Colisión de tráfico

Many organizations, companies and government agencies have begun to avoid the term accident, instead preferring terms such as collision, crash or incident.^[10][11][12] This is because the term accident may imply that there is no one to blame or that the collision was unavoidable, whereas most traffic collisions are the result of driver error such as driving under the influence, excessive speed, distractions such as mobile phones, other risky behavior, poor road design, or other preventable factors.^{[13][14][15][16]}

In 1997, George L. Reagle, the Associate Administrator for Motor Carriers of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wrote a letter stating that "A crash is not an accident", emphasizing that the Department's Research and Special Programs Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had all declared that "accident" should be avoided in their published writings and media communications.^[17] In 2016, the Associated Press updated its style guide to recommend that journalists use "crash, collision, or other terms" rather than "accident" unless culpability is proven. The AP also recommends avoiding "accident" when negligence is proven or claimed because the term "can be read as exonerating the person responsible."^[18] In 2021, the American Automobile Association (AAA) passed a resolution to replace "car accident" with "car crash" in their vocabulary.^[19] In 2022, the traffic management company INRIX announced that "accident" would be removed from their lexicon.^[20] In 2023, the National Union of Journalists in the UK published the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines which includes a recommendation that journalists should "Avoid use of the word ‘accident’ until the facts of a collision are known."^[21]

The Maryland Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Office emphasizes that "crashes are no accident", saying that "Using the word accident suggests that an incident was unavoidable, but many roadway crashes can be attributed to human error."^[22] The Michigan Department of Transportation states that "accident" should be dropped in favor of "crash", saying that "Traffic crashes are fixable problems, caused by inattentive drivers and driver behavior. They are not accidents."^[18] In line with their Vision Zero commitments, the Portland Bureau of Transportation recommends using "crash" rather than "accident".^[23]

Por el contrario, algunos han criticado el uso de terminología distinta a la de accidente por frenar las mejoras en materia de seguridad, basándose en la idea de que tales términos perpetúan una cultura de culpa que puede desalentar a las partes involucradas a revelar completamente los hechos y, por lo tanto, frustrar los intentos de abordar las verdaderas causas fundamentales . ^{[ 24 ]}

Un traumatismo por impacto contundente causado por una colisión puede provocar diversas lesiones físicas , desde hematomas y contusiones hasta lesiones físicas catastróficas (por ejemplo, parálisis), paro cardíaco traumático o no traumático y la muerte. Los CDC estiman que aproximadamente 100 personas mueren diariamente en accidentes de tráfico en Estados Unidos. ^{[ 30 ]}

Tras una colisión, pueden producirse traumas psicológicos duraderos . ^{[ 31 ]} Estos problemas pueden hacer que quienes han sufrido un accidente teman volver a conducir. En algunos casos, el trauma psicológico puede afectar la vida de las personas, dificultando que vayan al trabajo, asistan a la escuela o cumplan con sus responsabilidades familiares. ^{[ 32 ]}

Los factores humanos en los accidentes de tráfico incluyen todo aquello relacionado con los conductores y otros usuarios de la vía que pueda contribuir a una colisión. Algunos ejemplos son el comportamiento del conductor, la agudeza visual y auditiva, la capacidad de tomar decisiones y la velocidad de reacción.

Un informe de 1985 basado en datos de accidentes británicos y estadounidenses encontró que el error del conductor, la intoxicación y otros factores humanos contribuyen total o parcialmente a aproximadamente el 93% de los accidentes. ^{[ 34 ]} Un informe de 2019 de la Administración Nacional de Seguridad del Tráfico en las Carreteras de EE . UU. encontró que los principales factores que contribuyen a los accidentes fatales incluyen conducir demasiado rápido para las condiciones o por encima del límite de velocidad, conducir bajo la influencia, no ceder el derecho de paso, no mantenerse dentro del carril correcto, conducir un vehículo de manera negligente y conducir distraído. ^{[ 36 ]}

