Modeling and Examining Alcohol Impaired Driver Behaviorand Characteristics for Intersection-Related CrashSeverities in New Mexico

摘要

Nationally, approximately one third of all motor vehicle crash fatalities involve alcohol-impaireddriving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol5impaired motor vehicle crashes cost more than an estimated $37 billion annually. Alcoholimpaired driver behavioral activities and demographic characteristics are needed for composingeffective countermeasures and developing proper policies against traffic crashes and reducingrelated costs. This study focuses on the impacts of alcohol impaired driver behavior andcharacteristics on traffic crash severities at intersections in New Mexico. Statistical analyseswere conducted to identify the most significant alcohol impaired driver behavioral activities anddemographic characteristics and time periods of driving. The transportation econometric models,multinomial Logit regression models, were developed to analyze crash severities for regulardrivers and alcohol impaired drivers using the data collected from the State of New Mexico from2010 to 2011. The research findings provide a better understanding of traffic alcohol-relatedaccident causes in New Mexico that will help transportation agencies and decision makers findcost-effective solutions for reducing the severity of crashes to improve safety and enhance policydevelopment.