videos of road accidents

  ROAD ACCIDENTS

• Ø Road  Accidents were  harmful  than  a  disease. Road  accidents  are  the  major  problem   in  most   countries like America, London, England, Australia, India, Sri Lanka  etc. Mostly  in  London  and  America  daily  about  75  road  accidents  occur. But  in  India  and  Sri Lanka  road  accidents  occur  suddenly  and  someone  should  be  killed.
• Ø The  reasons  for road  accidents  as  follows:

1)    Increase  of  number  of  vehicles  travel  in  highways. 2)    The  roads  didn’t  extended. 3)    People   avoid  Government  travels. 4)    Useless  paths. 5)    Pavements  in  road  sites. 6)    Use  alcohol  when  driving. 7)    Using  telephones  when  drive. 8)    Drivers  drive  vehicles  without  license  or  without  proper  training  for  driving. 9)    Drivers become  more  tired. 10)           Careless of  walkers. 11)           Use  the  vehicles  which  were  hard  to  use. v When  we  sit  in  a  driver  seat for start  the  journey or  go  to  the  road  for  start the  journey  we  don’t  think  that an  accident  could  occur  before  to  us. But by  a small mistake  in  that  time  or by careless it  may  cause a  big  wound, permanent disable, a  death or destruction  of  public  property in  an  accident. v In  our  wonderful  world daily road  accidents occur  in  many  parts. We can  know them through news  papers, radio, television and  other sources. v By the  road accidents our environment also get affected. The  trees  planted in  the  both  sides can  be destroyed by  an  accident. By this  the  beauty of that  road  decreases  and  the  affect  of  sun  heat increases  there. These accidents influences on  commercial and  social de4velopment  of  a  country. v By the sudden  accidents if a person who die in the accident  was  a  father  of a family,  his  wife  and  children  became  orphans  and  they  want to  face  many  problems in  future.    EXAMPLE: Need of  money  for the  life. Problems in education  of children. v We don’t know  who  is  responsible for those  affected  families by  the  road  accidents. Any  one  will  not  made  an  accident  for  their selfish. If any one  made like  that  it  should be a  suicide. v We can see that in  our  street every day anyone could get injured or died by an accidents.  Sometimes we may get injured  in an  accident. We can  see many  accidents when  we  go to school, office, hospital  or somewhere. Every  year, after a horrible  accident about  239,678 patients  admitted  in  hospitals of many  parts  of the world. v Half  of  the  people  die in an  accident were between 20 and 45 years. The  main  reason for  the  road accidents is the increase  of  number  of vehicles  travel in highways. Because  of increasing  of  the  number  of vehicles  in  a  country ,  the road  can’t  extended. Then many  accidents  cause  by  this. v For  avoid  this  situation the  driver  should be know  the  road  rules  and  he  must  follow  them.  He must  not  be  law abiding. v In Sri Lankan hospitals daily  minimum  5  patients will  be  admitted in  sudden  accident division in  each  provinces.  For  these  accidents  the  amount  used  for give  treatment to the  affected person and  developing  those  roads  is  about  100,000,000  per a  year. Many  road accidents occurred  because  of  when driving  and walking  along  the  road. v In 1928 there  are 22,733 vehicles, in 2001 there  are 1,779,096 vehicles and in 2009 there  are about  3,595,068  vehicles were registered  in  Sri  Lanka.  There are 2,141 deaths in 2005 and 22,764 deaths  in  2009  caused  by  road  accidents  in Sri  Lanka. v Last eleven  years there are about twelve million vehicles destroyed accidents and  about hundred billion  of  money  were lost  to Sri  Lanka. v Four factors contribute to the vast majority of          collisions. In ascending order they are:

1.      Equipment Failure
2.      Roadway Design
3.      Poor Roadway Maintenance
4.      Driver Behavior

 v Over 95% of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs, in the USA, or Road Traffic Accidents, RTAs, in Europe) involve some degree of driver behavior combined with one of the other three factors. Drivers always try to blame road conditions, equipment failure, or other drivers for those accidents. When the facts are truthfully presented, however, the behavior of the implicated driver is usually the primary cause. Most are caused by excessive speed or aggressive driver behavior.

