NOVICE DRIVERS' ACCIDENT MECHANISMS: SEQUENCES AND COUNTERMEASURES

Following two successful projects on right-turning accidents and overtaking accidents, based on police accident case files, we are nearly at the conclusion of a three-year project on the accident mechanisms of young drivers. A sample of 3,439 accident cases are to be considered, including 1,284 in detail, from Midlands police forces, involving drivers aged 17-25. Four types of accident are being analysed: right-turns; rear-end shunts; loss of control on bends; and accidents in darkness. Preliminary analyses will be presented of over 3,000 cases that have been gathered, together with a discussion of simple behavioural countermeasures that might apply within each category examined. Issues to emerge from the study already include age and gender differences in contributory factors; techniques for inducing exposure measures by examining 'crashee' age data; and an examination of driver attitudes as revealed in police interviews. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116025.