately includes these factors to adjust risk curves by age, gender, and speed limit accounting for overrepresentation in crashes associated with fragility and these other factors.

Keywords:

• Fragility
• Older Drivers
• Risk
• Age
• Gender

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER

The assistance and support of other staff at the Land Transport Safety Authority. This paper represents the views of its authors and not necessarily those of the Land Transport Safety Authority. Thanks to two anonymous referees for their helpful suggestions.