ABSTRACT
Traffic crashes are the most frequent cause of unintended fatal injuries in the U.S. when compared with accidents occurring in public places, in homes, or at work places (National Safety Council, 2001). They accounted for about 41,821 deaths and 3.2 million injuries that resulted from about 6.4 million crashes in 2000 (USDOT, 2001). Though these numbers are staggering and involve huge personal, emotional, and financial losses, the fatality rate per distance traveled has been steadily declining. If the fatality rate per vehicle kilometer in 2000 had remained the same as it was in 1970 at 2.9 fatalities per 100 million km, there would have been about 131,000 fatalities in 2000. Therefore, it is evident that highway safety has improved significantly over the years.