1. Equipment Failure - Manufacturers are required by law to design and engineer cars that meet a minimum safety standard. Computers, combined with companies' extensive research and development, have produced safe vehicles that are easy and safe to drive. The most cited types of equipment failure are loss of brakes, tire blowouts or tread separation, and steering/suspension failure. With the exception of the recent rash of Firestone light-truck tire failures, combined totals for all reported equipment failure accounts for less than 5% of all motor vehicle accidents.

• Brakes - Modern dual-circuit brake systems have made total brake failure an unlikely event. If one side of the circuit fails, the other side is usually sufficient to stop a vehicle. Disc brakes, found on the front wheels of virtually every modern vehicle, are significantly more effective than the older drum braking systems, which can fade when hot. ABS (Anti Blockier System) or anti-lock brakes prevent the wheels from locking up during emergency braking maneuvers, allowing modern vehicles to avoid many accidents that previously would have occurred.
• Tires - Today's radial tires are significantly safer than the bias-ply tires of 25 years ago. They still, however, need attention regularly. Under inflation, the most frequent cause of tire failure is considered the main culprit in the recent Firestone tire-failure fatalities. Uneven or worn-out tires are the next most serious problem and can also lead to tire failure. Uneven wear is caused by improperly balanced tires, or misaligned or broken suspensions. Remember, all that keeps you connected to the roadway is your tires. If you don't check your own, have your mechanic check them every 5,000 miles.
• Steering & Suspension - Your suspension keeps your tires in contact with the roadway in a stable and predictable manner. Your steering enables you to go around road obstacles and avoid potential accidents. Even a safe, well-trained driver is helpless in the event of a steering or suspension system failure. Such failures are catastrophic, especially at high speeds. Have your suspension and steering systems checked out by a mechanic every 10,000 miles.
• With regular component inspections by trained individuals, equipment failures can be virtually eliminated.

1. Roadway Design - Motorists may blame roadway design for accidents, but it's rarely the cause. Consultants such as theTexas Transportation Institute have spent years getting road barriers, utility poles, railroad crossings, and guardrails to their current high level of safety. Civil engineers, local governments, and law enforcement agencies all contribute to the design of safe road layouts and traffic management systems. State and federal governments provide guidelines to their construction, with design flexibility to suit local conditions. Roadways are designed by engineers with special consideration given to the following:

• Hazard Visibility - Permanent roadway hazards consist of intersections, merging lanes, bends, crests, school zones, and livestock or pedestrian crossings. Temporary hazards include road construction, parked or disabled vehicles, accidents, traffic jams, and wild animals (especially deer).
• Roadway Surfaces - Engineers can use different surfaces (for example, grooved pavement) depending on the environment, traffic speed, traffic volume, and location of the roadway (noise barriers). Roadway markings let drivers know about their ability to pass safely (dotted & double lines), the location of the roadway in inclement weather (reflective cats-eyes & stakes), and where road surface ends and the shoulder begins.
• Traffic Control Devices - Traffic light signals, speed limit signs, yield and stop signs, school & pedestrian crossings, turning lanes, police surveillance cameras, and traffic circles or roundabouts.
• Behavioral Control Devices - Built-in obstacles that limit the ability of a vehicle to travel, including crash barrels, speed bumps, pedestrian islands, raised medians, high curbing, guard rails, and concrete barriers.
• Traffic Flow - Interstate highways remain the safest roads because their flow of traffic is in one direction. One-way streets ease traffic congestion in city centers as well. Rural two-lane roadways are statistically the most dangerous because of a high incidence of deadly head-on collisions and the difficulty impatient drivers’ face while overtaking slower vehicles.
• Roadway Identification Signs - enable someone without a detailed map to travel from one place to another. They give advance notice of intersections, destinations, hazards, route numbers, mileage estimates, street names, and points of interest.
• Weather - inclement conditions can aggravate existing hazards and sometimes create new road surfaces (ice & snow).