Los conductores distraídos por dispositivos móviles tenían casi cuatro veces más riesgo de sufrir un accidente que aquellos que no lo estaban. Un estudio del Instituto de Transporte de Virginia Tech reveló que los conductores que envían mensajes de texto mientras conducen tienen 23 veces más probabilidades de verse involucrados en un accidente que los conductores que no lo hacen. ^{[ 37 ]} Marcar un número de teléfono es la distracción más peligrosa, ya que aumenta la probabilidad de accidente en 12 veces, seguida de leer o escribir, lo que incrementa el riesgo en diez veces. ^{[ 38 ]}

An RAC survey of British drivers found 78% of drivers thought they were highly skilled at driving, and most thought they were better than other drivers, a result suggesting overconfidence in their abilities. Nearly all drivers who had been in a crash did not believe themselves to be at fault.^[39] One survey of drivers reported that they thought the key elements of good driving were:^[40]

• controlling a car including a good awareness of the car's size and capabilities
• reading and reacting to road conditions, weather, road signs, and the environment
• alertness, reading and anticipating the behavior of other drivers.

Although proficiency in these skills is taught and tested as part of the driving exam, a "good" driver can still be at a high risk of crashing because:

the feeling of being confident in more and more challenging situations is experienced as evidence of driving ability, and that 'proven' ability reinforces the feelings of confidence. Confidence feeds itself and grows unchecked until something happens – a near-miss or an accident.^[40]

An Axa survey concluded Irish drivers are very safety-conscious relative to other European drivers. This does not translate to significantly lower crash rates in Ireland.^[41]

Accompanying changes to road designs have been wide-scale adoptions of rules of the road alongside law enforcement policies that included drink-driving laws, setting of speed limits, and speed enforcement systems such as speed cameras. Some countries' driving tests have been expanded to test a new driver's behavior during emergencies, and their hazard perception.

There are demographic differences in crash rates. For example, although young people tend to have good reaction times, disproportionately more young male drivers feature in collisions,^[42] with researchers observing that many exhibit behaviors and attitudes to risk that can place them in more hazardous situations than other road users.^[40] This is reflected by actuaries when they set insurance rates for different age groups, partly based on their age, sex, and choice of vehicle. Older drivers with slower reactions might be expected to be involved in more collisions, but this has not been the case as they tend to drive less and, apparently, more cautiously.^[43] Attempts to impose traffic policies can be complicated by local circumstances and driver behavior. In 1969 Leeming warned that there is a balance to be struck when "improving" the safety of a road.^[44]

Conversely, a location that does not look dangerous may have a high crash frequency. This is, in part, because if drivers perceive a location as hazardous, they take more care. Collisions may be more likely to happen when hazardous road or traffic conditions are not obvious at a glance, or where the conditions are too complicated for the limited human machine to perceive and react in the time and distance available. High incidence of crashes is not indicative of high injury risk. Crashes are common in areas of high vehicle congestion, but fatal crashes occur disproportionately on rural roads at night when traffic is relatively light.

This phenomenon has been observed in risk compensation research, where the predicted reductions in collision rates have not occurred after legislative or technical changes. One study observed that the introduction of improved brakes resulted in more aggressive driving,^[45] and another argued that compulsory seat belt laws have not been accompanied by a clearly attributed fall in overall fatalities.^[46] Most claims of risk compensation offsetting the effects of vehicle regulation and belt use laws have been discredited by research using more refined data.^[35]

In the 1990s, Hans Monderman's studies of driver behavior led him to the realization that signs and regulations had an adverse effect on a driver's ability to interact safely with other road users. Monderman developed shared space principles, rooted in the principles of the woonerven of the 1970s. He concluded that the removal of highway clutter, while allowing drivers and other road users to mingle with equal priority, could help drivers recognize environmental clues. They relied on their cognitive skills alone, reducing traffic speeds radically and resulting in lower levels of road casualties and lower levels of congestion.^[47]

Some crashes are intended; staged crashes, for example, involve at least one party who hopes to crash a vehicle in order to submit lucrative claims to an insurance company.^[48] In the United States during the 1990s, criminals recruited Latin American immigrants to deliberately crash cars, usually by cutting in front of another car and slamming on the brakes. It was an illegal and risky job, and they were typically paid only $100. Jose Luis Lopez Perez, a staged crash driver, died after one such maneuver, leading to an investigation that uncovered the increasing frequency of this type of crash.^[49]

Motor vehicle speed

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration reviewed research on traffic speed in 1998.^[50] The summary says that:

• The evidence shows the risk of having a crash is increased both for vehicles traveling slower than the average speed and for those traveling above the average speed.
• The risk of being injured increases exponentially with speeds much faster than the median speed.
• The severity/lethality of a crash depends on the vehicle speed change at impact.
• There is limited evidence suggesting lower speed limits result in lower speeds on a system-wide basis.
• Most crashes related to speed involve speed too fast for the conditions.
• More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of traffic calming.

