DOT HS 811 366 September 2010

Crash Factors in 

Intersection-Related Crashes: 

An On-Scene Perspective
DISCLAIMER 

This publication is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration, in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings, 

and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those 

of the Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. If trade names, 

manufacturers’names, or specific products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential 

to the object of the publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States 

Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Report No. 

DOT HS 811 366 

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 

4. Title and Subtitle 

Crash Factors in Intersection-Related Crashes: An On-Scene Perspective 

5. Report Date 

September 2010 

6. Performing Organization Code 

NVS - 421 

7. Authors 

Eun-Ha Choi, Ph.D., a contractor employed by Bowhead Systems Management, Inc., 

working with the Mathematical Analysis Division 

8. Performing Organization Report No. 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address: 

Mathematical Analysis Division, National Center for Statistics and Analysis 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE. 

Washington, DC 20590 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 

11. Contract or Grant No. 

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 

Mathematical Analysis Division, National Center for Statistics and Analysis 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

NHTSA Technical Report 

14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

15. Supplementary Notes 

16. Abstract 

Crashes often occur at intersections because these are the locations where two or more roads cross each other and activities 

such as turning left, crossing over, and turning right have the potential for conflicts resulting in crashes. In order to understand 

the crash scenarios at intersections, this study examines general characteristics of motor vehicle traffic crashes at intersections 

by analyzing the association of the critical reason with several crash factors such as driver’s sex and age, traffic control device, 

critical pre-crash event, and atmospheric condition. The National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey data collected at 

crash scenes between 2005 and 2007 is used in statistical analyses such as descriptive analysis, generalized logit model, and 

configural frequency analysis. 

Descriptive statistics are first used to highlight characteristics of the intersection-related crashes. The results from this analysis 

provide guidelines for in-depth analysis. Close associations of crash factors with critical reasons of an event that made the 

crash imminent are revealed through the analysis of generalized logit model. Subsequently, the configural frequency analysis is 

used to identify patterns of driver-attributed critical reasons in the intersection-related crashes in terms of crash factors such as 

traffic control devices, pre-crash event, and driver’s age and sex. 

Many interesting findings are obtained in this study. For example, crash occurrence may be attributed to illegal maneuver or 

inattention while crossing over at intersections controlled by traffic signals or stop signs. For both male and female drivers 55 

and older, crash occurrence may be attributed to misjudgment of gap or other’s speed and inadequate surveillance. Male 

drivers of all ages are likely to be involved in intersection-related crashes due to illegal maneuver or driving aggressively or 

too fast for conditions. 

17. Key Words 

Intersection-related crashes, critical reason, driver characteristics 

18. Distribution Statement 

Document is available to the public through the National Technical 

Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161, http//:www.ntis.gov 

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 

Unclassified 

20. Security Classif. (of this page) 

Unclassified 

21. No. of Pages 

37 

22. Price 

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 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 

ii
 

 Executive summary.......................................................................................vi 

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 

2. Data and Methodology...................................................................................................... 1 

3. Analysis and Results......................................................................................................... 2 

3.1 Identification of relevant crash population ...............................................................2 

3.2 Relative ratio associated with critical reasons ..........................................................6 

3.3 Association of crash factors with critical reason .......................................................7 

3.4 Data segmentation of critical reasons .....................................................................10 

4. Summary and Conclusion ............................................................................................... 21 

5. References....................................................................................................................... 23 

6. Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 24 

7. Appendix B ..................................................................................................................... 27 

8. Appendix C ..................................................................................................................... 27 

Table of Contents 
 

 List of Figures
 

Figure 1: Distribution of critical pre-crash event.......................................................................................... 3
 

Figure 2: Distribution of traffic control devices ........................................................................................... 3
 

Figure 3: Percentage of intersection-related crashes by driver age group .................................................... 4
 

Figure 4: Percentage of intersection-related crashes by driver sex ............................................................... 4
 

Figure 5: Distribution of weather condition for intersection-related crashes ................................................ 4

Figure 6: Distribution of critical reasons for intersection-related crashes .................................................... 5
 

Figure 7: Driver attributed critical reasons of intersection-related and non-intersection-related crashes ..... 6
 

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List of Tables 

Table 1: Relative ratio of driver-attributed critical reason ............................................................................ 7
 

Table 2: Categorization of analysis variables ............................................................................................... 8
 

Table 3: Individual association of crash factors with critical reasons in intersection-related crashes .......... 8
 

Table 4: Analysis of effects of association of crash factors with critical reasons ....................................... 10
 

Table 5. Driver attributed critical reasons by traffic control device and critical pre-crash event ............... 12
 

Table 6. Significant critical reasons by traffic control device and critical pre-crash event ........................ 13
 

Table 7. Driver attributed critical reasons by driver age and traffic control devices .................................. 14
 

Table 8. Significant critical reasons by driver age and traffic control device ............................................. 15
 

Table 9. Driver-attributed critical reasons by driver sex and critical pre-crash event ................................ 16
 

Table 10. Significant critical reason by driver sex and pre-crash event ..................................................... 17
 

Table 11. Driver attributed critical reasons by driver sex and age .............................................................. 18
 

Table 12. Significant critical reason by driver sex and age ........................................................................ 19
 

Table 13. Driver attributed critical reasons by driver sex and traffic control devices ................................ 20
 

Table 14. Significant critical reasons by driver sex and traffic control devices ......................................... 21
 

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Executive summary 

Crashes often occur at intersections because these are the locations where two or more roads cross each other 

and activities such as turning left, crossing over, and turning right have the potential for conflicts resulting in 

crashes. Based on the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and National Automotive Sampling SystemGeneral Estimates System (NASS-GES) data, about 40 percent of the estimated 5,811,000 crashes that occurred 

in the United States in 20081

 were intersection-related crashes. Identifying characteristics of intersection-related 

crashes (traffic control device, critical pre-crash event, and atmospheric condition) as well as of the crashinvolved drivers (age, sex, and driving behavior) can provide useful guidelines for crash prevention. 

This study examines general characteristics of motor vehicle traffic crashes that occur at intersections using the 

National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). The NMVCCS data, collected at the crash scene, 

pertain to only those crashes that occurred between 6 a.m. and midnight. Additionally, at least one of the first 

three crash-involved vehicles had to be a light passenger vehicle that was towed due to damage. The focus of 

analysis is on studying the association of the critical reasons, i.e., the immediate reasons for the critical pre-crash 

event, with crash factors. The crash factors considered in this analysis include the critical pre-crash event (an 

event or action that puts a vehicle on the course that makes the collision unavoidable), driver’s sex and age, 

traffic control device, and atmospheric condition. All statistics presented in this report are based on the weighted 

frequencies. 

In this study, intersection-related crashes refer to crashes that have critical pre-crash events coded as turning left, 

crossing over, or turning right at an intersection. Descriptive statistics show that 36 percent (787,236) of the 

estimated 2,188,969 NMVCSS crashes were intersection-related crashes. Of the 787,236 intersection-related 

crashes, about 96 percent (756,570 crashes) had critical reasons attributed to drivers, while the vehicle- or 

environment-attributed critical reasons were assigned in less than 3 percent of these crashes. Similarly, about 92 

percent (1,289,283 crashes) of the non-intersection-related crashes had critical reasons attributed to drivers. 

However, the distributions of the driver-attributed critical reasons in intersection-related and non-intersectionrelated crashes were quite different. Of the 756,570 intersection-related crashes with driver-attributed critical 

reasons, the most frequent critical reasons were inadequate surveillance (44.1%), followed by false assumption 

of other’s action (8.4%), turned with obstructed view (7.8%), illegal maneuver (6.8%), internal distraction 

(5.7%), and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed (5.5%). In contrast, the most frequent critical reasons in nonintersection-related crashes were too fast for conditions/aggressive driving (22.8%), followed by driver 

performance error (overcompensation, poor directional control) (15.9%), internal distraction (13.4%), critical 

non-performance errors (10.8%), inadequate surveillance (7.3%) and external distraction (4.7%). 

The relative ratio analysis shows that intersection-related crashes are almost 335 times as likely to have 

“turned with obstructed view” as the critical reason than non-intersection-related crashes. The second 

highest relative ratio of intersection-related crashes versus non-intersection-related crashes is for 

“inadequate surveillance,” followed by “illegal maneuver,” “false assumption of other’s action,” 

“misjudgment of gap or other’s speed,” etc. “Inadequate surveillance” is likely to happen about 6 times 

more often in intersection-related crashes than in non-intersection-related crashes. Also, the intersectionrelated crashes are likely to have “illegal maneuver” and “false assumption of other’s action” as critical 

reasons about 4 times more than non-intersection-related crashes. The critical reasons with high relative 

ratio of intersection-related crashes as compared with non-intersection-related crashes form a major 

portion of intersection-related crashes. 

