01698141

Component

Phantom vehicle crashes (PVCs), or miss-and-run crashes are a topical issue in car insurance coverage because of controversies over testimony and compensation. However, no peer-reviewed literature has specialized in the perception and deliberations involved in this infrequent type of car crash. A novel taxonomy of roadway traffic crashes is proposed in this study on the basis of whether physical collisions did occur (hit or miss) and whether the perpetrators stayed at the crash scene (stay or run). In this way, this study poses the issue of the PVCs (miss-and-run crashes) within the scope of traffic safety research, and aims to investigate the statistically significant factors that are likely to induce PVCs. A binary logistic regression method was adopted to model the probability and occurrence of two-vehicle PVCs (TV-PVCs) in Florida. Data that derived from the Crash Analysis Reporting system in 2013 consisted of 14,776 two-vehicle crashes in which 440 ones (2.98%) were confirmed as positive TV-PVCs. Sixteen factors with 50 variables on crash information, roadway characteristics and environmental conditions were included in the original consideration of the TV-PVC model. The results indicated that a two-vehicle crash is more likely to be a PVC when the crash happens on weekends, on roadways with no traffic control or full access control, on curving and sloping roadways, on slag/gravel/stone roadways. Relative to no violation, alcohol involvement in a two-vehicle crash is more likely to result in a hit-and-stay crash than a PVC. The motorists of uninsured vehicles would indeed be more likely to be the victims of PVCs because they have the propensity to avoid physical collisions for potential self-paid loss. Several conclusions for better understanding the occurrence of a PVC are proposed for traffic management departments and car insurers.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB20 Standing Committee on Safety Data, Analysis and Evaluation.

19-04169

English

14p

2019

Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

References (24) ; Tables

Automobile insurance; Behavior; Crash analysis; Crash characteristics; Hit and run crashes

Florida

Highways; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2019 Paper #19-04169

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 7 2018 9:47AM