Determinants of Motor Vehicle Fatalities: A Kansas Case Study

Abstract

This paper analyzes the determinants of motor vehicle fatalities in Kansas. The objectives of the study include the following:

* Conduct a literature review of motor vehicle safety studies.
* Formulate a theoretical model of the determinants of motor vehicle fatalities.
* Estimate the statistical significance of the various determinants.
* Compare the empirical results of the study to other recent state studies of motor vehicle fatalities.

The unemployment rate had the expected inverse relationship to fatalities but was statistically significant in only two of seven estimated models. Alcohol consumption and the speed limit on rural interstate highways had the expected positive relationship to fatalities. Other variables that were statistically significant included Kansas seat belt law dummy, the proportion of young and old drivers to the rest of the Kansas population, and the ratio of rural to urban driving. The study measured the effect of three measures of highway safety law enforcement on fatalities: Kansas police per 10,000 population, Kansas police per 100 miles of road, and Kansas per capita expenditure for police protection. All three had the expected negative sign and were highly significant.