The analysis of a generalized logit model reveals statistically significant association of critical reason with 

crash factors and their two-factor interaction effects (traffic control device and critical pre-crash event; 

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traffic control device and driver’s age; driver’s sex and critical pre-crash event; driver’s sex and age; 

driver’s sex and traffic control device). Configural frequency analysis (CFA) identifies the patterns of 

driver-attributed critical reasons in terms of the statistically significant two-factor interaction effects in 

intersection-related crashes. The main findings of these statistical analyses include: 

	 Crash occurrence may be attributed to “illegal maneuver” or “inattention” while crossing over at 

intersections controlled by traffic signals or stop signs; “turned with obstructed view” or 

“misjudgment of gap or other’s speed” while turning left at intersections controlled by traffic signals 

or stop signs; and “false assumption of other’s action” while turning right at stop signs. 

	 Regarding driver age as a crash factor, crash occurrence at intersections controlled by traffic signals 

involving drivers 24 and younger may be attributed to “internal distraction,” “false assumption of 

other’s action,” “too fast for conditions or aggressive driving,” or “external distraction.” On the other 

hand, the crash occurrence at intersections controlled by traffic signals involving drivers 25 to 54 

years old may be attributed to “critical non-performance error,” “illegal maneuver,” “inattention,” and 

“too fast for conditions or aggressive driving.” Also, the crash occurrence at intersections controlled 

by stop signs involving drivers 55 and older may be attributed to “inadequate surveillance” and 

“misjudgment of gap or other‘s speed,” while the crash occurrence involving drivers 24 and younger 

may be attributed to “turned with obstructed view.” 

	 For both male and female drivers, the crash occurrence at intersections while turning left may be 

attributed to “turned with obstructed view,” “misjudgment of gap or other speed,” “inadequate 

surveillance,” or “false assumption of others action.” Also, the crash occurrence while crossing over 

at intersection may be attributed to “illegal maneuver” or “internal distraction.” However, in the case 

of female drivers crossing over at intersections, the crash occurrences may also be attributed to 

recognition errors such as “inattention”, or “internal or external distractions,” while for male drivers 

crossing over at intersections, the crash occurrences may be due to “illegal maneuver,” “too fast for 

conditions or aggressive driving,” or “critical non-performance error,” where critical nonperformance error includes sleeping, heart attack, other physical impairment, and being passed out as 

a result of alcohol or drug ingestion. 

	 The analysis also shows an interaction effect of driver sex and age in crash occurrence at 

intersections. For both male and female drivers 55 and older, crash occurrence may be attributed to 

“misjudgment of gap or other’s speed” and “inadequate surveillance.” The crash occurrence at 

intersections may be due to “illegal maneuver” for male drivers and “internal distraction” or 

“inattention” for female drivers, irrespective of their ages. The crash occurrence involving female 

drivers 24 and younger at intersections may be attributed to “turned with obstructed view” or 

“internal distraction,” while for male drivers 24 and younger it may be attributed to “internal or 

external distraction,” “illegal maneuver,” or “false assumption of other’s action.” 

	 At intersections controlled by traffic signals, the crash occurrence may be attributed to “false 

assumption of others action,” “inattention,” or “internal distraction” for female drivers, while for male 

drivers it may be attributed to “critical non-performance error,” “illegal maneuver,” “false assumption 

of other’s action,” “too fast for conditions or aggressive driving,” or “internal distraction.” At 

intersections controlled by traffic control devices (traffic signals or stop signs), crash occurrence may 

be attributed to “inattention” of female drivers and “illegal maneuver” by male drivers. The crash 

occurrence at intersections with no traffic control devices may be attributed to “misjudgment of gap 

or other’s speed” for both female and male drivers. 

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The findings about the intersection-related crashes, presented in this report, can be used in the evaluation 

and development of the design of intersection collision avoidance technologies, such as the Cooperative 

Intersection Collision Avoidance System (CICAS), which would warn a driver about an imminent 

violation of the traffic control device at the intersection. These findings may also help improve road 

design, use of traffic control device, and driver training. 

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1. Introduction 

Crashes often occur at intersections because these are the locations where two or more roads cross each other and 

activities such as turning left, crossing over, and turning right have the potential for conflicts. Even though 

intersections constitute only a small proportion of the entire roadway system, a significantly large proportion of 

crashes occur at intersections. Based on FARS and GES data, an estimated 2,307,000 crashes1

 occurred at 

intersections across the country in 2008. This accounts for about 40 percent of the 5,811,000 crashes that occurred in 

the United States in 2008. Among these, 7,421 were fatal crashes and in 733,000 crashes one or more occupants 

suffered injuries. In order to understand and prevent crashes at intersections, efforts have been made in the past by 

federal and State highway departments, law enforcement agencies, automobile manufacturers, and other safety 

organizations. For instance, intersection collision avoidance technologies such as Cooperative Intersection Collision 

Avoidance Systems-Violation (CICAS-V) have been in various stages of design, development, and refinement. These 

technologies use vehicle- and infrastructure-based communication to warn drivers about conditions at intersections to 

avoid crashes.2

 Identifying characteristics of intersection-related crashes (traffic control device, critical pre-crash 

event, and atmospheric condition) as well as of the crash-involved drivers (age, sex, and driving behavior) can provide 

useful guidelines for crash prevention measures. 

This study considers some general characteristics of motor vehicle traffic crashes that were investigated at the crash 

scenes. The data is analyzed to examine the association of the critical reason of intersection-related crashes with 

several factors such as critical pre-crash event (event or action that puts a vehicle on the course that makes the collision 

unavoidable), driver sex and age, traffic control device, and atmospheric condition. The results can be used to evaluate 

intersection collision avoidance systems designed to help prevent intersection-related crashes. This may also help 

improve road design, use of traffic control device, and driver training. The study is aimed at providing a better 

understanding of the scenarios of intersection-related crashes and the state of the crash-involved drivers’ activities such 

as inattention, distraction, illegal maneuver, etc. 

2. Data and Methodology 

The data used in this report is from the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey. The NMVCCS data is a 

nationally representative sample of crashes that contains on-scene information on the events and associated factors 

leading up to a crash. The NMVCCS data pertains to only those crashes that occurred between 6 a.m. and midnight. 

Additionally, at least one of the first three crash-involved vehicles had to be a light passenger vehicle that was towed 

due to damage. A variety of descriptive variables on several aspects of vehicles, drivers, and environment are included 

in this data. The data was collected from January 2005 to December 2007. The data contains both weighted and 

unweighted cases. However, only the weighted cases are used in the analysis; all statistics presented in this report are 

based on the weighted frequencies. 

NMVCCS considers a crash as a simplified linear chain of events3

 that would mainly include the elements of critical 

pre-crash event, movement prior to critical crash envelope, critical reason for the critical pre-crash event, and the 

crash-associated factors. Among these elements, the critical pre-crash event refers to the action or the event that puts a 

vehicle on the course that makes the collision unavoidable, given reasonable driving skills and vehicle handling. The 

movement prior to critical crash envelope refers to movement of the vehicle immediately before the occurrence of the 

critical pre-crash event. The critical reason, often the last failure in the causal chain, is the immediate reason for the 

critical pre-crash event and can be attributed to a driver, vehicle, or environment. More detailed information is 

available in NMVCCS Field Coding Manual4

 and NMVCCS Report to Congress.

5 

Descriptive analysis, relative ratio, generalized logit modeling, and configural frequency analysis are used to look into 

the characteristics of intersection-related crashes and to identify patterns of critical reasons in these crashes with 

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2

respect to traffic control devices, pre-crash event, and driver’s age and sex. The generalized logit model is fit to the 

data with critical reason as a nominal response variable, where several variables possibly associated with critical 

reason are considered. CFA, used for pattern recognition in this study, is a multivariate statistical technique that 

identifies those sectors of the data where the association among variables is locally prominent. The method compares 

the observed frequencies to the expected frequencies in a cross-tabulation and determines whether the difference 

between observed and expected frequency for a given cell configuration in the contingency table is statistically 

significant – a significant difference indicates that in the corresponding sector of the data space the variables are locally 

associated with each other, thereby showing patterns in the data. Statistical software SAS 9.16

 is used for these 

analyses. 

3. Analysis and Results 

This study focuses on crashes that have critical pre-crash event coded as turning left, crossing over, or turning right at 

the intersection. These crashes are specifically referred to as intersection-related crashes in the remainder of this report. 

Descriptive statistics are first used to highlight characteristics of intersection-related crashes. The results from the 

descriptive analysis provide a guideline for generalized logit modeling. Subsequently, CFA is applied to identify 

patterns of critical reason in the intersection-related crashes by factors such as traffic control devices, pre-crash event, 

and driver’s age and sex. 

3.1 IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT CRASH POPULATION 

In order to identify the crash population of interest with respect to critical reasons of the intersection-related crashes, 

some of relevant variables such as critical pre-crash event, traffic control devices, driver sex, driver age, and 

atmospheric condition are explored. Note that generally one vehicle was assigned a critical reason in a NMVCCS 

crash. This analysis considers only the vehicles assigned critical reasons. 

