An assessment of the effect of driver age on traffic accident involvement using log-linear models

Statistical models were developed to help understand the relationship between the driver age and several important accident-related factors and circumstances such as injury severity, collision types, average daily traffic (ADT), roadway character, speed ratio, alcohol involvement, and accident location. By using techniques of categorical analysis on the 1994 and 1995 Florida accident database, four log-linear models with three variables in each model with all possible two-way interactions were developed. In order to compare the differences in response between the age groups and a particular accident-related variable, odds multipliers were computed. The effects of age and accident-related factors were examined, and interactions among them were considered. The results indicated significant relationships between the driver age and ADT, injury severity, manner of collision, speed, alcohol involvement, and roadway character. The findings' contribution to the understanding of the effect of age on accident involvement is addressed. A discussion of how log-linear and legit modeling with estimation of 'odds multipliers' may contribute to traffic safety studies is also provided. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.