1. Poor Maintenance - Roadway maintenance contributes to some motor vehicle accidents, but not to the extent that drivers use it as an excuse. Unfortunately maintenance schedules and procedures vary greatly from city to city and state to state, so nationwide standards don't exist. Below we outline some potential roadway maintenance shortcomings that you should be aware of.

• Debris on the roadway can be a problem, and is the responsibility of local highway departments.
• Faded road signs, and signs obscured by foliage, occasionally contribute to accidents. If you know of any offending signs, contact your local police department to see if they can get the problem remedied.
• Potholes cause a small number of accidents (primarily tire & suspension failures), but the accidents usually occur at low speeds and don't cause many injuries. Call the police to get large dangerous holes attended to. Some Northern US cities have pothole complaint lines that are active during the winter and spring.
• Roadway construction is an oft-mentioned reason for accidents. Again the blame usually rests on aggressive drivers who are unwilling to merge or slow down when approaching a construction zone. In most states, fines are doubled in work zones, making it expensive as well as unsafe to speed. Stop-and-go traffic requires thoughtful, alert driving to avoid a collision with the car in front of you. Too often we worry that someone will cut in front of us in a traffic jam. The real problem is that drivers forget about the vehicle directly in front, rear-ending it while looking in their rearview mirror or daydreaming. Leave plenty of room between your car and the one directly in front of you. Our 3 second rule applies to traffic jams as well. If a few people cut in front of you, let them.
• Salting & Sanding - Many wintertime accidents are blamed on inadequate salting or sanding of icy roadways, but as so often, the real culprit is usually excessive speed. And salting only works if the ambient temperature stays above the middle teens. Recent environmental concerns have curbed widespread salting in recent years so less effective materials like clay, sand, and soot have replaced it in some areas. The fact remains that if highways are icy, speed needs to be reduced whether the roadway is salted or not.

1. Driver Behavior - Humans tend to blame somebody or something else when a mistake or accident occurs. A recent European study concluded that 80% of drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents believed that the other party could have done something to prevent the accident. A miniscule 5% admitted that they were the only one at fault. Surveys consistently reveal that the majority consider themselves more skillful and safer than the average driver. Some mistakes occur when a driver becomes distracted, perhaps by a cell phone call or a spilled cup of coffee. Very few accidents result from an 'Act of God,' like a tree falling on a vehicle.

Speed Kills - The faster the speed of a vehicle, the greater the risk of an accident. The forces experienced by the human body in a collision increase exponentially as the speed increases. Smart Motorist recommends that drivers observe our 3 second rule in everyday traffic, no matter what your speed. Most people agree that going 100 mph is foolhardy and will lead to disaster. The problem is that exceeding the speed limit by only 5 mph in the wrong place can be just as dangerous. Traffic engineers and local governments have determined the maximum speeds allowable for safe travel on the nation's roadways. Speeding is a deliberate and calculated behavior where the driver knows the risk but ignores the danger. Fully 90% of all licensed drivers speed at some point in their driving career; 75% admit to committing this offense regularly. Consider this example: a pedestrian walks out in front of a car. If the car is traveling at just 30 mph, and the driver brakes when the pedestrian is 45 feet away, there will be enough space in which to stop without hitting the pedestrian. Increase the vehicle speed by just 5 mph and the situation changes dramatically. At 35 mph, with the pedestrian 45 feet away and the driver braking at the same point, the car will be traveling at 18 mph when it hits the pedestrian. An impact at 18 mph can seriously injure or even kill the pedestrian.Who are the bad drivers? They are young, middle-aged, and old; men and women; they drive luxury cars, sports cars, SUVs and family cars. Almost every qualified driver I know admits to some type of risky driving behavior, most commonly speeding. Aggressive Drivers - As we've described, modern cars are manufactured to very safe standards, and the environment they're driven in is engineered to minimize the injuries suffered during an accident. The most difficult area to change is aggressive driver behavior and selfish attitudes. A 1995 study by the Automobile Association in Great Britain found that 88% of the respondents reported at least one of the behaviors listed below directed at them (in order of descending frequency):