Critical pre-crash event

In NMVCCS, the variable “critical pre-crash event” is defined as an event that made the crash imminent (i.e. 

something occurred that made the collision inevitable). It is coded for each vehicle in the crash and documents the 

circumstances leading to this vehicle’s first impact in the crash sequence.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of crashes over critical pre-crash events. In the estimated 2,188,969 NMVCCS crashes, 

for about 36 percent (787,236) the critical pre-crash events of the vehicles with a critical reason (the immediate reason 

for the occurrence of the critical event) were turning or crossing at intersections. In the case of 22.2 percent of crashes, 

the critical event was turning left; it was crossing over for 12.6 percent and turning right at the intersection for a very 

small percentage (1.2%) of vehicles. 

The data used for the charts (Figure 1 to Figure 6) in this section is provided in Table A1 through Table A6 (Appendix 

A) that include unweighted frequencies, weighted frequencies, and weighted percentages. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Distribution of critical pre-crash event 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Traffic control device 

The variable “traffic control device” includes all traffic control devices that regulate vehicular traffic on the roadway 

on which a vehicle is traveling just prior to critical pre-crash event. This excludes devices that solely regulate 

pedestrians, such as walk signals. Note that the coding of this variable is based on multiple choices per vehicle. 

Intersections are often controlled by traffic signals or stop signs but some have neither. Figure 2 shows the distribution 

of intersection-related crashes over traffic control devices. In an estimated 787,236 intersection-related crashes, about 

52.5 percent (413,140) of the vehicles that were assigned a critical reason were traveling on roadways that were 

controlled by at least one traffic signal and 31.3 percent (246,385) by at least one stop sign. About 15.9 percent 

(125,022) of vehicles were traveling on the roadways with no traffic control device. Due to the multiple choice nature 

of this variable, the totals presented may not match the actual totals of crashes, vehicles, or drivers. For the same 

reason, the percentages in some of the tables may not add up to 100 percent. 

52.5% 

31.3% 

15.9% 

3.0% 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 

Traffic Signal 

Stop Sign 

No Traffic Control Device 

Others /Unknown 

Percentage (%) 

Traffic control device 

Figure 2: Distribution of traffic control devices 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

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Driver’s age group 

Figure 3 shows that of all the crashes in which drivers 20 and younger were involved, 33 percent were intersectionrelated crashes. Similarly, 26.7 percent of crashes involving drivers 21 to 24 years old, about 35 percent involving 25 

to 54 years old, 43.4 percent involving 55 to 64 years old, and 53.9 percent involving 65 and older were intersectionrelated crashes. Overall, the proportion of intersection-related crashes shows an increasing trend over age of drivers 

involved in crashes. 

Driver’s sex 

Figure 4 shows that 41.1 percent of crashes involving female drivers were intersection-related. In contrast, 32.2 

percent of crashes involving male drivers were intersection-related crashes. 

33.0% 26.7% 34.1% 35.6% 36.8% 43.4% 

53.9% 

0% 

20% 

40% 

60% 

80% 

100% 

20 and younger21-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-6465 and older 

Percentage 

Driver age group 

Non-Intersection-related crashes 

Intersection-related crashes 

Figure 3: Percentage of intersection-related crashes 

by driver age group 

Data source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

41.1% 32.2% 

0% 

20% 

40% 

60% 

80% 

100% 

Female Male 

Percentage 

Driver sex 

Non-Intersection-related crashes 

Intersection-related crashes 

Figure 4: Percentage of intersection-related 

crashes by driver sex 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Atmospheric condition 

NMVCCS recorded atmospheric conditions at the time of the crashes. More than one atmospheric condition 

may have been coded for some crashes. As a result, the total in Figure 5 presenting breakdown of crashes based 

on atmospheric conditions is larger than 100 percent. Most of the intersection-related crashes (78.6%) occurred 

in clear weather. 

Figure 5: Distribution of weather condition for intersection-related crashes 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

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Critical reason 

The critical reason is the immediate reason for the critical event and may be attributed to a driver, vehicle, or 

environment. Only one critical reason is generally assigned per crash. Although the critical reason is an 

important element in the sequence of events leading up to a crash, it is subjective in nature and may not be the 

cause of the crash nor does it imply the assignment of fault to a vehicle, driver, or environment. 

Figure 6 shows the distribution of critical reasons for intersection-related crashes, where the critical reasons are 

classified into eight broad categories. Of the 787,236 intersection-related crashes, in about 96.1 percent crashes 

the critical reasons were attributed to drivers. This includes 55.7 percent (438,194) drivers with recognition 

error (inattention, internal and external distractions, inadequate surveillance, etc.) and 29.2 percent (230,047) 

with decision errors (too fast for conditions or aggressive driving, false assumption of other’s actions, illegal 

maneuver, and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed). A comparatively smaller percentage of drivers (11.2%) 

were assigned other critical reasons: performance error (e.g., overcompensation, poor directional control) and 

critical non-performance error (e.g., sleep, heart attack). On the other hand, the vehicle or environment 

attributed critical reasons were assigned in less than 3 percent of crashes. Since in a significantly high 

percentage (96.1%) of intersection-related crashes, the critical reasons were attributed to drivers, only crashes 

with driver-attributed critical reasons are considered for further analysis. 

55.7% 

29.2% 

0.7% 

0.8% 

9.7% 

0.4% 

1.4% 

2.1% 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 

Recognition error 

Decision error 

Performance error 

Non-performance error 

Other driver attributed error 

Vehicles attributed critical reason 

Environment attributed critical reason 

Unknown Critical Reason 

Percentage 

Critical reason 

Driver 

attributed 

critical 

reason 

Figure 6: Distribution of critical reasons for intersection-related crashes 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Figure 7 shows the distribution of the critical reasons attributed to drivers in intersection-related crashes. Of the 

756,570 intersection-related crashes with driver attributed critical reason, the most frequently assigned critical 

reason was inadequate surveillance (44.1%). In comparison, about 92 percent (1,289,283 crashes) of the nonintersection-related crashes had a critical reason attributed to drivers. The most frequent critical reason in the 

1,289,283 non-intersection crashes with driver attributed critical reason was too fast for conditions/curve 

(22.8%) followed by performance error (15.9%), internal distraction (13.4%), and critical non-performance 

errors (10.8%). 

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44.1% 

5.7% 

3.4% 

2.1% 

8.4% 

7.8% 

6.8% 

5.5% 

1.0% 

0.8% 

0.9% 

13.7% 

7.3% 

13.4% 

3.7% 

4.7% 

2.2% 

0.0% 

1.6% 

1.8% 

22.8% 

15.9% 

10.8% 

15.9% 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 

Inadequate Surveillance 

Internal Distraction 

Inattention 

External Distraction 

False Assumption of Other's Action 

Turned with obstructed view 

Illegal Maneuver 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive driving 

Performance Error 

Non-performance Error 

Other/Unknown Driver Error 

Driver attributed critical reason

Intersection-related 

crashes 

Non-intersectionrelated crashes 

Recognition 

error 

Decision 

error 

Figure 7: Driver attributed critical reasons of intersection-related and non-intersection-related crashes

 Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

3.2 RELATIVE RATIO ASSOCIATED WITH CRITICAL REASONS 

Relative ratio of critical reasons of intersection-related crashes is estimated as the ratio of two proportions of crashes 

having a certain critical reason in intersection-related and non-intersection-related crashes. Relative ratio identifies the 

critical reasons that need more attention in the intersection-related crashes as compared to non-intersection-related 

crashes. Computational details of the relative ratio estimates are provided in Appendix B. The relative ratio estimates 

for different critical reasons are shown in Table 1, where the estimates are based on the weighted frequencies. 

The results show that the critical reason “turned with obstructed view” has the highest relative ratio 335. It 

means that intersection-related crashes are almost 335 times as likely to occur in the presence of “turned with 

obstructed view” as a critical reason than in non-intersection-related crashes. The second highest relative ratio is 

for inadequate surveillance (6.1 times) followed by illegal maneuver (4.1 times), false assumption of other’s 

action (3.8 time), msisjudgment of gap or other’s speed (3.1 times), and so on. That is, inadequate surveillance 

appears about 6 times more often in intersection-related crashes than in non-intersection-related crashes. The 

intersection-related crashes are likely to have illegal maneuver and false assumption of other’s action as critical 

reasons about 4 times more than in non-intersection-related crashes. These critical reasons with high relative 

ratio of intersection-related crashes as compared with non-intersection-related crashes form a major portion of 

intersection-related crashes and are of interest in the traffic safety community. 

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Table 1: Relative ratio of driver-attributed critical reason 

in intersection-related versus non-intersection-related crashes 

Critical Reason Relative ratio Relative ratio index 

Turned With Obstructed View 335.0 1 

Inadequate Surveillance 6.1 2 

Illegal Maneuver 4.1 3 

False Assumption of Other's Action 3.8 4 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 3.1 5 

Inattention 0.9 6 

External Distraction 0.4 7 

Internal Distraction 0.4 8 

Critical Non-Performance Error 0.1 9 

Performance Error 0.0 10 

Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving 0.0 11 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

3.3 ASSOCIATION OF CRASH FACTORS WITH CRITICAL REASON 

A generalized logit model is used to study if critical reasons of the intersection-related crashes have any association 

jointly with driver age and sex, critical pre-crash event, traffic control devices and atmospheric condition. In the 

subsequent discussion, only intersection-related crashes with driver-attributed critical reasons are considered. Thus, the 

following analysis is focused on an estimated 756,570 number of intersection-related crashes, i.e., only weighted cases 

are used in the analysis. 

