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Does crash risk increase when emergency vehicles are driving with lights and sirens?
Celestin Missikpode1, Corinne Peek-Asa2, Tracy Young3
1Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Injury Prevention and Research Center, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|February 15, 2018
Summary
Police vehicles driving in emergency mode significantly increased their crash risk. Ambulance and fire vehicles did not show a higher crash risk when using lights and sirens.
Area of Science:
- Traffic Safety Research
- Emergency Vehicle Operations
- Accident Analysis
Background:
- Emergency vehicles require rapid response to incidents.
- Emergency mode (lights, sirens, signal bypass) is used for speed.
- This study investigates crash risk associated with emergency mode driving.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if emergency mode increases crash risk for police, ambulance, and fire vehicles.
- To identify factors contributing to crash risk in these vehicles.
Main Methods:
- Quasi-induced exposure analysis using the Iowa Crash Database (2005-2013).
- Utilized vehicles without a contributing cause as a proxy for baseline driving population.
- Analyzed police-reported motor vehicle crashes.
Main Results:
- Police vehicles had 1.8 times higher crash risk in emergency mode (statistically significant).
- Ambulance and fire vehicles showed no increased crash risk in emergency mode.
- Factors like gender, age, road conditions, and location influenced crash risk for all vehicle types.
Conclusions:
- Emergency mode driving increases crash risk specifically for police vehicles.
- No increased crash risk was found for ambulances and fire vehicles in emergency mode.
- Further research and safety strategies are needed for police vehicle crash mitigation.
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