Traffic Accidents in Spain and the U.S.A.: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Associated Factors

摘要

The report presents the results of a cross-cultural analysis of factors associated with traffic accidents in Spain and the U.S.A. The research was performed as the first phase of a project on cross-cultural differences in driver risk-taking in the two countries. The analysis was based on the data from 1984 and, whenever possible, on fatal accidents. The findings are presented in a tabular form with an accompanying commentary for each table. Because of the potential reporting differences in the two countries, the present findings should be interpreted with caution and should be viewed only as indicating possible trends. The following are some of the factors with differential involvement in traffic accidents in the two countries: fatality rates per vehicle and per person, proportion of rural and urban accidents, pedestrian fatalities, time-of-the-day and day-of-the-week peaks and troughs, atmospheric factors, speeding citations in accidents, alcohol citations in accidents, violations of traffic laws, and involvement of young persons.