The Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) is investigating the reasons why two distinct population groups — Hispanics and U.S. military personnel — are experiencing above-average crash rates.
Each is a separate research initiative, and both projects are just getting underway as researchers gather crash data and begin looking for clues.
“We have seen significant reductions in crashes and traffic deaths overall,” CTS Director John Mounce explains. “However, some groups have not been included in these vast improvements. We’ve found two areas that I strongly believe we should investigate further.”
Latino Initiative
Data show that Hispanics have a disproportionate risk of dying or being injured in traffic crashes. So, CTS has begun a Latino Traffic Safety Initiative (LTSI) to study this complex problem in Texas and offer countermeasure approaches.
“In just nine years, the Hispanic population is expected to outnumber the non-Hispanic population in Texas,” says CTS Senior Research Scientist Katie Womack. “The more we learn about the reasons for the lopsided crash statistics, the better head start we will have on making travel safer for what will soon be the majority population. Everyone will benefit as a result.”
Nationally, the figures are alarming:
- Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 1-34.
- Hispanic children ages 5-12 are 72 percent more likely to die in a motor-vehicle crash than non-Hispanic children and they are less likely to wear a restraint device.
- Hispanics are more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and are more likely to be driving without a valid license.
The LTSI will first examine the Texas crash and fatality data. Do our state’s Hispanic figures reflect national statistics?
“We have a lot of questions about injuries and fatalities among the Latino population,” Womack points out. “What are the ages of the crash victims? Are more males or females killed and injured? What are the causes of the crashes? Were the occupants wearing safety belts or using child restraints? How big of a problem is impaired driving among Hispanics in Texas?”
Eventually, the goal of the LTSI is to determine if language barriers, education levels, socio-economic status and other cultural differences play a role in the crashes.
“We suspect that the Texas figures will show a disproportionate Hispanic fatality and injury rate similar to the national figures,” Womack predicts. “If they do, how do we best approach this problem?”
Womack says to accomplish the goal of the LTSI, a variety of methods will need to be employed — crash data analysis, focus groups, workshops and surveys. It is important to examine traffic safety from the Latino perspective to get a complete picture.
“This project is in the very beginning stages, and I foresee it being a long-term, multi-year task. It’s a very complex issue,” Womack says.
The Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) is investigating the reasons why two distinct population groups — Hispanics and U.S. military personnel — are experiencing above-average crash rates.
Each is a separate research initiative, and both projects are just getting underway as researchers gather crash data and begin looking for clues.
“We have seen significant reductions in crashes and traffic deaths overall,” CTS Director John Mounce explains. “However, some groups have not been included in these vast improvements. We’ve found two areas that I strongly believe we should investigate further.”
Military Initiative
A March 2011 article in the military publication Medical Surveillance Monthly Report caught the attention of CTS researchers. In it, crash data over an 11-year period was examined.
Citing the study, the article, entitled “Motorcycle and Other Motor Vehicle Accident-related Deaths, U.S. Armed Forces, 1999-2010,” stated: “Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are the leading cause of deaths of U.S. military members during peacetime. During the four years prior to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, one-third of all deaths of service members were caused by MVAs. Since the beginning of those operations, there have been nearly as many deaths of service members due to ‘transportation accidents’ as war related injuries.”
The article reported that more than 4,000 active-duty service members died in crashes during that period, with motorcycle deaths accounting for 24 percent of the fatalities.
“This is obviously a problem that not many people have thought about,” Senior Research Engineer Russell Henk says. “As the article points out, many of the crash victims are young, high school-educated, single males — characteristics that could be associated with a higher risk of dying in crashes.”
Henk says that he needs to dig deeper into the military crash rate issue, but already has some ideas about approaching the problem. He points out that the Center is well positioned to tackle the issue of impairment, motorcycle safety and the dangers of younger drivers based on its previous work.
Henk, who is also the director of TTI’s Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program, says elements of the successful high school-targeted driver safety program could be applied to the military crash-rate problem.
“TDS uses a peer-to-peer approach with students, who conduct the program and spread safety messages among fellow students. I can foresee that same approach being replicated in a military setting,” he says.
In exploring the CTS military initiative, contacts have been made with the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, Ft. Hood in Killeen and with military officials in San Antonio, where Henk is based.
For more information, please visit the Center for Transportation Safety’s website.