Estudio económico y financiero

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young people, accounting for approximately 35% of deaths in this age group in Kansas (CDC 2011). The purpose of this report is to identify key elements of young drivers‘ crash risk in Kansas, the factors contributing to it, and countermeasures that mitigate it.

Crash data were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation, driver‘s license

data were obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and annual vehicle miles driven

were obtained from the National Household Travel Survey 2009. Young drivers were further

divided into two groups: teens and young adults. Detailed frequency analysis and crash rate

analysis were carried out for both groups. Furthermore, detailed frequency analysis was carried out for experienced drivers and comparisons were made with young, young adult, and teen drivers. The number of teen drivers in crashes per 1000 licensed teen drivers was higher than that of young adult and experienced drivers. The number of teen drivers in crashes per million annual vehicle miles traveled was twice that of young adult drivers. Teen drivers in Kansas were at considerable risk of motor vehicle crashes compared to experienced drivers.

Crash statistics highlight some conditions such as nighttime driving, weekend driving, and travelling with teen passengers, as factors that increase risk for teen drivers. Also, factors which increase young drivers‘ risk, such as driving older vehicles, and run-off-the road, can be used for young driver crash-prevention efforts. To prevent run-off-the road crashes, safe

infrastructure such as rumble strips, lane-departure warning signs, and forgiving roadsides can be implemented. Parents/guardians need to help their children to find a safe vehicle. Alcohol

involvement needs to be prevented. Many complex factors influence and contribute to teen driving behavior. Increased crash frequency and risk for this age group has been attributed to speeding, failure to yield right-of-way, disregarding traffic sign and signals, making improper turns or lane changes, making other improper actions, inattention, or distraction compared to

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experienced drivers. Teen drivers need proper training on these factors in order to prevent or reduce crashes.

Both OR analysis and Chi-Square analysis gave mostly similar results, providing teen drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes compared to young adult drivers and experienced drivers in Kansas. Also, young adult drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes than experienced drivers. These results provide a deep understanding of the various characteristics and contributory causes, which have greater association with teen drivers, young adult drivers, and young drivers involved in crashes when compared to experienced drivers. By addressing the issues related to greater association with young drivers, young-driver-involved crashes can be reduced. To improve young driver safety, factors identified in ORs and Chi- Square analysis can be used. Those factors should lead to reduced driving with restricted

licenses; wearing the seat belts while driving; preventing alcohol-impaired driving; and measures to reduce run-off-the road, overturning crashes. Also, young drivers need to get enough training for operation of vehicles at intersections and for maneuvers such as making turns, changing lanes, avoidance, or making improper evasions while controlling the vehicle. Young drivers need to drive carefully at night, evenings, weekends, and even on the lower-posted-speed-limit

roadways. The faults, such as speeding, failure to yield right-of-way, disregarding traffic sign and signals, making improper turns or lane changes, aggressive driving, driving too slow for the traffic, falling asleep, illness or fatigue, distracted driving, and not giving proper attention to driving, should be prevented.

Ordered logistic regression models were developed for young drivers, teen drivers, and young adult drivers involved in crashes in order to investigate their injury severity. The

dependent variable for all these models was injury severity, defined as a discrete variable where a young driver was fatal/severely injured, injured, possibly injured, or not injured. All available meaningful crash, vehicle, roadway, environmental, and driver-related characteristics and contributory courses were used as the independent variables. Results of the injury severity models had many significant variables, which were directly associated with injury severity of crashes involving young drivers. Most significant variables are identical in the three models. Identification of variables that can be addressed to decrease injury severity is important, because it helps improve young driver safety.

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Factors which decrease young drivers‘ injury severity were seat belt use, driving on roadways which have lower speed limits, driving newer vehicles, and driving with an adult passenger. Reducing the factors which increase young drivers‘ injury severity, such as alcohol involvement, failure to keep the vehicle on road, driving on high-posted-speed limit roadways, driving old vehicles, ejection, trapping at the time of crash, and involvement in head-on

collisions and angle collisions can be used for young driver safety efforts. For example, seat belt reminders help to increase the seat belt use and avoid ejections at the time of a crash. Road infrastructures such as rumble strips and lane-departure warning sign can be used to keep

vehicles on the road. In order to prevent alcohol-impaired driving and to increase safety belt use, more enforcement programs are needed.