title: A comparison of contributing effects on 2-vehicle alcohol-related crashes between impaired and nonimpaired operators.
abstract: Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime that places the lives of all motorists in danger. Though it is a largely preventable act, impaired driving has accounted for 31 to 38% of fatal crashes across the country over the last decade. When an impaired operator crashes his or her vehicle, there is often a second unit, of which the operator is not impaired, involved in the crash.
  
  
  
  This research looks at approximately 14,000 2-unit crashes involving an impaired operator in the State of Ohio from 2008 through 2012. The research is focused on determining the effects of crash and operator characteristics in 2-unit alcohol-related crashes through the use of 2 mixed logit models.
  
  
  
  It is found that several factors have similar effects on the injury severities of both the impaired and nonimpaired operators, including head-on crashes, the use of seat belts, and the deployment of airbags. There are, however, several factors that affect the 2 operators differently. It is found that the impaired operator's injury severity is based on the type and, more important, the size of the vehicle he or she is driving, the roadway geometry, and the speed of the vehicle driven by the nonimpaired operator. The nonimpaired operator is equally affected by the speed of the impaired vehicle as much as his or her own speed, and the nonimpaired operator's injury severity is virtually independent of the type of vehicle being driven.
  
  
  
  Researchers may disseminate the results to community groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Safe Communities to increase awareness of the dangers of drunk driving in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Civil Engineering , The University of Akron , Akron , Ohio.
authors.forename: Alexander R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Maistros
authors.affiliation: a Department of Civil Engineering , The University of Akron , Akron , Ohio.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Holik
authors.affiliation: a Department of Civil Engineering , The University of Akron , Akron , Ohio.
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: b Department of Civil , Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University , Ames , Iowa.
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Savolainen
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017278:Air Bags / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000066448:Driving Under the Influence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004779:Environment Design / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol; DUI; impairment; injury outcome