• Aggressive tailgating
• Lights flashed at them because the other motorist was annoyed
• Aggressive or rude gestures
• Deliberate obstruction -- preventing them from moving their vehicle
• Verbal abuse
• Physical assault

The same group was then asked about aggressive behavior they had displayed towards other drivers. 40% indicated that they had never behaved aggressively towards another driver. A further 60% of the survey respondents admitted to one or more of the following behaviors (listed in order of descending frequency):

• Flashed lights at another motorist because they were annoyed with them
• Gave aggressive or rude gestures
• Gave verbal abuse
• Aggressively tailgated another motorist
• Deliberately obstructed or prevented another from moving their vehicle
• Physically assaulted another motorist (one positive response)

These behaviors are probably under-reported, since most people are not willing to admit to the more serious actions, even if no penalty exists. The majority of these incidents happened during the daylight hours (70%), on a main road (not freeway or divided highway). NYS Police characterize aggressive driving by the following traffic violations:

• Excessive speed
• Frequent or unsafe lane changes
• Failure to signal
• Tailgating
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Disregarding traffic controls
• Impaired driving

v The NYS State Police point out that there is a difference between aggressive driving and "road rage." Road Rage behaviors, such as using the vehicle as a weapon or physically assaulting a driver or their vehicle, are not aggressive driving. They are criminal offenses, and there are laws in place to address these violent crimes. 1.INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES TRAVEL IN HIGHWAYS: Last  11 years (2000­­­ to 2011) about 1,886,686 vehicles were registered. In this amount about 1,061,435 were motor bikes and about 341,930 were three wheelers. These vehicles participate in 90% of road accidents. By the increasing of number of vehicles travel in highways, there are many flyovers were built  in  Sri Lanka because  of traffic jam.

1. THE ROADS DID NOT EXTENDED.

Many new  vehicles were used by the people today. Many people like to have vehicles. Therefore the number of vehicles travel in highways increases. But  the road is small. Then it is not possible to drive in that road. Therefore many accidents occur.

1. PEOPLE AVOID GOVERNMENT  TRAVELS.

Because of many reasons people avid government travels (buses). They go to private travels. Then the private driver wants to drive faster than other vehicles. Therefore they will try to overtake other vehicles. Then an accident could be made as a result.

1. USELESS PATHS.

Many paths of Sri Lanka were destroyed by the war and natural disasters. But the government didn’t renovated them. Therefore the vehicles travel in those roads can get puncher or other tire problems. Then it became a traffic jam and it may cause an accident.

1. PAVEMENTS IN ROAD SITES.

Now in Sri Lanka many Muslim and Sinhala traders move towards North, East, West, South from central highlands. They made their shops near the road sites. They disturbs the transport. Then it made  traffic jam. During this the uncontrolled vehicles made accidents.

1. USING ALCOHOL WHEN DRIVING.

Some drivers use alcohol and drugs when driving for their happy. But, after they use them  they can’t control them and vehicle. Then it made an accident and  the public properties will get destroyed.

1. USING TELEPHONES WHEN DRIVING.

Many people use telephone in the modern world. They take them with them. When driving  they speak with others for a lot of time. When the phone get off, they will try again. In that time an accident may cause there.

1. DRIVERS DRIVE WITHOUT LISENCE OR DRIVE WITHOUT  PROPER TRAINING.

Many drivers think that they can drive any vehicle. Then they don’t want to practice driving or someone don’t have license, but they drive the vehicle. After they made an accident they feel for it and they spend more money for that accident.

1. DRIVERS GET MORE TIRED.

By the continue work and they don’t get a mental relaxation. Then an accident could be made there.

