Fatal traffic accidents among trailer truck drivers and accident causes as viewed by other truck drivers.pdfVIP

Accident Analysis and Prevention 33 (2001) 187 – 196 /locate/aap Fatal traf?c accidents among trailer truck drivers and accident causes as viewed by other truck drivers Helina¨ Ha¨kka¨nen *, Heikki Summala Department of Psychology, Traf?c Research Unit, Uni6ersity of Helsinki, PO Box 13, 00014 Helsinki, Finland Received 28 October 1998; received in revised form 24 January 2000; accepted 8 February 2000 Abstract Causality factors, the responsibility of the driver and driver fatigue-related factors were studied in fatal two-vehicle accidents where a trailer truck driver was involved during the period of 1991 – 1997 (n= 337). In addition, 251 long-haul truck drivers were surveyed in order to study their views regarding contributing factors in accidents involving trucks and the development of possible countermeasure against driver fatigue. Trailer truck drivers were principally responsible for 16% of all the accidents. Younger driver age and driving during evening hours were signi?cant predictors of being principally responsible. In addition, the probability of being principally responsible for the accident increased by a factor of over three if the driver had a chronic illness. Prolonged driving preceding the accident, accident history or traf?c offence history did not have a signi?cant effect. Only 2% of the drivers were estimated to have fallen asleep while driving just prior to the accident, and altogether 4% of the drivers had been tired prior to the accident. Of the drivers 13% had however, been driving over 10 h preceding the accident (which has been criminally punishably in Finland since 1995 under the EC regulation) but no individual factors had a signi?cant effect in predicting prolonged driving. The surveyed views regarding causes of truck accidents correspond well with the accident analysis. Accidents were viewed as being most often caused by other road users and driver fatigue was viewed to be no more than the ?fth (out of eight) common cause of accidents.