ABSTRACT
In this chapter, our main concern is not to understand personal behavior and driver characteristics per se, but to understand types of people or groups in society and their association with road collisions. Road users involved in road collisions are affected not only by the environment and the behavior of other individuals but also by their own characteristics. The association between socioeconomic characteristics and road collision analysis is not new. Recent literature has shown the linkages between road collisions and many socioeconomic factors and related areas including health care, education, the family, cultural aspects, the physical environment, and geographic location. A conceptual framework is used to identify the mechanisms through which socioeconomic geography may interact in the determination of health inequalities relating to road traffic collisions. It is used as a structure for presenting the current evidence concerning socioeconomic differences in road traffic collision risk. Previous research has suggested that road traffic collision risk is higher for those people with a lower socioeconomic status. Whether the greater number of road collisions to people of lower socioeconomic status is a phenomenon attributed to the areas or a reflection of a wider pattern of road collisions affecting lower socioeconomic status groups is not clear. There is evidence of interaction between socioeconomic status, area, and risk. The mechanisms surrounding socioeconomic inequalities of road collisions in society require greater scrutiny. Further theoretical developments and empirical evidence are required in order to enable more effective targeting, both tactically and strategically.