1. CARELESS OF WALKERS.

The persons walk along the roads are want to cross the road very fast. Therefore they forget to follow the road rules. They cross the road very fast and get injured or disable after the accident. 11.USE THE VEHICLES WHICH WERE HARD TO USE. The features of a vehicle is important for driving and protection from accidents like headlight, signal lights, horn etc. when we drive the vehicles which were hard to use  cause accidents.A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision (RTC) or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction, such as a tree or utility pole. Traffic collisions may result in injury, death and property damage. A number of factors contribute to the risk of collision including; vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, road environment, driver skill and/or impairment and driver behaviour. Worldwide motor vehicle collisions lead to death and disability as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Many different terms are commonly used to describe vehicle collisions. The World Health Organization use the term road traffic injury,^[1]while the U.S. Census Bureau uses the term motor vehicle accidents (MVA)^[2] and Transport Canada uses the term "motor vehicle traffic collision" (MVTC).^[3] Other terms that are commonly used include auto accident, car accident,  car crash, car smash, car wreck, motor vehicle collision (MVC), personal injury collision (PIC), road accident, road traffic accident (RTA), road traffic collision (RTC), road traffic incident (RTI), road traffic accident and later road traffic collision, as well as more unofficial terms including smash-up and fender bender.   Some organizations have begun to avoid the term "accident". Although auto collisions are rare in terms of the number of vehicles on the road and the distance they travel, addressing the contributing factors can reduce their likelihood. For example, proper signage can decrease driver error and thereby reduce crash frequency by a third or more. That is why these organizations prefer the term "collision" rather than "accident". However, treating collisions as anything other than "accidents" has been criticized for holding back safety improvements, because a culture of blame may discourage the involved parties from fully disclosing the facts, and thus frustrate attempts to address the real root causes. Human factors in vehicle collisions include all factors related to drivers and other road users that may contribute to a collision. Examples include driver behavior, visual and auditory acuity, decision-making ability, and reaction speed. A 1985 report based on British and American crash data found driver error, intoxication and other human factors contribute wholly or partly to about 93% of crashes.^[6] An RAC survey of British drivers found that most thought they were better than average drivers; a contradictory result showing overconfidence in their abilities. Nearly all drivers who had been in a crash did not believe themselves to be at fault.^[7] One survey of drivers reported that they thought the key elements of good driving were:^[8]

• controlling a car including a good awareness of the car's size and capabilities
• reading and reacting to road conditions, weather, road signs and the environment
• alertness, reading and anticipating the behaviour of other drivers.