Selection of analysis variables 

Table 2 presents factors that possibly have close association with the critical reason. Contingency analysis 6 is 

performed (without controlling for potential confounders) to identify factors that have significant individual 

association with the critical reason. For this purpose, the categorization of the preliminarily selected variables is 

shown in Table 2, where to avoid computational difficulties, some of variables such as driver age and 

atmospheric condition have been recategorized. 

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Table 2: Categorization of analysis variables 

VARIABLES CATEGORIES USED 

Driver Attributed 

Critical Reason 

1: Inadequate surveillance, 2: Internal distraction, 3: Inattention (daydreaming, etc.), 

4: External distraction, 5: False assumption of other's action, 6: Illegal maneuver, 

7: Misjudgment of gap or other's speed behavior, 8:Turned with obstructed view, 

9: Too fast for conditions or aggressive driving, 10: Performance error 

(panic/freezing, overcompensation, etc.), 11: Critical non-performance error 

(sleeping, heart attack, etc.) 

Driver Age 24 and younger, 25-54, 55 and older 

Driver Sex Male, Female 

Critical Pre-Crash 

Event 1: Turning left, 2: Crossing over, 3: Turning right 

Traffic Control Device 1: Traffic signal, 2: Stop sign, 3: Non-traffic-control devices 

Atmospheric Condition 1: Normal, 2: Adverse weather condition (rain, snow, cloudy, etc) 

The statistical software SAS 9.1 6 is used to compute chi-square values and the associated p-values for each of 

the selected variables. The results are presented in Table 3. 

Table 3: Individual association of crash factors with critical reasons in 

intersection-related crashes 

CRASH VARIABLE Chi-Square P-Value 

Driver Age Group 40.60+ 0.0109* 

Critical Pre-Crash Event 143.70 << 0.0001* 

Driver Sex 20.00 0.0477* 

Traffic Control Device 90.09 << 0.0001* 

Atmospheric Condition 13.58+

 0.2625 + Categories adjusted due to 0 frequency cells 

*Statistically significant at 95 percent confidence level 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007
 

The chi-square values with low p-value in this table indicate significant association of the corresponding 

variables with the critical reason. Specifically, the results show that the driver’s age and sex are significantly 

associated with the critical reasons assigned in crashes. In addition, the critical pre-crash event of the vehicle 

involved in a crash as well as the traffic control devices controlling the roads at the intersection are significantly 

associated with the critical reason. However, atmospheric condition shows no significant association with 

critical reason. This may be due to combining all adverse atmospheric conditions (cloudy, snow, rain, fog, rain, 

sleet, hail, etc.) into a broad category (adverse weather condition). The broad categorization may have subdued 

the effect of adverse atmospheric conditions. However, this is considered necessary to sustain a minimum 

sample size for each category for the analysis. All the variables found to be significantly associated with critical 

reason are subjected to further analysis. 

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 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 
 

 

Generalized logit model 

The contingency analysis performed above gives an idea about the individual association of each crash factor 

with the critical reasons. To study their joint association (main and interaction effects) with the critical reasons, 

the generalized logit model7 8 is fitted with critical reason as nominal response variable and crash factors such 

as driver’s age and sex, traffic control devices, and critical pre-crash event as independent variables. In addition 

to the main effects of crash factors, two-factor interaction effects are also considered in the model. SAS 9.1 is 

used for this analysis. 

Based on the Wald chi-square statistics,6

 Table 4 shows that in addition to the main effects, five of the twofactor interaction effects: traffic control device and critical pre-crash event, traffic control device and driver’s 

age, driver’s sex and critical pre-crash event, driver’s sex and age, driver’s sex and traffic control device are 

significantly associated with the critical reasons (p<<0.0001). These significant interaction effects are further 

considered for an in-depth analysis. 

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Table 4: Analysis of effects of association of crash factors with critical reasons 

of intersection-related crashes 

Wald 

Effect DF Chi-Square P-value 

TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE 19 637.3493 <.0001 

PRE-CRASH EVENT 12 71659.3330 <.0001 

DRIVER’S SEX 10 72.3728 <.0001 

DRIVER’S AGE 20 1546.0452 <.0001 

SEX * TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE 19 286.4592 <.0001 

TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE * PRE-CRASH EVENT 40 2061.1646 <.0001 

DRIVER’S AGE * TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE 39 794.2026 <.0001 

DRIVER’S SEX * PRE-CRASH EVENT 18 477.8156 <.0001 

DRIVER’S SEX * DRIVER’S AGE 20 281.6791 <.0001 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

3.4 DATA SEGMENTATION OF CRITICAL REASONS 

The analysis conducted in the previous section reveals close association of the critical reasons with crash 

factors: main effects (traffic control device, critical pre-crash event, driver’s age and sex) as well as their twofactor interaction effects (traffic control device and critical pre-crash event, traffic control device and driver’s 

age, driver’s sex and critical pre-crash event, driver’s sex and age, driver’s sex and traffic control device). 

However, in some factor-based sectors of the population of intersection-related crashes (e.g., the sector 

comprising crashes in which a male driver is involved and for which the critical pre-crash event is turning right) 

the association with certain types of critical reasons may be stronger as compared to other sectors. To identify 

such sectors in an effective way, CFA is performed. This analysis can visually describe their patterns even 

though the critical reason and all crash factors have two or more categories. The analysis consists of comparing 

observed and expected frequencies for each cell configuration, where weighted frequencies are used. If the 

difference between observed and expected frequencies under the assumption of complete independence of the 

respective factors (variables) for certain cell configuration is significant at certain level of confidence (95% in 

this study), then the variables are locally associated with each other in the corresponding sector of the data. The 

Z-statistic obtained from CFA is used to test the significance of each difference. Computational details of Zstatistics are provided in Appendix C. A significantly positive difference (observed-expected > 0) is referred to 

as a “type” and a significantly negative difference an “antitype.”9 The following analysis is focused on “type” 

only. 

General Interpretation of CFA: For the intersection-related crashes with driver-attributed critical reasons, 

tables in this section show observed and expected reasons and the corresponding Z-values. The highlighted cells 

indicate types. All positive differences (observed-expected > 0) are tested using Z-statistics at 99 percent 

confidence level (after a priori determined confidence level 95% is adjusted using Bonferroni adjustment10) as 

shown in the tables that present CFA results. A significant Z-value indicates a significant association in the 

corresponding sector of the data as defined by the corresponding configuration. For example, significant z-value 

for the configuration “internal distraction, crossing over, traffic signal” shows that significantly more than 

expected vehicles were assigned a critical reason of “internal distraction” when they were “crossing over” at 

intersections controlled by “traffic signals.” This in turn means that the crash occurrence at intersections 

controlled by traffic signals while crossing over may be attributed to “internal distraction.” Note that the value 

of Z-statistic, which is based on weighted frequencies, is considered statistically valid when the unweighted 

frequency in the corresponding cell is at least 5. 

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NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 
 

Driver attributed critical reasons by traffic control devices and critical pre-crash event 

Table 5 shows observed and expected frequencies of critical reasons and the corresponding z-values by traffic 

control devices and critical pre-crash event, where expected frequencies are obtained under the assumption that 

traffic control devices and critical pre-crash event have no association with driver-attributed critical reasons . 

Note that traffic control device is based on multiple choices per vehicle. Thus, the totals presented for such 

variables may not match the actual totals of crashes, vehicles, or drivers. Also, the unweighted frequencies 

corresponding to cell configurations crossing-over with critical reason internal distraction or illegal maneuver 

are very small. 

	 The results show that significantly more than expected drivers were assigned critical reasons such as 

external distraction, false assumption of other’s action, misjudgment of gap or other’s speed and turned 

with obstructed view when they were turning left at intersections controlled by traffic signals. Also, 

significantly more than expected drivers were assigned critical reasons such as internal distraction, 

inattention, illegal maneuver, too fast or aggressive driving behavior, and critical non-performance error 

when they were crossing over at intersections controlled by traffic signals. 

	 The results also show that significantly more than expected drivers were assigned critical reasons such 

as inadequate surveillance, misjudgment of gap or other’s speed and turned with obstructed view when 

they were turning left at intersections controlled by stop signs. In addition, significantly more than 

expected drivers were assigned critical reasons such as inadequate surveillance, inattention, external 

distraction, and illegal maneuver when they were crossing over at intersections controlled by stop signs. 

The crashes characterized by turning-right at stop sign have false assumption of other’s action assigned 

as critical reason significantly more than expected. 

	 In contrast to the above two scenarios, crashes characterized by turning-left at intersections with no 

traffic control device have critical reason such as inadequate surveillance, external distraction, 

misjudgment of gap or other’s speed, and turned with obstructed view significantly more than expected. 

The crossing-over and turning-right crashes have no critical reason assigned significantly more than 

expected. 

