Use of Bivariate Random-Parameter Probit Model to Analyze the Injury Severity of Highway Traffic Crashes Involving School-Age Children

Abstract

Traffic safety has been a serious public health issue. According to the World Health Organization, annual traffic fatalities and non-fatal injuries are 1.35 million and 20 to 50 million, respectively, worldwide. Vehicle crashes, in particular, are the leading cause of the death of children in the world. This study aims to analyze the injury severity level of drivers and school-age passengers and to identify contributing factors, focusing on the effects of driver characteristics on the severity of injuries to the driver and child passenger. A bivariate model is adopted to capture unobserved shared factors between the driver’s and child’s injury severity levels. The results indicate that the factors contributing to the injury severity level of drivers and school-age passengers are quite different, and some driver characteristics significantly affect the injury severity of the child passenger. The findings from this study can contribute to an efficient strategic plan to reduce the injury severity of vehicle occupants.