Effects of drivers' actions on severity of emergency vehicle collisions

S Yasmin, S Anowar, R Tay - Transportation Research …, 2012 - journals.sagepub.com
S Yasmin, S Anowar, R Tay
Transportation Research Record, 2012journals.sagepub.com
Emergency vehicles (EVs) are used to provide essential services to society in the event of
an emergency. Hence, crashes involving these vehicles are a concern, and investigating
crash characteristics of EVs is the first step toward improving their safety. In particular, the
contribution of any improper driver behavior or actions must be identified before (a) a
program of behavior modification is recommended to authorities or (b) countermeasures are
implemented to improve road safety, or both. This study attempts to identify the driver actions …
Emergency vehicles (EVs) are used to provide essential services to society in the event of an emergency. Hence, crashes involving these vehicles are a concern, and investigating crash characteristics of EVs is the first step toward improving their safety. In particular, the contribution of any improper driver behavior or actions must be identified before (a) a program of behavior modification is recommended to authorities or (b) countermeasures are implemented to improve road safety, or both. This study attempts to identify the driver actions that contribute significantly to the severity of a crash involving at least one EV by using data from the Province of Alberta, Canada, for the period from 1999 to 2008. In addition, the impact of control variables formed from demographic, vehicle, environmental, and behavioral factors will also be explored. The results indicate that drivers’ violations of the road rules significantly contributed to increasing the severity of crashes. Non-EV drivers’ errors, nonrepairable damage to the vehicle, collision of an EV with a two-wheeler, and sun glare were some of the other variables that had significant influence on crash severity.
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