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Table 5. Driver-attributed critical reasons by traffic control device and critical pre-crash event 

Traffic 

Control 

Device CRITREASON 

Z-values Observed frequency Expected frequency 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Traffic 

Signal 

Inadequate Surveillance 6 -62 -20 110,785 51,116 2,076 108,923 67,223 3,232 

Internal Distraction -82 144* 37 4,092 21,780 1,160 13,740 8,480 408 

Inattention -66 109* -16 2,371 12,996 0 8,362 5,161 248 

External Distraction 12* -1 -12 5,974 3,063 0 5,090 3,142 151 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action 151* -73 -10 42,327 4,542 375 20,681 12,764 614 

Illegal Maneuver -89 167* 41 4,388 25,830 1,339 15,471 9,548 459 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed 12* -89 28 14,856 181 957 13,415 8,279 398 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -42 84* 2 187 4,340 79 2,123 1,310 63 

Turned With Obstructed View 29* -108 -17 22,684 0 165 18,747 11,570 556 

Performance Error -21 9 6 735 1,251 88 1,574 971 47 

Critical Non-Performance Error -6 92* -8 1,875 4,676 0 2,147 1,325 64 

Stop 

Sign 

Inadequate Surveillance 39* 37* -39 51,385 59,007 1,102 43,336 50,614 3,400 

Internal Distraction -64 5 -19 709 6,792 35 5,467 6,385 429 

Inattention -45 45* -16 760 6,720 0 3,327 3,886 261 

External Distraction -45 26* -13 0 3,614 0 2,025 2,365 159 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action -49 -50 127* 3,819 4,691 3,882 8,228 9,610 646 

Illegal Maneuver -35 36* 2 3,437 10,226 518 6,156 7,189 483 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed 39* -8 -20 8,186 5,640 0 5,337 6,234 419 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -29 -11 -8 0 641 0 845 986 66 

Turned With Obstructed View 84* -91 9 14,675 210 800 7,459 8,711 585 

Performance Error 3 -22 25 689 130 227 626 731 49 

Critical Non-Performance Error -29 -30 -8 0 38 0 854 998 67 

None 

Inadequate Surveillance 10* 9 -33 53,639 4,254 874 51,274 3,729 2,507 

Internal Distraction -17 70 10 5,106 1,993 497 6,468 470 316 

Inattention -18 -17 -14 2,812 0 0 3,936 286 192 

External Distraction 12* -13 -11 2,969 0 0 2,396 174 117 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action -64 -24 -7 3,451 58 317 9,735 708 476 

Illegal Maneuver -78 13 -3 595 836 308 7,283 530 356 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed 63* -19 -18 11,287 58 0 6,315 459 309 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -23 -9 134 285 0 983 999 73 49 

Turned With Obstructed View 97* -25 28 17,974 0 1,019 8,825 642 432 

Performance Error 5 -7 134 866 0 843 741 54 36 

Critical Non-Performance Error -32 -9 -7 0 0 0 1,011 73 49 

Note: * statistically significant 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table 6 summarizes the results of CFA by listing the significant critical reasons in order of significance (in 

terms of Z-values), where “---“ stands for no critical reason with statistically significant difference between 

observed and expected frequencies. It is found that regardless of type of traffic control device, traffic signal, or 

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stop sign, illegal maneuver and inattention were observed significantly more than expected in crossing-over 

crashes, while turned with obstructed view and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed in turning-left crashes. 

False assumption of other’s action was found as the most significant critical reason in turning-left crashes at 

traffic signal and in turning-right crashes at stop sign. 

Table 6. Significant critical reasons by traffic control device and critical pre-crash event 

Traffic control 

device 

Critical precrash event Critical reasons 

Traffic Signal 

Turn Left 1. False Assumption of Other's Action, 2. Turned With Obstructed View, 

3. External Distraction, 4.Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

Cross Over 1. Illegal Maneuver, 2. Internal Distraction, 3. Inattention, 

4. Critical Non-Performance Error, 5.Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving 

Turn Right ---

Stop Sign 

Turn Left 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2. Inadequate Surveillance, 

3. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

Cross Over 1. Inattention, 2. Inadequate Surveillance, 3. Illegal Maneuver, 

4. External Distraction 

Turn Right 1.False Assumption of Other's Action 

None 

Turn Left 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed, 

3. External Distraction, 4. Inadequate Surveillance 

Cross Over ---

Turn Right ---

--- no significant critical reason 

Driver attributed critical reason by driver age and traffic control device 

Table 7 shows the observed and expected frequencies of critical reasons and the corresponding values of Zstatistic obtained from CFA for the factors drivers’ age group and traffic control device, where expected 

frequencies are obtained under the assumption that the driver’s age and traffic control devices have no 

association with driver-attributed critical reasons. 

	 In crashes occurring at intersections controlled by a traffic signal, 24-and-younger drivers were 

observed with critical reasons, internal distraction, external distraction, false assumption of other’s 

action, and too fast for conditions/aggressive driving significantly more than expected. Drivers 25 to 54 

were observed with critical reasons, inattention, illegal maneuver, too fast for conditions/aggressive 

driving, and critical non-performance error significantly more than expected. 

	 In crashes occurring at intersections controlled by stop signs, drivers 55 and older had as critical 

reasons inadequate surveillance and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed assigned significantly more 

than expected. For the 24-and-younger driver group, turned with obstructed view was assigned as the 

critical reason in cases significantly more than expected. 

	 In crashes occurring at intersections with no traffic control devices, the drivers 55 and older had as 

critical reasons misjudgment of gap or other’s speed assigned significantly more number of cases than 

expected. For the 24-and-younger driver group, internal distraction and turned with obstructed view 

were observed significantly more than expected. For the driver group 25 to 54, misjudgment of gap or 

other’s speed and turned with obstructed view were observed more than expected as critical reason. 

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Table 7. Driver-attributed critical reasons by driver age and traffic control devices 

Driver 

Age CRITREASON 

Z-values Observed frequency Expected frequency 

Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

 Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

 Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

24 and 

younger 

Inadequate Surveillance -81 -8 -42 37,233 35,684 13,600 56,342 37,226 19,392 

Internal Distraction 79* -41 54* 13,777 1,871 5,105 7,107 4,696 2,446 

Inattention -28 -21 -16 2,469 1,752 881 4,325 2,858 1,489 

External Distraction 15* -7 8 3,415 1,434 1,136 2,633 1,740 906 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action 71* -60 -31 17,992 2,005 1,789 10,698 7,068 3,682 

Illegal Maneuver -18 7 -37 6,400 5,780 836 8,003 5,288 2,754 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed -36 -28 -8 3,968 2,711 1,998 6,939 4,585 2,388 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving 20* -3 1 1,756 641 396 1,098 726 378 

Turned With Obstructed View -61 28* 28* 3,710 8,658 4,970 9,697 6,407 3,338 

Performance Error -10 -15 38 515 190 923 814 538 280 

Critical Non-Performance Error -13 -27 -20 675 0 0 1,110 734 382 

25-54 

Inadequate Surveillance -91 -25 -22 73,064 39,819 28,352 102,041 45,054 32,286 

Internal Distraction -23 -26 -25 10,212 3,741 2,491 12,872 5,683 4,073 

Inattention 21* -21 -28 9,656 2,253 1,090 7,834 3,459 2,479 

External Distraction 4 -4 -2 5,061 1,937 1,434 4,769 2,106 1,509 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action 1 1 -65 19,451 8,620 1,071 19,375 8,554 6,130 

Illegal Maneuver 24* -12 -56 17,438 5,449 797 14,494 6,399 4,586 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed -56 8 13* 6,237 6,160 4,795 12,568 5,549 3,976 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving 13* -30 10 2,556 0 872 1,989 878 629 

Turned With Obstructed View -9 -31 75* 16,380 5,062 11,168 17,563 7,754 5,557 

Performance Error -3 -8 6 1,359 456 601 1,475 651 467 

Critical Non-Performance Error 68* -30 -25 5,045 0 0 2,011 888 636 

55 and 

older 

Inadequate Surveillance -1 17* 3 53,681 35,992 16,815 53,894 32,925 16,380 

Internal Distraction -46 -35 -45 3,042 1,923 0 6,798 4,153 2,066 

Inattention -14 19 -12 3,242 3,475 841 4,137 2,528 1,257 

External Distraction -39 -33 -13 561 243 400 2,519 1,539 766 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action -4 -57 -38 9,801 1,767 966 10,233 6,251 3,110 

Illegal Maneuver 1 -25 -46 7,718 2,952 106 7,655 4,677 2,327 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed -10 14* 56* 5,788 4,956 4,553 6,638 4,055 2,017 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -23 -25 -18 294 0 0 1,050 642 319 

Turned With Obstructed View -68 -49 1 2,760 1,964 2,854 9,276 5,667 2,819 

Performance Error -21 -3 -3 200 400 185 779 476 237 

Critical Non-Performance Error -7 -24 -18 830 38 0 1,062 649 323 

Note: * statistically significant 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

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Table 8 summarizes the results of CFA presented in Table 7 by listing the significant critical reasons in order of 

significance (in terms of the Z-values), where “---“ stands for no critical reason with statistically significant 

difference between observed and expected frequencies. 