In the U.S. in 2018, 9,378 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving at least one speeding driver, which accounted for 26% of all traffic-related deaths for the year.^[51]

In Michigan in 2019, excessive speed was a factor in 18.8% of the fatalities that resulted from fatal motor vehicle crashes and in 15.6% of the suspected serious injuries resulting from crashes.^[52]

The Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) asserts speeding (traveling too fast for the prevailing conditions or above the posted speed limit^[53]) is a factor in about 40 percent of road deaths.^[54] The RTA also says speeding increases the risk of a crash and its severity.^[54] On another web page, the RTA qualifies its claims by referring to one specific piece of research from 1997, and writes "Research has shown that the risk of a crash causing death or injury increases rapidly, even with small increases above an appropriately set speed limit."^[55]

The contributory factor report in the official British road casualty statistics shows for 2006, that "exceeding the speed limit" was a contributory factor in 5% of all casualty crashes (14% of all fatal crashes), and "traveling too fast for conditions" was a contributory factor in 11% of all casualty crashes (18% of all fatal crashes).^[56]

In France, in 2018, the speed limit was reduced from 90 km/h to 80 km/h on a large part of the local outside built-up area road network in the sole aim of reducing the number of road fatalities.

Driver impairment

Driver impairment describes factors that prevent the driver from driving at their normal level of skill. Common impairments include:

Alcohol

According to the Government of Canada, coroner reports from 2008 suggested almost 40% of fatally injured drivers consumed some quantity of alcohol before the collision.^[64]

Physical impairment

Poor eyesight and/or physical impairment, with many jurisdictions setting simple sight tests and/or requiring appropriate vehicle modifications before being allowed to drive.

Youth

Insurance statistics demonstrate a notably higher incidence of collisions and fatalities among drivers aged in their teens or early twenties, with insurance rates reflecting this data. These drivers have the highest incidence of both collisions and fatalities among all driver age groups, a fact that was observed well before the advent of mobile phones.

Females in this age group exhibit somewhat lower collision and fatality rates than males but still register well above the median for drivers of all ages.^[65] Also within this group, the highest collision incidence rate occurs within the first year of licensed driving. For this reason, many US states have enacted a zero-tolerance policy wherein receiving a moving violation within the first six months to one year of obtaining a license results in automatic license suspension. South Dakota is the only state that allows fourteen-year-olds to obtain drivers' licenses.

Old age

Old age, with some jurisdictions requiring driver retesting for reaction speed and eyesight after a certain age.

Sleep deprivation

Various factors such as fatigue or sleep deprivation might increase the risk, or the number of hours of driving might increase the risk of an incident.^[66] 41% of drivers self-report having fallen asleep at the wheel.^[67]:41 It is estimated that 15% of fatal crashes involve drowsiness (10% of daytime crashes, and 24% of nighttime crashes). Work factors can increase the risk of drowsy driving such as long or irregular hours or driving at night.^[67]

Drug use

Including some prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs (notably antihistamines, opioids and muscarinic antagonists), and illegal drugs.

Distraction

Research suggests that the driver's attention is affected by distracting sounds such as conversations and operating a mobile phone while driving. Many jurisdictions now restrict or outlaw the use of some types of phones in the car. Recent research conducted by British scientists suggests that music can also have an effect; classical music is considered to be calming, yet too much could relax the driver to a condition of distraction. On the other hand, hard rock may encourage the driver to step on the acceleration pedal, thus creating a potentially dangerous situation on the road.^[68]

Cell phone use is an increasingly significant problem on the roads and the U.S. National Safety Council compiled more than 30 studies postulating that hands-free is not a safer option because the brain remains distracted by the conversation and cannot focus solely on the task of driving.^[69]

A 1985 US study showed that about 34% of serious crashes had contributing factors related to the roadway or its environment. Most of these crashes also involved a human factor.^[34] The road or environmental factor was either noted as making a significant contribution to the circumstances of the crash or did not allow room to recover. In these circumstances, it is frequently the driver who is blamed rather than the road; those reporting the collisions have a tendency to overlook the human factors involved, such as the subtleties of design and maintenance that a driver could fail to observe or inadequately compensate for.^[72]

Research has shown that careful design and maintenance, with well-designed intersections, road surfaces, visibility and traffic control devices, can result in significant improvements in collision rates.

