Robertson L S
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., USA.
Am J Public Health. 1996 Jan;86(1):31-4. doi: 10.2105/ajph.86.1.31.
Two phases of attempts to improve passenger car crash worthiness have occurred: minimum safety standards and publicized crash tests. This study evaluated these attempts, as well as changes in seat belt and alcohol use, in terms of their effect on occupant death and fatal crash rates.
Data on passenger car occupant fatalities and total involvement in fatal crashes, for 1975 through 1991, were obtained from the Fatal Accident Reporting System. Rates per mile were calculated through published sources on vehicle use by vehicle age. Regression estimates of effects of regulation, publicized crash tests, seat belt use and alcohol involvement were obtained.
Substantial reductions in fatalities occurred in the vehicle model years from the late 1960s through most of the 1970s, when federal standards were applied. Some additional increments in reduced death rates, attributable to additional improved vehicle crashworthiness, occurred during the period of publicized crash tests. Increased seat belt use and reduced alcohol use also contributed significantly to reduced deaths.
Minimum safety standards, crashworthiness improvements, seat belt use laws, and reduced alcohol use each contributed to a large reduction in passenger car occupant deaths.
提高乘用车碰撞安全性的尝试经历了两个阶段：制定最低安全标准和公布碰撞测试结果。本研究评估了这些尝试以及安全带使用情况和饮酒情况的变化对车内人员死亡和致命撞车事故率的影响。
从致命事故报告系统获取了1975年至1991年乘用车车内人员死亡及致命撞车事故总参与情况的数据。通过已公布的按车辆使用年限划分的车辆使用数据来源计算每英里的事故率。获得了法规、公布的碰撞测试、安全带使用和饮酒情况影响的回归估计值。
从20世纪60年代末到70年代的大部分时间里，当应用联邦标准时，车型年份的死亡人数大幅减少。在公布碰撞测试结果期间，由于车辆碰撞安全性的进一步提高，死亡率又有了一些额外的下降。安全带使用的增加和饮酒量的减少也对死亡人数的减少做出了重大贡献。
最低安全标准、碰撞安全性的提高、安全带使用法律以及饮酒量的减少都对乘用车车内人员死亡人数的大幅减少做出了贡献。
