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Hazard anticipation of young novice drivers - SWOV

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Table 2.1. Relative fatality ratios <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> male <strong>drivers</strong> over the years 2004-2008 <strong>of</strong><br />

various types <strong>of</strong> car crashes. Source: Ministry <strong>of</strong> Infrastructure and Environment /<br />

Statistics Netherlands.<br />

Crash type in which the driver and or<br />

her or his passenger(s) is killed<br />

Relative fatality ratio 4<br />

1. single-vehicle 8.5<br />

2. car-car 2.2<br />

3. car-other type <strong>of</strong> vehicle 1.2<br />

Crash type in which the driver kills<br />

persons in other vehicles and or<br />

pedestrians<br />

1. car-car 7.4<br />

2. car-other type <strong>of</strong> vehicle 4.1<br />

Table 2.1 indicates that controlled for exposure it was 8.5 more likely that the<br />

<strong>young</strong> driver in a fatal single-vehicle crash was a <strong>young</strong> male driver (aged<br />

18-24) than a <strong>young</strong> female driver (aged 18-24). And controlled for exposure<br />

it was 7.4 more likely that the <strong>young</strong> driver (aged 18-24) was male that<br />

collided with another car in which at least one other person was killed. These<br />

differences are quite dramatic and cast serious doubts on the fitness to drive<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> males. This is <strong>of</strong> course a major impetus for the research carried out<br />

in this thesis.<br />

An in-depth analysis <strong>of</strong> fatal crashes in which <strong>young</strong> male and female <strong>drivers</strong><br />

(aged 18-21) were the culpable party was conducted in Finland (Laapotti &<br />

Keskinen, 1998). Of the 413 fatal crashes included in that study, 338 times a<br />

<strong>young</strong> man was the driver and 75 times a <strong>young</strong> woman was the driver. The<br />

percentage 'loss-<strong>of</strong>-control' crashes was about the same for <strong>young</strong> male and<br />

<strong>young</strong> female <strong>drivers</strong> (65.7% and 64.0% respectively). When a driver loses<br />

control the driver can run <strong>of</strong> the road (and hit a tree) (a single-vehicle crash),<br />

but the driver can also hit another car or another type <strong>of</strong> vehicle or a<br />

pedestrian (car-car crash or car-other vehicle type crash). For <strong>young</strong> male<br />

<strong>drivers</strong>, most <strong>of</strong> the times a loss-<strong>of</strong>-control crash was a single-vehicle crash<br />

(in about 75% <strong>of</strong> the cases) and for <strong>young</strong> female <strong>drivers</strong> a loss <strong>of</strong> control<br />

crash was most <strong>of</strong> the times a car-car or a car-other vehicle type crash (in<br />

about 65% <strong>of</strong> the cases). Typically, <strong>young</strong> male <strong>drivers</strong>' loss <strong>of</strong> control crashes<br />

4<br />

Fatalities per distance driven <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> male <strong>drivers</strong> divided by fatalities per distance<br />

driven <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> female <strong>drivers</strong><br />

33

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