Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes
Abstract Upon detecting a crash impact, the vehicle restraint system locks the driver in place. However, external factors such as speeding, crash mechanisms, roadway attributes, vehicle type, and the surrounding environment typically contribute to the driver being jostled within the vehicle. As a re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36906-7 |
| _version_ | 1797801544893071360 |
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| author | Chamroeun Se Thanapong Champahom Panuwat Wisutwattanasak Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha |
| author_facet | Chamroeun Se Thanapong Champahom Panuwat Wisutwattanasak Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha |
| author_sort | Chamroeun Se |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Upon detecting a crash impact, the vehicle restraint system locks the driver in place. However, external factors such as speeding, crash mechanisms, roadway attributes, vehicle type, and the surrounding environment typically contribute to the driver being jostled within the vehicle. As a result, it is crucial to model unrestrained and restrained drivers separately to reveal the true impact of the restraint system and other factors on driver injury severities. This paper aims to explore the differences in factors affecting injury severity for seatbelt-restrained and unrestrained drivers involved in speeding-related crashes while accounting for temporal instability in the investigation. Utilizing crash data from Thailand between 2012 and 2017, mixed logit models with heterogeneity in means and variances were employed to account for multi-layered unobserved heterogeneity. For restrained drivers, the risk of fatal or severe crashes was positively associated with factors such as male drivers, alcohol influence, flush/barrier median roadways, sloped roadways, vans, running off the roadway without roadside guardrails, and nighttime on unlit or lit roads. For unrestrained drivers, the likelihood of fatal or severe injuries increased in crashes involving older drivers, alcohol influence, raised or depressed median roadways, four-lane roadways, passenger cars, running off the roadway without roadside guardrails, and crashes occurring in rainy conditions. The out-of-sample prediction simulation results are particularly significant, as they show the maximum safety benefits achievable solely by using a vehicle's seatbelt system. Likelihood ratio test and predictive comparison findings highlight the considerable combined impact of temporal instability and the non-transferability of restrained and unrestrained driver injury severities across the periods studied. This finding also demonstrates a potential reduction in severe and fatal injury rates by simply replicating restrained driver conditions. The findings should be of value to policymakers, decision-makers, and highway engineers when developing potential countermeasures to improve driver safety and reduce the frequency of severe and fatal speeding-related single-vehicle crashes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:52:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7c3d5789c034a9bb76e3b19c6f88f45 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:52:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7c3d5789c034a9bb76e3b19c6f88f452023-06-18T11:11:05ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-06-0113111910.1038/s41598-023-36906-7Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashesChamroeun Se0Thanapong Champahom1Panuwat Wisutwattanasak2Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao3Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha4Institute of Research and Development, Suranaree University of TechnologyDepartment of Management, Faculty of Business Administration, Rajamangala University of Technology IsanInstitute of Research and Development, Suranaree University of TechnologySchool of Transportation Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of TechnologySchool of Transportation Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of TechnologyAbstract Upon detecting a crash impact, the vehicle restraint system locks the driver in place. However, external factors such as speeding, crash mechanisms, roadway attributes, vehicle type, and the surrounding environment typically contribute to the driver being jostled within the vehicle. As a result, it is crucial to model unrestrained and restrained drivers separately to reveal the true impact of the restraint system and other factors on driver injury severities. This paper aims to explore the differences in factors affecting injury severity for seatbelt-restrained and unrestrained drivers involved in speeding-related crashes while accounting for temporal instability in the investigation. Utilizing crash data from Thailand between 2012 and 2017, mixed logit models with heterogeneity in means and variances were employed to account for multi-layered unobserved heterogeneity. For restrained drivers, the risk of fatal or severe crashes was positively associated with factors such as male drivers, alcohol influence, flush/barrier median roadways, sloped roadways, vans, running off the roadway without roadside guardrails, and nighttime on unlit or lit roads. For unrestrained drivers, the likelihood of fatal or severe injuries increased in crashes involving older drivers, alcohol influence, raised or depressed median roadways, four-lane roadways, passenger cars, running off the roadway without roadside guardrails, and crashes occurring in rainy conditions. The out-of-sample prediction simulation results are particularly significant, as they show the maximum safety benefits achievable solely by using a vehicle's seatbelt system. Likelihood ratio test and predictive comparison findings highlight the considerable combined impact of temporal instability and the non-transferability of restrained and unrestrained driver injury severities across the periods studied. This finding also demonstrates a potential reduction in severe and fatal injury rates by simply replicating restrained driver conditions. The findings should be of value to policymakers, decision-makers, and highway engineers when developing potential countermeasures to improve driver safety and reduce the frequency of severe and fatal speeding-related single-vehicle crashes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36906-7 |
| spellingShingle | Chamroeun Se Thanapong Champahom Panuwat Wisutwattanasak Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes Scientific Reports |
| title | Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes |
| title_full | Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes |
| title_fullStr | Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes |
| title_short | Temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding-related crashes |
| title_sort | temporal instability and differences in injury severity between restrained and unrestrained drivers in speeding related crashes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36906-7 |
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