Individual roads also have widely differing performance in the event of an impact. In Europe, there are now EuroRAP tests that indicate how "self-explaining" and forgiving a particular road and its roadside would be in the event of a major incident.

In the UK, research has shown that investment in a safe road infrastructure program could yield a 1⁄3 reduction in road deaths, saving as much as £6 billion per year.^[73] A consortium of 13 major road safety stakeholders had formed the Campaign for Safe Road Design, which was calling on the UK Government to make safe road design a national transport priority.

Seat belts

Research has shown that, across all collision types, it is less likely that seat belts were worn in collisions involving death or serious injury, rather than light injury; wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death by about 45 percent.^[74]Seat belt use is controversial, with notable critics such as Professor John Adams suggesting that their use may lead to a net increase in road casualties due to a phenomenon known as risk compensation.^[75] Observation of driver behaviors before and after seat belt laws does not support the risk compensation hypothesis.

Several driving behaviors were observed on the road before and after the belt use law was enforced in Newfoundland, and in Nova Scotia during the same period without a law. Belt use increased from 16 percent to 77 percent in Newfoundland and remained virtually unchanged in Nova Scotia. Four driver behaviors (speed, stopping at intersections when the control light was amber, turning left in front of oncoming traffic, and gaps in following distance) were measured at various sites before and after the law. Changes in these behaviors in Newfoundland were similar to those in Nova Scotia, except that drivers in Newfoundland drove slower on expressways after the law, contrary to the risk compensation theory.^[76]

Maintenance

A well-designed and well-maintained vehicle, with good brakes, tires and well-adjusted suspension will be more controllable in an emergency and thus be better equipped to avoid collisions. Some mandatory vehicle inspection schemes include tests for some aspects of roadworthiness, such as the UK's MOT test or German TÜV conformance inspection.

The design of vehicles has also evolved to improve protection after collision, both for vehicle occupants and for those outside of the vehicle. Much of this work was led by automotive industry competition and technological innovation, leading to measures such as Saab's safety cage and reinforced roof pillars of 1946, Ford's 1956 Lifeguard safety package, and Saab and Volvo's introduction of standard fit seatbelts in 1959. Other initiatives were accelerated as a reaction to consumer pressure, after publications such as Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed accused motor manufacturers of indifference to safety.

In the early 1970s, British Leyland started an intensive program of vehicle safety research, producing a number of prototype experimental safety vehicles demonstrating various innovations for occupant and pedestrian protection such as airbags, anti-lock brakes, impact-absorbing side-panels, front and rear head restraints, run-flat tires, smooth and deformable front-ends, impact-absorbing bumpers, and retractable headlamps.^[77] The design has also been influenced by government legislation, such as the Euro NCAPimpact test.

Common features designed to improve safety include thicker pillars, safety glass, interiors with no sharp edges, stronger bodies, other active or passive safety features, and smooth exteriors to reduce the consequences of an impact on pedestrians.

The UK Department for Transport publish road casualty statistics for each type of collision and vehicle through its Road Casualties Great Britain report.^[78] These statistics show a ten-to-one ratio of in-vehicle fatalities between types of cars. In most cars, occupants have a 2–8% chance of death in a two-car collision.