Although proficiency in these skills is taught and tested as part of the driving exam, a 'good' driver can still be at a high risk of crashing because: ...the feeling of being confident in more and more challenging situations is experienced as evidence of driving ability, and that 'proven' ability reinforces the feelings of confidence. Confidence feeds itself and grows unchecked until something happens – a near-miss or an accident.^[8] An AXA survey concluded Irish drivers are very safety-conscious relative to other European drivers. However, this does not translate to significantly lower crash rates in Ireland.^[9] Accompanying changes to road designs have been wide-scale adoptions of rules of the road alongside law enforcement policies that included drink-driving laws, setting of speed limits, and speed enforcement systems such as speed cameras. Some countries' driving tests have been expanded to test a new driver's behavior during emergencies, and their hazard perception. There are demographic differences in crash rates. For example, although young people tend to have good reaction times, disproportionately more young male drivers feature in accidents,^[10] with researchers observing that many exhibit behaviors and attitudes to risk that can place them in more hazardous situations than other road users.^[8] This is reflected by actuaries when they set insurance rates for different age groups, partly based on their age, sex, and choice of vehicle. Older drivers with slower reactions might be expected to be involved in more accidents, but this has not been the case as they tend to drive less and, apparently, more cautiously.^[11] Attempts to impose traffic policies can be complicated by local circumstances and driver behaviour. In 1969 Leeming warned that there is a balance to be struck when "improving" the safety of a road:^[12] Many places that look dangerous have few or no accidents.^{[citation needed]} Conversely, a location that does not look dangerous may have a high crash frequency. This is, in part, because if drivers perceive a location as hazardous, they take more care. Accidents may be more likely to happen when hazardous road or traffic conditions are not obvious at a glance, or where the conditions are too complicated for the limitedhuman machine to perceive and react in the time and distance available. (This fact can be used to improve safety, by putting up signs in accident-prone locations, like ones stated above.) This phenomenon has been observed in risk compensation research, where the predicted reductions in accident rates have not occurred after legislative or technical changes. One study observed that the introduction of improved brakes resulted in more aggressive driving,^[13] and another argued that compulsory seat belt laws have not been accompanied by a clearly attributed fall in overall fatalities.^[14] In the 1990s Hans Monderman's studies of driver behavior led him to the realization that signs and regulations had an adverse effect on a driver's ability to interact safely with other road users. Monderman developed shared space principles, rooted in the principles of thewoonerven of the 1970s. He found that the removal of highway clutter, while allowing drivers and other road users to mingle with equal priority, could help drivers recognize environmental clues. They relied on their cognitive skills alone, reducing traffic speeds radically and resulting in lower levels of road casualties and lower levels of congestion.^[15] Some crashes are intended, staged crashes, for example, involve at least one party who hopes to crash a vehicle in order to submit lucrative claims to an insurance company. ^[16] In the 1990s, criminals recruited Latin immigrants to deliberately crash cars, usually by cutting in front of another car and slamming on the brakes. It was an illegal and risky job, and they were typically paid only $100. Jose Luis Lopez Perez, a staged crash driver, died after one such maneuver, leading to an investigation that uncovered the increasing frequency of this type of crash.The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration review research on traffic speed in 1998.^[18] The summary states:

• That the evidence shows that the risk of having a crash is increased both for vehicles traveling slower than the average speed, and for those traveling above the average speed.
• That the risk of being injured increases exponentially with speeds much faster than the median speed.
• That the severity of a crash depends on the vehicle speed change at impact.
• That there is limited evidence that suggests that lower speed limits result in lower speeds on a system wide basis.
• That most crashes related to speed involve speed too fast for the conditions.
• That more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of traffic calming.

The Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) asserts speeding (travelling too fast for the prevailing conditions or above the posted speed limit^[19]) is a factor in about 40 percent of road deaths.^[20] The RTA also say speeding increases the risk of a crash and its severity.^[20] On another webpage, the RTA qualify their claims by referring to one specific piece of research from 1997, and stating "research has shown that the risk of a crash causing death or injury increases rapidly, even with small increases above an appropriately set speed limit."^[21] The contributory factor report in the official British road casualty statistics show for 2006, that "exceeding speed limit" was a contributory factor in 5% of all casualty crashes (14% of all fatal crashes), and that "travelling too fast for conditions" was a contributory factor in 11% of all casualty crashes (18% of all fatal crashes).  Combinations of factorsSeveral conditions can work together to create a much worse situation, for example:

• Combining low doses of alcohol and cannabis has a more severe effect on driving performance than either cannabis or alcohol in isolation,^[26] or
• Taking recommended doses of several drugs together, which individually do not cause impairment, may combine to bring on drowsiness or other impairment. This could be more pronounced in an elderly person whose renal function is less efficient than a younger person's.^[27]