Table 8. Significant critical reasons by driver age and traffic control device 

Driver age Traffic control 

device Critical reasons 

24 and younger 

Traffic Signal 1. Internal Distraction, 2. False Assumption of Other's Action, 

3. Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving, 4. External Distraction 

Stop Sign 1. Turned With Obstructed View 

None 1. Internal Distraction, 2.Turned With Obstructed View 

25-54 

Traffic Signal 1. Critical Non-Performance Error, 2. Illegal Maneuver, 3. Inattention, 

4. Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving 

Stop Sign ---

None 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2.Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

55 and older 

Traffic Signal ---

Stop Sign 1. Inadequate Surveillance, 2. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

None 1. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

--- no significant critical reason 

Driver-attributed critical reason by driver sex and critical pre-crash event 

Table 9 shows the observed and expected frequencies of critical reasons and the corresponding z-statistics by 

pre-crash event and driver sex, where expected frequencies are obtained under the assumption that driver sex 

and critical pre-crash event have no association with critical reasons. 

	 In turning-left vehicles, regardless of driver’s sex, significantly more than expected drivers were 

observed with critical reasons such as inadequate surveillance, false assumption of other’s action, 

misjudgment of gap or other’s speed behavior, and turned with obstructed view. 

	 In the crossing-over vehicles, significantly more than expected female drivers were observed to have 

critical reasons such as internal distraction, inattention, external distraction and illegal maneuver. 

Significantly more than expected male drivers were observed to have critical reasons such as internal 

distraction, illegal maneuver, too fast for conditions or aggressive driving, and critical non-performance 

error. 

	 In the turning-right vehicles, significantly more than expected male drivers were observed to have 

critical reasons of false assumption of other’s action. Note that unweighted frequencies of turning-right 

vehicles that was assigned critical reason were very small. 

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Table 9. Driver-attributed critical reasons by driver sex and critical pre-crash event 

Driver 

Sex CRITICAL REASON 

Z-values Observed frequency Expected frequency 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Turn 

left 

Cross 

over 

Turn 

right 

Female 

Inadequate Surveillance 25* -3 -33 118,674 61,108 2,543 110,213 61,816 4,832 

Internal Distraction -66 88* 24 6,157 15,547 1,194 13,903 7,798 610 

Inattention -47 147* -19 4,101 14,848 0 8,461 4,746 371 

External Distraction -7 18* -15 4,665 3,877 0 5,151 2,889 226 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action 21* -56 -9 23,897 5,705 648 20,926 11,737 918 

Illegal Maneuver -98 46* 14 3,427 13,092 1,064 15,655 8,780 686 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed 29* -78 13 16,999 801 907 13,574 7,613 595 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -46 22 92 0 1,976 983 2,148 1,205 94 

Turned With Obstructed View 104* -103 12 33,304 0 1,165 18,969 10,639 832 

Performance Error -10 12 90 1,194 1,251 825 1,593 893 70 

Critical Non-Performance Error -39 -2 -10 348 1,132 0 2,172 1,218 95 

Male 

Inadequate Surveillance 12* -27 -43 97,136 53,270 1,510 93,320 59,750 4,307 

Internal Distraction -74 86* -2 3,750 15,018 497 11,772 7,537 543 

Inattention -63 4 -18 1,842 4,868 0 7,164 4,587 331 

External Distraction -1 0 -14 42,79 2,800 0 4,361 2,792 201 

False Assumption of Other's 

Action 60* -73 109* 25,701 3,586 3,926 17,719 11,345 818 

Illegal Maneuver -72 166* 20 4,993 23,800 1,100 13,255 8,487 612 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's 

Speed 54* -27 -21 17,330 5,078 51 11,494 7,359 530 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving -32 54* -1 471 3,006 79 1,819 1,165 84 

Turned With Obstructed View 47* -99 3 22,028 210 819 16,062 10,284 741 

Performance Error -7 -25 34 1,097 130 334 1,349 863 62 

Critical Non-Performance Error -7 70* -9 1,527 3,582 0 1,839 1,178 85 

Note: * statistically significant 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table 10 summarizes the results of CFA presented in Table 9 by listing the significant critical reasons in order 

of significance (in terms of Z-values), where “---” stands for no critical reason with statistically significant 

difference between observed and expected frequencies. It shows that both female and male drivers involved in 

turning-left crashes often have critical reasons such as turned with obstructed view, misjudgment of gap or other 

speed, inadequate surveillance, or false assumption of other’s action significantly more than expected. In 

crossing-over crashes both male and female drivers were observed doing illegal maneuver and internal 

distraction significantly more than expected. However, among drivers involved in crashes while crossing over, 

significantly more than expected female drivers were observed with recognition errors such as inattention, 

internal and external distractions. Male drivers were observed with illegal maneuver, too fast for conditions/ 

aggressive driving, or critical non-performance error significantly more than expected. Note that critical nonperformance error includes sleeping, heart attack, other physical impairment, and being passed out as a result of 

alcohol or drug ingestion. 

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Table 10. Significant critical reason by driver sex and pre-crash event 

Driver sex Critical precrash event Critical reasons 

Female 

Turn Left 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed, 

3. Inadequate Surveillance, 4.False Assumption of Other's Action 

Cross Over 1. Inattention, 2.Internal Distraction, 3.Illegal Maneuver, 4.External Distraction 

Turn Right --- 

Male 

Turn Left 1. False Assumption of Other's Action, 2. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

3. Turned With Obstructed View, 4. Inadequate Surveillance 

Cross Over 1. Illegal Maneuver, 2. Internal Distraction, 3. Critical Non-Performance Error, 

4. Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving 

Turn Right 1. False Assumption of Other's Action 

--- no significant critical reason 

Driver attributed critical reason by driver sex and age 

Table 11 shows the observed and expected frequencies of critical reasons and the corresponding z-statistics by 

driver sex and age, where expected frequencies are obtained under the assumption that driver age and sex have 

no association with critical reasons. 

	 Significantly more than expected female drivers 24 and younger were observed to have critical reasons 

such as internal distraction and turned with obstructed view, while significantly more than expected 

male drivers of the same age group were observed to have critical reasons such as internal and external 

distraction, false assumption of other’s action, and illegal maneuver. 

	 Female drivers 25 to 54 were observed with critical reasons such as inattention, external distraction, 

turned with obstructed view, and performance error significantly more than expected. Male drivers of 

the same age group were observed in the vehicles with critical reason such as illegal maneuver, 

misjudgment of gap or other’s speed behavior, too fast for conditions or aggressive driving, turned with 

obstructed view, and critical non-performance error significantly more than expected. 

	 Significantly more than expected female drivers 55 and older were observed in the vehicles with critical 

reasons such as inadequate surveillance, inattention, and misjudgment of gap or other’s action. 

Significantly more than expected male drivers of the same age group were assigned critical reason such 

as inadequate surveillance, illegal maneuver, and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed behavior. 

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Table 11. Driver-attributed critical reasons by driver sex and age 

Driver 

Sex CRITREASON 

Z-values Observed frequency Expected frequency 

24 and 

younger 25-54 

55 and 

older 

24 and 

younger 25-54 

55 and 

older 

24 and 

younger 25-54 

55 and 

older 

Female 

Inadequate Surveillance -9 -25 64* 44,955 72,556 64,813 46,988 79,491 50,383 

Internal Distraction 35* 3 -30 8,630 10,344 3,924 5,927 10,027 6,356 

Inattention 5 28* 47* 3,896 8,270 6,782 3,607 6,102 3,868 

External Distraction -14 48* -41 1,541 6,631 371 2,196 3,715 2,355 

False Assumption of Other's Action 10 -7 -35 9,854 14,228 6,167 8,922 15,093 9,566 

Illegal Maneuver -49 4 -46 2,655 11,696 3,231 6,674 11,291 7,156 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed -25 -27 19* 3,872 7,111 7,723 5,787 9,790 6,205 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving 26 -15 -22 1,693 972 294 916 1,549 982 

Turned With Obstructed View 49* 42* -58 12,536 18,623 3,311 8,087 13,681 8,672 

Performance Error 15 13* -4 1,077 1,584 608 679 1,149 728 

Critical Non-Performance Error -30 -3 -30 0 1,439 40 926 1,567 993 

Male 

Inadequate Surveillance -31 -13 25* 41,561 68,679 41,675 48,466 72,090 36,822 

Internal Distraction 77* -31 -53 12,124 6,099 1,041 6,114 9,094 4,645 

Inattention -41 -11 -39 1,205 4,729 776 3,721 5,534 2,827 

External Distraction 46* -27 -21 4,444 1,801 834 2,265 3,369 1,721 

False Assumption of Other's Action 28* 10 -7 11,932 14,914 6,367 9,202 13,688 6,991 

Illegal Maneuver 42* 17* 32* 10,361 11,987 7,545 6,884 10,240 5,230 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed -15 13* 45* 4,805 10,080 7,575 5,969 8,879 4,535 

Too Fast for Conditions or 

Aggressive Driving 5 28* -27 1,100 2,455 0 945 1405 718 

Turned With Obstructed View -39 14* -26 4,803 13,988 4,267 8,342 12,408 6,337 

Performance Error -6 -7 -15 552 832 177 700 1,042 532 

Critical Non-Performance Error -9 58* 4 675 3,606 827 955 1,421 726 

Note: * statistically significant 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table 12 summarizes the results of CFA presented in Table 11 by listing the significant critical reasons in order 

of significance in terms of Z-values. Regardless of their sex, drivers 55 and older were observed with critical 

reasons such as misjudgment of gap or other’s speed and inadequate surveillance significantly more than 

expected. For male drivers of all age groups, illegal maneuver was assigned as critical reason in more than 

expected cases, while more than expected female drivers were assigned internal and external distraction or 

inattention as critical reasons. However, for female drivers 24 and younger involved in intersection-related 

crashes, the most significant critical reasons were turned with obstructed view and internal distraction. For 

young male driver 24 and younger internal and external distraction, illegal maneuver, and false assumption of 

other’s action were the significant critical reasons. It may be noted that the critical reason “turned obstructed 

view” means driver’s sightline to approaching traffic was not clear typically by an intervening in-transport 

vehicle. 