Center of gravity

Some crash types tend to have more serious consequences. Rollovers have become more common in recent years, perhaps due to the increased popularity of taller SUVs, people carriers, and minivans, which have a higher center of gravity than standard passenger cars. Rollovers can be fatal, especially if the occupants are ejected because they were not wearing seat belts (83% of ejections during rollovers were fatal when the driver did not wear a seat belt, compared to 25% when they did).^[74] After a first-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Classnotoriously failed a 'moose test' (sudden swerving to avoid an obstacle) in 1997, some manufacturers enhanced suspension using stability control linked to an anti-lock braking system to reduce the likelihood of rollover.^[79] After retrofitting these systems to its models in 1999–2000, Mercedes saw its models involved in fewer crashes.^[80]

Now, about 40% of new US vehicles, mainly the SUVs, vans and pickup trucks that are more susceptible to rollover, are being produced with a lower center of gravity and enhanced suspension with stability control linked to its anti-lock braking system to reduce the risk of rollover and meet US federal requirements that mandate anti-rollover technology by September 2011.^[81]

Motorcycles

Motorcyclists and pillion-riders have little protection other than their clothing and helmets.^[82]This difference is reflected in the casualty statistics, where they are more than twice as likely to suffer severely after a collision. In 2005, there were 198,735 road crashes with 271,017 reported casualties on roads in Great Britain. This included 3,201 deaths (1.1%) and 28,954 serious injuries (10.7%) overall. Of these casualties 178,302 (66%) were car users and 24,824 (9%) were motorcyclists, of whom 569 were killed (2.3%) and 5,939 seriously injured (24%).^[83]Motorcyclists in urban areas are also more prone to deadly accidents because urban areas are more populous and roads are more crowded with vehicles.^[84]

Estudios realizados en Estados Unidos han demostrado que las personas pobres tienen un mayor riesgo de morir en un accidente automovilístico que las personas acomodadas. ^{[ 85 ]} Las muertes por accidentes automovilísticos también son más elevadas en los estados más pobres. Asimismo, existen datos que sugieren que no hay una asociación significativa entre la gravedad de las lesiones y el estatus socioeconómico, a pesar de que las personas con un estatus socioeconómico bajo tienen mayor riesgo de ser hospitalizadas por lesiones sufridas en colisiones de tráfico. ^{[ 86 ] [ 87 ]}

Estudios similares en Francia o Israel han mostrado los mismos resultados. ^{[ 88 ] [ 89 ] [ 90 ]} Esto puede deberse a que las personas de clase trabajadora tienen menos acceso a equipos de seguridad en los automóviles, poseen automóviles más antiguos que están menos protegidos contra colisiones y necesitan recorrer mayores distancias para ir al trabajo cada día.

Si bien el inicio del confinamiento por la COVID-19 provocó una disminución del tráfico rodado en Estados Unidos, las tasas de incidentes, exceso de velocidad y muertes por accidentes de tráfico aumentaron en 2020 y 2021 (tasa medida en relación con los kilómetros recorridos por vehículo). ^{[ 91 ]} La tasa de mortalidad por accidentes de tráfico se disparó a 1,25 por cada 100 millones de kilómetros recorridos por vehículo, frente a 1,06 durante el mismo período de 2019. Las razones citadas para estos aumentos son el aumento de la velocidad, no usar el cinturón de seguridad y conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol o las drogas. ^{[ 91 ]}

En su informe preliminar que abarca los primeros seis meses de 2021, el grupo estadounidense sin fines de lucro de defensa de la seguridad pública, el Consejo Nacional de Seguridad (NSC), estimó que el total de muertes por accidentes de tránsito durante los primeros seis meses de 2021 fue de 21.450, un 16% más que en 2020 y un 17% más que en 2019 (18.384). La tasa estimada de mortalidad por kilometraje en 2021 fue de 1,43 muertes por cada 100 millones de millas recorridas por vehículos, un 3% más que en 2020 (1,39) y un 24% más que en 2019 (1,15). ^{[ 92 ]}

Los datos preliminares también muestran que, incluso cuando los niveles de tráfico volvieron a la normalidad después del inicio de la COVID en marzo-abril de 2020, los conductores continuaron conduciendo a velocidades excesivas. ^{[ 93 ]} Un estudio de 2020 realizado por INRIX, empresa privada que analiza patrones de tráfico, comportamientos y congestión, mostró que, a medida que los niveles de tráfico volvieron a la normalidad durante el período de tres meses de agosto a octubre de 2020, el aumento de colisiones (57 %) superó el aumento de millas recorridas (22 %), lo que resultó en una tasa de colisiones más alta de lo normal durante este período. ^{[ 33 ]}

En Francia, el Ministerio del Interior informó que los incidentes de tráfico, las lesiones relacionadas con accidentes y las muertes disminuyeron en 2020 en comparación con 2019. Las muertes disminuyeron un 21,4 %, las lesiones un 20,9 % y los incidentes en general un 20 %. ^{[ 94 ]} También informó que el número de vehículos en la carretera disminuyó un 75 %, lo que sugiere que la tasa (incidentes por vehículo-milla) aumentó.