Thus there are situations when a person may be impaired, but still legally allowed to drive, and becomes a potential hazard to themselves and other road users. Pedestrians or cyclists are affected in the same way and can similarly jeopardize themselves or others when on the road. Road design Main articles: Highway engineering and Road safety A potential long fall stopped by an early guardrail, ca. 1920. Guardrails, median barriers, or other physical objects can help reduce the consequences of an accident or minimize damage. A 1985 US study showed that about 34% of serious crashes had contributing factors related to the roadway or its environment. Most of these crashes also involved a human factor.^[6] The road or environmental factor was either noted as making a significant contribution to the circumstances of the crash, or did not allow room to recover. In these circumstances it is frequently the driver who is blamed rather than the road; those reporting the accident have a tendency to overlook the human factors involved, such as the subtleties of design and maintenance that a driver could fail to observe or inadequately compensate for.^[28] Research has shown that careful design and maintenance, with well-designed intersections, road surfaces, visibility and traffic control devices, can result in significant improvements in accident rates. Individual roads also have widely differing performance in the event of an impact. In Europe there are now EuroRAP tests that indicate how "self-explaining" and forgiving a particular road and its roadside would be in the event of a major incident. In the UK, research has shown that investment in a safe road infrastructure programme could yield a ⅓ reduction in road deaths saving as much as £6billion per year.^[29] A consortium of 13 major road safety stakeholders have formed the Campaign for Safe Road Design, which is calling on the UK Government to make safe road design a national transport priority. Seatbelts Research has shown that, across all collision types, it is less likely that seat belts were worn in collisions involving death or serious injury, rather than light injury; wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death by about two thirds.^[30] Seat belt use is controversial, with notable critics such asProfessor John Adams suggesting that their use may lead to a net increase in road casualties due to a phenomenon known as risk compensation.^[31] Maintenance A well-designed and well-maintained vehicle, with good brakes, tires and well-adjusted suspension will be more controllable in an emergency and thus be better equipped to avoid collisions. Some mandatory vehicle inspection schemes include tests for some aspects of roadworthiness, such as the UK's MOT test or German TÜV conformance inspection. The design of vehicles has also evolved to improve protection after collision, both for vehicle occupants and for those outside of the vehicle. Much of this work was led by automotive industry competition and technological innovation, leading to measures such as Saab's safety cage and reinforced roof pillars of 1946, Ford´s 1956 Lifeguard safety package, and Saab and Volvo's introduction of standard fit seatbelts in 1959. Other initiatives were accelerated as a reaction to consumer pressure, after publications such as Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed accused motor manufacturers of indifference towards safety. In the early 1970s British Leyland started an intensive programme of vehicle safety research, producing a number of prototype experimental safety vehicles demonstrating various innovations for occupant and pedestrian protection such as: air bags, anti-lock brakes, impact-absorbing side-panels, front and rear head restraints, run-flat tyres, smooth and deformable front-ends, impact-absorbing bumpers, and retractable headlamps.^[32] Design has also been influenced by government legislation, such as the Euro NCAP impact test. Common features designed to improve safety include: thicker pillars, safety glass, interiors with no sharp edges, stronger bodies, other active or passive safety features, and smooth exteriors to reduce the consequences of an impact with pedestrians. The UK Department for Transport publish road casualty statistics for each type of collision and vehicle through its Road Casualties Great Britain report.^[33] These statistics show a ten to one ratio of in-vehicle fatalities between types of car. In most cars, occupants have a 2–8% chance of death in a two-car collision. Center of gravity Some crash types tend to have more serious consequences, Rollovers have become more common in recent years, perhaps due to increased popularity of taller SUVs, people carriers, and minivans, which have a higher center of gravity than standard passenger cars. Rollovers can be fatal, especially if the occupants are ejected because they were not wearing seat belts (83% of ejections during rollovers were fatal when the driver did not wear a seat belt, compared to 25% when they did).^[30] After a new design of Mercedes Benz notoriously failed a 'moose test' (sudden swerving to avoid an obstacle), some manufacturers enhance suspension using stability control linked to ananti-lock braking system to reduce the likelihood of rollover. After retrofitting these systems to its models in 1999–2000, Mercedes saw its models involved in fewer crashes^[34] Now about 40% of new US vehicles, mainly the SUVs, vans and pickup trucks that are more susceptible to rollover, are being produced with a lower center of gravity and enhanced suspension with stability control linked to its anti-lock braking system to reduce the risk of rollover and meet US federal requirements that mandate anti-rollover technology by September 2011.^[35] Motorcycles Motorcyclists have little protection other than their clothing; this difference is reflected in the casualty statistics, where they are more than twice as likely to suffer severely after a collision. In 2005 there were 198,735 road crashes with 271,017 reported casualties on roads in Great Britain. This included 3,201 deaths (1.1%) and 28,954 serious injuries (10.7%) overall. Of these casualties 178,302 (66%) were car users and 24,824 (9%) were motorcyclists, of whom 569 were killed (2.3%) and 5,939 seriously injured (24%).  

