Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Civil Engineering / Sunanda Dissanayake / Young drivers have elevated motor vehicle crash rates compared to other drivers. This dissertation investigated characteristics, contributory causes, and factors which increase the injury severity of young driver crashes in Kansas by comparing them with more experienced drivers. Crash data were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation. Young drivers were divided into two groups: 15-19 years (teen) and 20-24 years (young adult) for a detailed investigation. Using data from 2006 to 2009, frequencies, percentages, and crash rates were calculated for each characteristic and contributory cause. Contingency table analysis and odds ratios (OR) analysis were carried out to identify overly represented factors of young-driver crashes compared to experienced drivers. Young drivers were more likely to be involved in crashes due to failure to yield-right-of way, disregarding traffic signs/signals, turning, or lane changing, compared to experienced drivers. Ordered logistic regression models were developed to identify severity affecting factors in young driver crashes. According to model results, factors that decreased injury severity of the driver were seat belt use, driving at low speeds, driving newer vehicles, and driving with an adult passenger. The models also showed that alcohol involvement, driving on high-posted-speed-limit roadways, ejection at the time of crash, and trapping at the time of crash can increase young drivers’ injury severity. Based on identified critical factors, countermeasure ideas were suggested to improve the safety of young drivers. It is important for teen drivers and parents/guardians to gain better understanding about these critical factors that are helpful in preventing crashes and minimizing driving risk. Parents/guardians can consider high-risk conditions such as driving during dark, during weekends, on rural roads, on wet road surfaces, and on roadways with high speed limits, for planning teen driving. Protective devices, crash-worthy cars, and safer road infrastructures, such as rumble strips, and forgiving roadsides, will particularly reduce young drivers’ risk. Predictable traffic situations and low complexity resulting from improved road infrastructure are beneficial for young drivers. The effectiveness of Kansas Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system needs to be investigated in the future.

“Vision Zero,” first adopted by Sweden in 1997, is a road safety policy that aims to achieve a transportation system having zero fatalities or serious injuries for all modes of transportation. It takes a proactive approach to road safety system by identifying risk and taking steps to prevent injuries. Historically, traffic related crashes have disproportionately impacted vulnerable communities and system users including people of color, low income individuals, seniors, children, and pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users (who typically walk to and from public transport). These inequities are addressed in the Vision Zero framework by prioritizing interventions in areas that need safety improvements the most. In 2016, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to develop a “Vision Zero” policy and program as a part of its updated transportation master plan. It required an initial equity analysis to assess the impact of traffic crashes on the traditionally underserved communities / groups (groups from at least one of these categories: low-income; minority; elderly; children; limited English proficiency; persons with disabilities; and/or pedestrians/ bicyclists/ transit users). This study combines three different methods to investigate the equity issues regarding traffic safety: 1) descriptive analysis of the spatial pattern of crashes and their relationship with the demographic profiles of neighborhoods at census block group level (for 2010-2014 period); 2) descriptive analysis of the crash trends in Alexandria; and 3) exploratory regression analyses for two different units of analysis (an aggregate regression analysis of crashes at census block group, and a disaggregate regression analysis of the individual level crash reports of traffic crashes). The analysis found that the elderly, school aged children, rail/subway users, and pedestrians had a higher risk of fatalities and severe injuries in traffic crashes. Higher job densities, alcohol impairment, and speeding were significantly related to higher KSI, whereas, smaller block sizes (higher number of street segments per sq. mile area of census block group), higher housing density, and use of safety equipment were related to lower KSI. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning