Exploring the relationship between truck load capacity and traffic accidents in the European Union

Applying econometric techniques to EU28 panel data and controlling for explanatory variables such as road types, we find that increased truck load capacity does not necessarily aggravate road traffic safety. Specifically, heavy trucks do not seem to be linked with greater numbers of traffic fataliti...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Castillo Manzano, José Ignacio, Castro Nuño, Mercedes, Fageda, Xavier, 1975-
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/107686
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/107686
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Transport de mercaderies
Transport per carretera
Seguretat viària
Freight transportation
Automotive transportation
Traffic safety
Descrição
Resumo:Applying econometric techniques to EU28 panel data and controlling for explanatory variables such as road types, we find that increased truck load capacity does not necessarily aggravate road traffic safety. Specifically, heavy trucks do not seem to be linked with greater numbers of traffic fatalities/accidents, medium trucks appear to be the worst performers in terms of fatalities, and light trucks seem to be the worst for accidents. In summary, our results clarify the complex relationship between truck load capacity and road safety, pointing to the existence of a negative correlation for accidents per capita and an inverse U-shaped curve for fatalities per capita.