Otros factores potencialmente peligrosos que pueden alterar la capacidad de un conductor en la carretera incluyen:

• Irritabilidad ^{[ 95 ]}
• Seguir reglas específicas y distintas de manera demasiado burocrática, inflexible o rígida cuando circunstancias únicas podrían sugerir lo contrario ^{[ 96 ]}
• Desviarse repentinamente hacia el punto ciego de alguien sin antes hacerse claramente visible a través del espejo retrovisor ^{[ 97 ]}
• Desconocimiento de las características del tablero , la consola central u otros dispositivos de manejo interior después de una compra reciente de un automóvil ^{[ 98 ].}
• Falta de visibilidad debido al diseño del parabrisas , niebla densa o resplandor solar ^{[ 99 ]}
• Observar a la gente .
• Cultura de seguridad vial: diversos aspectos de la cultura de seguridad podrían influir en el número de accidentes. ^{[ 100 ]}

Owing to the global and massive scale of the issue, the United Nations and its subsidiary bodies have passed resolutions and held conferences on the issue. The first United Nations General Assembly resolution and debate was in 2003^[105] The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was declared in 2005. In 2009 the first high level ministerial conference on road safety was held in Moscow.

The World Health Organization, in its Global Status Report on Road Safety 2009, estimates that over 90% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have only 48% of the world's registered vehicles, and predicts road traffic injuries will rise to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.^[106]

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3, target 3.6 is directed at reducing road injuries and deaths. February 2020 saw a global ministerial conference which brought the Stockholm Declaration, setting a target to reduce global traffic deaths and injuries by 50% within ten years. The decade of 2021–2030 was declared the second decade of road safety.

Collisions migration refers to a situation where action to reduce road traffic collisions in one place may result in those collisions resurfacing elsewhere.^[107] For example, an accident blackspot may occur at a dangerous bend.^[108] The treatment for this may be to increase signage, post an advisory speed limit, apply a high-friction road surface, add crash barriers or any one of a number of other visible interventions. The immediate result may be to reduce collisions at the bend, but the subconscious relaxation on leaving the "dangerous" bend may cause drivers to act with fractionally less care on the rest of the road, resulting in an increase in collisions elsewhere on the road, and no overall improvement over the area. In the same way, increasing familiarity with the treated area will often result in a reduction over time to the previous level of care and may result in faster speeds around the bend due to perceived increased safety (risk compensation).

The safety performance of roadways is almost always reported as a rate. That is, some measure of harm (deaths, injuries, or number of crashes) divided by some measure of exposure to the risk of this harm. Rates are used so the safety performance of different locations can be compared, and to prioritize safety improvements.

Common rates related to road traffic fatalities include the number of deaths per capita, per registered vehicle, per licensed driver, or per vehicle mile or kilometer traveled. Simple counts are almost never used. The annual count of fatalities is a rate, namely, the number of fatalities per year.

There is no one rate that is superior to others in any general sense, it depends on the question asked and the available data. Some agencies concentrate on crashes per total vehicle distance traveled and others combine rates. Iowa, for example, selects high collision locations based on a combination of crashes per million miles traveled, crashes per mile per year, and value loss (crash severity).^[118]

The definition of a road-traffic fatality varies from country to country. In the United States, the definition used in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)^[120] run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a person who dies within 30 days of a crash on a US public road involving a vehicle with an engine, the death being the result of the crash.

In the U.S., therefore, if a driver has a non-fatal heart attack that leads to a road-traffic crash that causes death, that is a road-traffic fatality. If the heart attack causes death prior to the crash, it is not a road-traffic fatality.

