Behavior Factors Drive Accidents

Researchers believe they have isolated some of the key truck driver behavioral factors that lead to accidents. The American Transportation Research Institute released an update to its Crash Predictor Model, which statistically quantifies the likelihood of future crash involvement based on specific driving behaviors. ATRI's analysis draws on data from more than 435,000 truck drivers over two-years. It a dozen behaviors that increase a driver's risk of being involved in a truck crash by more than 50%. Among the key findings are:

• The top two behaviors for predicting future crash involvement – each with more than 100% increased likelihood of a future crash – are reckless driving and failure to yield right of way violations.
• Prior crash involvement continues to have a statistically significant relationship to future crash involvement with a 74% increase of the likelihood of being in a future crash.
• Women truck drivers were safer than male counterparts in every statistically significant safety behavior. In fact, men were 20% more likely to be involved in a crash than women.
• Several stable behaviors have emerged as predictors of future crash involvement. These include convictions for improper lane and location; reckless, careless, inattentive and negligent driving; and improper or erratic lane change.

ATRI's research “is a key input to our driver hiring and training practice,” says Tideport Distributing President John M. Prewitt. “Safety is our first concern and by understanding how driver histories relate to future crash probability, we can develop targeted solutions for minimizing safety risks."