History

The fardier a vapeur of Nicolas-Joseph Cugnotallegedly crashed into a wall in 1771.^[50] The world’s first road traffic death involving a motor vehicle is alleged to have occurred on 31 August 1869.^[51] An Irish scientist Mary Ward died when she fell out of her cousins' steam car and was run over by it. The British road engineer J. J. Leeming, compared the statistics for fatality rates in Great Britain, for transport-related incidents both before and after the introduction of the motor vehicle, for journeys, including those once by water that now are undertaken by motor vehicle:^[12] For the period 1863–1870 there were: 470 fatalities per million of population (76 on railways, 143 on roads, 251 on water); for the period 1891–1900 the corresponding figures were: 348 (63, 107, 178); for the period 1931–1938: 403 (22, 311, 70) and for the year 1963: 325 (10, 278, 37).^[12] Leeming concluded that the data showed that "travel accidents may even have been more frequent a century ago than they are now, at least for men".^[12] In 1969 a British road engineer compared the circumstances around road deaths as reported in various American states before the widespread introduction of 55 mph (89 km/h) speed limits and drunk-driving laws.^[12]They took into account thirty factors which it was thought might affect the death rate. Among these were included the annual consumption of wine, of spirits and of malt beverages — taken individually — the amount spent on road maintenance, the minimum temperature, certain of the legal measures such as the amount spent on police, the number of police per 100,000 inhabitants, the follow-up programme on dangerous drivers, the quality of driver testing, and so on. The thirty factors were finally reduced to six by eliminating those which were found to have small or negligible effect. The final six were:

• (a) The percentage of the total state highway mileage that is rural
• (b) The percent increase in motor vehicle registration
• (c) The extent of motor vehicle inspection
• (d) The percentage of state-administered highway that is surfaced
• (e) The average yearly minimum temperature
• (f) The income per capita

'These are placed in descending order of importance. These six accounted for 70% of the variations in the rate.'

              Society and culture

[edit]Economic costs

The global economic cost of MVCs was estimated at $518 billion per year in 2003 with $100 billion of that occurring in developing countries.^[41] The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the U.S. cost in 2000 at $230 billion.^[52]

[edit]Legal consequences

In the United States, individuals involved in motor vehicle accidents can be held financially liable for the consequences of an accident, including property damage, injuries to passengers and drivers, and fatalities. Because these costs can easily exceed the annual income of the average driver, most US states require drivers to carry liability insurance to cover these potential costs. However, in the event of severe injuries or fatalities, victims may seek damages in civil court, often for well in excess of the value of insurance. Automobile accident in Brazil. Additionally, drivers who are involved in a collision frequently receive one or more traffic citations, usually directly addressing any material violations such as speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In the event of a fatality, a charge of vehicular homicide is occasionally prosecuted, especially in cases involving alcohol. Convictions for traffic violations are usually penalized with fines, and for more severe offenses, the suspension or revocation of driving privileges. Convictions for alcohol offenses generally result in the revocation or long term suspension of the driver's license, and sometimes jail time and/or mandatory alcohol rehabilitation. Due to increase in availability of cable news and Internet news, exposure to such legal actions has increased in recent years, specifically with coverage of cases and class action suits concerningSUV rollovers and recent incidents of sudden acceleration crashes highlighted by the 2010 Toyota Recall. Increased exposure has led to larger class action suits, and automobile owners' ability to link their collision causes and issues to ones in other regions has spread knowledge of external causes.