The definition of a road-traffic fatality can change with time in the same country. For example, fatality was defined in France as a person who dies in the six days (pre 2005) after the collision and was subsequently changed to the 30 days (post 2005) after the collision.^[121]

The global economic cost of MVCs was estimated at $518 billion per year in 2003, and $100 billion in developing countries.^[112] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the U.S. cost in 2000 at $230 billion.^[127] A 2010 US report estimated costs of $277 billion, which included lost productivity, medical costs, legal and court costs, emergency service costs (EMS), insurance administration costs, congestion costs, property damage, and workplace losses. "The value of societal harm from motor vehicle crashes, which includes both economic impacts and valuation for lost quality-of-life, was $870.8 billion in 2010. Sixty-eight percent of this value represents lost quality-of-life, while 32 percent are economic impacts."^[128]

Traffic collision affect the national economy as the cost of road injuries are estimated to account for 1.0% to 2.0% of the gross national product (GNP) of every country each year.^[129] A recent study from Nepal showed that the total economic costs of road injuries were approximately $122.88 million, equivalent to 1.52% of the total Nepal GNP for 2017, indicating the growing national financial burden associate with preventable road injuries and deaths.^[130]

The economic cost to the individuals involved in an MVC varies widely depending on geographic distribution, and varies largely on depth of accident insurance cover, and legislative policy. In the UK for example, a survey conducted using 500 post-accident insurance policy customers, showed an average individual financial loss of £1300.00.^[131] This is due in part to voluntary excesses that are common tactics used to reduce overall premium, and in part due to under valuation of vehicles. By contrast, Australian insurance policy holders are subject to an average financial loss of $950.00 AUD.^[132]

There are a number of possible legal consequences for causing a traffic collision, including:

• Traffic citations: drivers who are involved in a collision may receive one or more traffic citations for improper driving conduct such as speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.^[133] Convictions for traffic violations are usually penalized with fines, and for more severe offenses, the suspension or revocation of driving privileges.^[134]
• Civil lawsuits: a driver who causes a traffic collision may be sued for damages resulting from the collision, including damages to property and injuries to other persons. Companies can be held liable if their employees cause motor vehicle crashes under a theory of vicarious liability. Other times, injured people can file a product liability lawsuit against a company that designed or distributed a dangerous vehicle or car part.
• Criminal prosecution: More severe driving misconduct, including impaired driving, may result in criminal charges against the driver. In the event of a fatality, a charge of vehicular homicide is occasionally prosecuted, especially in cases involving alcohol.^[135] Convictions for alcohol offenses may result in the revocation or long term suspension of the driver's license, and sometimes jail time, mandatory drug or alcohol rehabilitation, or both.^[136]

Los automóviles han llegado a representar una parte del sueño americano de la propiedad, junto con la libertad de la carretera. La violencia de un accidente automovilístico proporciona un contrapunto a esa promesa y es el tema de la obra de varios artistas, como John Salt y Li Yan . Aunque inglés, John Salt se sintió atraído por los paisajes americanos de vehículos destrozados, como Desert Wreck (óleo sobre lino con aerógrafo, 1972). ^{[ 147 ]} De manera similar, Jan Anders Nelson trabaja con los restos de vehículos en su estado de reposo en desguaces o bosques, o como elementos en sus pinturas y dibujos. American Landscape ^{[ 148 ]} es un ejemplo del enfoque de Nelson en la violencia del accidente, con automóviles y camiones apilados, abandonados a las fuerzas de la naturaleza y el tiempo. Este tema recurrente de la violencia se refleja en la obra de Li Yan. Su pintura Accident Nº 6 examina la energía liberada durante un choque. ^{[ 149 ] [ 150 ] [ 151 ]}

Andy Warhol utilizó fotografías de periódicos de accidentes automovilísticos con ocupantes muertos en varias de sus series de lienzos serigrafiados tituladas Desastre . ^{[ 152 ]} John Chamberlain utilizó componentes de automóviles accidentados (como parachoques y guardabarros de chapa metálica deformados ) en sus esculturas soldadas. ^{[ 153 ]}

Crash es una novela de 1973 del autor inglés JG Ballard sobre el fetichismo sexual relacionado con los accidentes automovilísticos,que fue adaptada al cine por David Cronenberg en 1996.