Americans’ Crash Histories and Opinions on Safety Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of driving experience and habits, citation histories, vehicle ownership, and demographics on the crash risk and safety policy opinions of more than 1,000 Americans. Model results suggest that increased driver crash probability and decreased support for crash countermeasures correlate with criminal history and high tolerance for risk, both of which are more prevalent among men than women. Noninjury crash involvement—controlled for years of driving, a measure of exposure—appears to be more common for those with busy lifestyles, who have higher education and more household vehicles. Support for crash safety policies appears to be largely independent of the crash history of a survey respondent and his or her family but to be linked to gender, marital status, and level of education. Women and lower-income households are more likely to support safety policies, although those with higher educational attainment are generally less likely to support such policies. Finally, results suggest that unfamiliarity may be a key (but surmountable) barrier to the introduction of technology-based safety policies, such as speed limiters.