VEHICLE CRASHWORTHINESS AND AGGRESSIVITY RATINGS AND CRASHWORTHINESS BY YEAR OF VEHICLE MANUFACTURE: VICTORIA AND NSW CRASHES DURING 1987-98, QUEENSLAND CRASHES DURING 1991-98

Crashworthiness ratings measure the relative safety of vehicles in preventing severe injury to their own drivers in crashes whilst aggressivity ratings measure the serious injury risk vehicles pose to drivers of other vehicles with which they collide. Crashworthiness and aggressivity ratings for 1982-98 model vehicles were developed based on data on crashes in Victoria and New South Wales during 1987-98 and in Queensland during 1991-98. Crashworthiness and aggressivity were measured by a combination of injury severity (of injured drivers) and injury risk (of drivers involved in crashes). The ratings were adjusted for the driver sex and age, the speed limit at the crash location, the number of vehicles involved, the state in which the crash occurred and the year in which the crash occurred. These factors were strongly related to injury risk and/or severity for both aggressivity and crashworthiness. The crashworthiness estimates and their associated confidence limits were sufficiently sensitive that they were able to identify 58 models of passenger cars, four-wheel drive vehicles, passenger vans and light commercial vehicles that have superior or inferior crashworthiness characteristics compared with the average vehicle. Aggressivity rating estimates and their associated confidence limits were sufficiently sensitive that they were able to identify 23 models of passenger cars, four-wheel drive vehicles, passenger vans and light commercial vehicles that have superior or inferior aggressivity characteristics compared with the average vehicle. Also investigated was the relationship between vehicle crashworthiness and the year of manufacture of Australian vehicles manufactured from 1964 to 1998. Cars, station wagons and taxis manufactured during the years 1964 to 1998 were considered. (a)