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Table 12. Significant critical reason by driver sex and age 

Driver sex Driver age Critical reasons 

Female 

24 and younger 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2. Internal Distraction 

25-54 1. External Distraction, 2. Turned With Obstructed View, 3. Inattention, 

4. Performance Error 

55 and older 1. Inadequate Surveillance, 2. Inattention, 3. Misjudgment of Gap or 

Other's Speed 

Male 

24 and younger 1. Internal Distraction, 2. External Distraction, 3. Illegal Maneuver, 

4. False Assumption of Other's Action 

25-54 

1. Critical Non-Performance Error, 

2. Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving, 

3. Illegal Maneuver, 4. Turned With Obstructed View, 

5. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

55 and older 1. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed, 2. Illegal Maneuver, 3. Inadequate 

Surveillance 

--- no significant critical reason 

Driver-attributed critical reason by driver sex and traffic control devices 

Table 13 shows the observed and expected frequencies of driver attributed critical reasons and the 

corresponding values of Z-statistics obtained from CFA by driver sex and traffic control device, where the 

expected frequencies are obtained under the assumption that driver sex and traffic control devices have no 

association with critical reasons. 

	 In crashes occurring at intersections controlled by traffic signals, significantly more than expected 

female drivers were observed with critical reasons such as internal distraction, inattention, and false 

assumption of other’s action. Significantly more than expected male drivers were observed to have 

critical reason such as internal distraction, false assumption of other’s action, illegal maneuver, too fast 

for conditions or aggressive driving, and critical non-performance error. 

	 In crashes occurring at the intersection controlled by stop signs, significantly more than expected 

female drivers were observed with critical reasons such as inadequate surveillance, inattention, and 

turned with obstructed view. Significantly more than expected male drivers were observed in the 

vehicles with critical reason such as inadequate surveillance, illegal maneuver, and misjudgment of gap 

or other’s speed. 

	 In crashes occurring at intersections with no traffic control device, significantly more than expected 

female drivers were observed in the vehicles with critical reasons such as misjudgment of gap or other’s 

action, turned with obstructed view and performance errors., Significantly more than expected male 

drivers were observed in vehicles with critical reason such as inadequate surveillance, external 

distraction, and misjudgment of gap or other’s action. 

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Table 13. Driver-attributed critical reasons by driver sex and traffic control devices 

Driver 

Sex CRITREASON 

Z-values Observed frequency Expected frequency 

Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

Traffic 

signal 

Stop 

sign None 

Female 

Inadequate Surveillance -4 43* -18 96,832 60,744 24,748 98,000 51,071 27,791 

Internal Distraction 25* -36 12 15,089 3,576 4,234 12,362 6442 3,506 

Inattention 45* 39* -20 11,405 6,344 1,200 7,523 3,921 2,133 

External Distraction 5 3 -5 4,894 2,533 1,115 4,580 2,387 1,299 

False Assumption of Other's Action 53* -60 -65 25,860 3,829 560 18,607 9,697 5,277 

Illegal Maneuver -19 -17 -61 11,631 5,807 145 13,920 7,254 3,947 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed -41 -14 43* 7,618 5,146 5,943 12,070 6,290 3,423 

Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive 

Driving -8 -18 19 1,556 420 983 1,910 995 542 

Turned With Obstructed View -43 11* 124* 11,284 9,832 13,354 16,867 8,790 4,783 

Performance Error 3 -14 48* 1,539 361 1,369 1,416 738 402 

Critical Non-Performance Error -10 -32 -23 1,479 0 0 1,932 1,007 548 

Male 

Inadequate Surveillance -50 21* 25* 67,146 50,751 34,019 81,379 46,279 29,720 

Internal Distraction 17* -25 -6 11,943 3,959 3,363 10,266 5,838 3,749 

Inattention -29 -41 -14 3,962 1,136 1,612 6,247 3,553 22,82 

External Distraction 6 -23 12* 4,143 1,081 1,854 3,803 2,163 1,389 

False Assumption of Other's Action 48* -2 -32 21,384 8,563 3,266 15,451 8,787 5,643 

Illegal Maneuver 78* 22* -40 19,926 8,373 1,594 11,559 6,574 4,221 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed -16 39* 29* 8,376 8,681 5,403 10,023 5,700 3,660 

Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive 

Driving Behavior 37* -23 -12 3,050 221 285 1,586 902 579 

Turned With Obstructed View -21 -24 7 11,566 5,852 5,639 14,006 7,965 5,115 

Performance Error -19 1 -4 535 686 340 1,176 669 429 

Critical Non-Performance Error 87* -29 -24 5,071 38 0 1,604 912 586 

Note: * statistically significant 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table 14 summarizes the results of CFA presented in Table 13 by listing the significant critical reasons in order 

of significance (i.e., high z-values). In crashes occurring at intersections controlled by traffic control devices, 

female drivers were observed with critical reasons such as false assumption of others action, inattention, and 

internal distraction significantly more than expected, while more than expected male drivers were assigned 

critical reasons critical non-performance error, illegal maneuver, false assumption of other’s action, too fast for 

conditions or aggressive driving, and internal distraction. Regardless of type of traffic control devices, traffic 

signal or stop sign, inattention was one of the significant critical reasons for female drivers while it was illegal 

maneuver for male drivers. At intersections with no traffic control device, misjudgment of gap or other’s speed 

was the critical reason for both female and male drivers. 

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 NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

Table 14. Significant critical reasons by driver sex and traffic control devices 

Driver 

sex 

Traffic control 

devices Critical reasons 

Female 

Traffic Signal 1. False Assumption of Other's Action, 2. Inattention, 3. Internal Distraction 

Stop Sign 1. Inadequate Surveillance, 2. Inattention, 3. Turned With Obstructed View 

None 1. Turned With Obstructed View, 2. Performance Error, 

3. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 

1. Critical Non-Performance Error, 2. Illegal Maneuver, 

Traffic Signal 3. False Assumption of Other's Action, 

Male 

4. Too Fast for Conditions or Aggressive Driving, 5. Internal Distraction 

Stop Sign 1. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed, 2. Illegal Maneuver, 3. Inadequate 

Surveillance 

None 1. Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed, 2. Inadequate Surveillance, 

3. External Distraction 

--- no significant critical reason 

4. Summary and Conclusions 

Descriptive statistics showed that 36 percent (787,236) of the estimated 2,188,969 crashes in NMVCCS were 

intersection-related crashes. Of the 787,236 intersection-related crashes, about 96.1 percent had critical reason 

attributed to drivers, while the vehicle- or environment-attributed critical reasons were assigned in less than 3 

percent of these crashes. The distributions of driver-attributed critical reasons in the intersection-related and 

non-intersection-related crashes are found to be quite different. Of the 756,570 intersection-related crashes with 

driver-attributed critical reason, the most frequent critical reasons were inadequate surveillance (44.1%), false 

assumption of other’s action (8.4%), turned with obstructed view (7.8%), illegal maneuver (6.8%), internal 

distraction (5.7%), and misjudgment of gap or other’s speed (5.5%). In contrast, the most frequent critical 

reasons in non-intersection-related crashes were too fast for conditions/aggressive driving (22.8%), performance 

error (15.9%), internal distraction (13.4%), critical non-performance errors (10.8%), inadequate surveillance 

(7.3%) and external distraction (4.7%). 

The relative ratio analysis shows that intersection-related crashes are almost 335 times as likely to have “turned 

with obstructed view” as critical reason than non-intersection-related crashes. The second highest relative ratio 

of intersection-related versus non-intersection-related crashes is for “inadequate surveillance” followed by 

“illegal maneuver,” “false assumption of other’s action,” “misjudgment of gap or other’s speed.” “Inadequate 

surveillance” happens about 6 times more often in intersection-related crashes than in non-intersection-related 

crashes. Also, the intersection-related crashes are likely to have “illegal maneuver” and “false assumption of 

other’s action” as critical reasons about 4 times more than in non-intersection-related crashes. The critical 

reasons with high relative ratio of intersection-related crashes as compared with non-intersection-related crashes 

form a major portion of the intersection-related crashes. 

