Light Trucks and Highway Fatalities: The Role of Network Effects

2012PDFTech ReportTraffic accidentsFatalitiesLight trucksSport utility vehiclesPickup trucksElasticity (Economics)Decision makingTraffic accidentsTraffic fatalitiesSport utility vehiclesPickup trucksElasticity (Economics)Research HubUnited StatesUniversity Transportation Research CenterNagler, Matthew G.The City College of New York, CUNYUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-AccidentsNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway SafetyNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-ECONOMICS AND FINANCEUS Transportation CollectionLight trucks, such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups, impose greater risks of injury and death on other motorists than do cars, while at the same time providing their occupants with increased protection against these risks relative to cars. In theory, these characteristics could combine to create a network effect: the more people who drive light trucks, the greater the propensity of a consumer to choose a light truck relative to a car (that is, as a means of protection against other light trucks on the road). Previous research has measured the adverse effects of light trucks on the safety of other motorists (i.e., the negative externality), and a couple of studies have identified the possibility of light-truck-induced vehicle choice effects. None have attempted to develop a standard metric for light trucks\u2019 impacts on vehicle choice across varying market conditions