The analysis of a generalized logit model reveals statistically significant association of critical reason with crash 

factors and their two-factor interaction effects: traffic control device and critical pre-crash event, traffic control 

device and driver’s age, driver’s sex and critical pre-crash event, driver’s sex and age, driver’s sex and traffic 

control device. CFA identifies these patterns of driver-attributed critical reasons in intersection-related crashes 

in terms of the significant two-factor interaction effects as 

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follows: 
 

 

	 Crash occurrence while crossing over at intersections controlled by traffic signals or stop signs may be 

attributed to “illegal maneuver” or “inattention,” while crash occurrence while turning left at 

intersections controlled by traffic signals or stop signs may be attributed to “turned with obstructed 

view” or “misjudgment of gap or other’s speed.” In addition, crash occurrence while “turning right” at 

stop sign may be attributed to “false assumption of other’s action.’ 

	 Crash occurrence in the case of drivers 24 and younger driving at intersections controlled by traffic 

signals may be attributed to “internal distraction,” “false assumption of other’s action,” “too fast for 

conditions/aggressive driving,” or “external distraction.” Crash occurrence involving drivers 25 to 54 

who were driving at intersections controlled by traffic signals may be attributed to “critical nonperformance error,” “illegal maneuver,” “inattention,” and “too fast for conditions or aggressive 

driving.” Crash occurrence involving 55 and older drivers driving at intersections controlled by stop 

signs may be attributed to “inadequate surveillance” and “misjudgment of gap or other‘s speed.” In the 

case of drivers 24 and younger driving at intersections controlled by stop signs, crash occurrence may 

be attributed to “turned with obstructed view.” 

	 For both male and female drivers turning left at intersections, crash occurrence may be attributed to 

“turned with obstructed view,” “misjudgment of gap or other speed,” “inadequate surveillance,” or 

“false assumption of others action.” For both female and male drivers crossing over at intersections, 

crash occurrence may be attributed to “illegal maneuver” or “internal distraction.” Also, for female 

drivers crossing over at intersections, crash occurrence may be attributed to recognition errors such as 

“inattention”, “internal and external distractions.” In the case of male drivers crossing over at 

intersections, crash occurrence may be attributed to “illegal maneuver,” “too fast for conditions or 

aggressive driving,” or “critical non-performance error,” where critical non-performance error includes 

sleeping, heart attack, other physical impairment, and being passed out as a result of alcohol or drug 

ingestion. 

	 In the case of both male and female drivers 55 and older driving at intersections, crash occurrence may 

be attributed to “misjudgment of gap or other’s speed” and “inadequate surveillance.” Also, crash 

occurrence at intersections may be attributed to “illegal maneuver” for male drivers of all age groups, 

while for female drivers it may be due to “internal distraction” or “inattention.” For young female 

drivers 24 and younger, crash occurrence at intersections may be attributed to “turned with obstructed 

view” or “internal distraction”. For young male drivers 24 and younger, it may be due to “internal or 

external distraction,” “illegal maneuver,” or “false assumption of other’s action”. It may be noted that 

“turned with obstructed view” means driver’s sightline to approaching traffic was not clear typically by 

an intervening in-transport vehicle. 

	 At intersections controlled by traffic signals, crash occurrence may be attributed to “false assumption of 

others action,” “inattention,” or “internal distraction” for female drivers, while “critical nonperformance error,” “illegal maneuver,” “false assumption of other’s action,” “too fast for conditions or 

aggressive driving,” or “internal distraction” for male drivers. At intersections controlled by traffic 

control devices (traffic signals or stop signs), crash occurrence may be attributed to “inattention” of 

female drivers and “illegal maneuver” of male drivers. At intersections with no traffic control device, 

crash occurrence may be attributed to “misjudgment of gap or other’s speed” for both female and male 

drivers. 

In summary, crash occurrence while crossing over at traffic signals or stop signs as well as while turning left at 

traffic signals at intersections may be attributed to “distraction,” “inattention,” “illegal maneuver,” “driving too 

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fast for conditions or aggressive driving.” Also, drivers 54 and younger are generally involved in crashes at 

intersections controlled by traffic signals due to “distraction,” “inattention,” “illegal maneuver,” or “too fast for 

conditions/aggressive driving.” The involvement of female drivers of all ages in the intersection-related crashes 

may be attributed to “distraction” or “inattention.” On the other hand, male drivers of all ages are likely to be 

involved in such crashes due to “illegal maneuver,” or “too fast for conditions/aggressive driving.” 

The findings pertaining to the crashes at intersections, presented in this report, can be used in the 

evaluation and development of the design of intersection collision avoidance technologies such as the 

Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System (CICAS), which would warn a driver about an 

imminent violation of the traffic control device at the intersection. These findings may also help improve 

road design, use of traffic control device, and driver training. 

5. References 

[1]	 NHTSA. (2009). Traffic Safety Facts 2008. DOT HS 811 170. Washington, DC: National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration. Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811170.pdf. 

[2]	 NHTSA. (2007, February). Analysis of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes and fatalities at intersections, 

1997 to 2004. DOT HS 810 682. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810682.PDF. 

[3]	 Perchonok, K. (1972, July). “Accident Cause Analysis.” Ithaca, NY: Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, 

Inc. 

[4]	 NHTSA. (2008). National Motor Vehicle. Crash Causation Survey: Field Coding Manual. DOT HS 811 

051. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Available at http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811051.PDF. 

[5]	 NHTSA. (2008, July). National Motor Vehicle. Crash Causation Survey: Report to Congress. DOT HS 

811 059. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Available at http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811059.PDF. 

[6]	 SAS/ETS(R) 9.2 User’s Guide. (1999). Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc. 

[7]	 Agresti, A. (1990), Categorical Data Analysis, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 

[8]	 SAS. (2005). Design and Analysis of Probability Surveys Course Notes, Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc. 

[9]	 Von Eye, A. (1990), Introduction to Configural Frequency Analysis. New York: Cambridge University 

Press 

[10]	 Von Eye, A. (2002), Configural Frequency Analysis, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 

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6. Appendix A 

Table A1: Critical Pre-Crash Event for 

Vehicles With Critical Reason 

Critical Pre-Crash Event Unweighted Weighted 

Estimate Percentage 

Turning or Crossing at 

Intersection 

Turning Left 1289 485,649 22.2 % 

Crossing Over 820 275,868 12.6 % 

Turning Right 74 25,719 1.2 % 

Subtotal 2,183 787,236 36.0 % 

Off the Edge of the Road 1,083 481,139 22.0 % 

Stopped 641 267,780 12.2 % 

Over the Lane Line 567 239,339 10.9 % 

Traveling Too Fast 207 109,118 5.0 % 

Traveling in Same Direction 317 105,717 4.8 % 

Poor Road Condition 81 45,632 2.1 % 

Traveling in Opposite Direction 7 2,510 0.1 % 

Other 82 33,725 1.5 % 

Unknown 4 1,155 0.1 % 

Total 5,470 2,188,969 100 % 

Estimates may not add up to totals due to independent rounding. 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table A2: Intersection-related Crashes by Traffic Control Devices 

(Based on multiple choices per crash) 

Traffic Control Devices Unweighted Weighted 

Estimate Percentage 

Traffic Signal 1,183 413,140 52.5 % 

Stop Sign 604 246,385 31.3 % 

No Traffic Control Device 387 125,022 15.9 % 

Others/Unknown 75 23,625 3.0 % 

Total 2,249 808,173 102.7 %†

 Estimates may not add up to totals due to independent rounding. 

† Percentage greater than 100, due to multiple choices. 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

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Table A3. Critical Pre-Crash Event of Intersection-Related Crashes by Age Group 

Critical Pre-Crash 

Event 

Age group 

20 and below 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and above 

Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted Weighted 

Num % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num % 

IntersectionRelated 

Crashes 

Turning 

Left 105,715 23.3 42,211 16.2 96,019 21.6 61,356 19.8 58,492 22.0 42,115 26.2 74,628 32.3 

Crossing 

Over 40,816 9.0 24,719 9.5 52,902 11.9 44,581 14.4 35,865 13.5 25,658 15.9 46,483 20.1 

Turning 

Right 3,349 0.7 2,863 1.1 2,915 0.7 4,626 1.5 3,263 1.2 2,128 1.3 3,454 1.5 

Subtotal (intersection) 149,880 33 69,793 26.7 151,836 34.1 110,562 35.6 97,620 36.8 69,901 43.4 124,564 53.9 

Others/Unknown 304,442 67 191,338 73.3 293,672 65.9 199,939 64.4 167,932 63.2 91,005 56.6 106,367 46.1 

Total 454,322 100 261,131 100 445,508 100 310,501 100 265,552 100 160,906 100 230,931 100 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table A4. Critical Pre-Crash Event of Intersection-Related Crashes by Sex 

Critical Pre-Crash Event 

Age group 

Female Male 

Weighted Weighted 

Num % Num % 

IntersectionRelated 

Crashes 

Turning Left 254,571 25.8 228,339 19.5 

Crossing Over 136,404 13.8 137,526 11.8 

Turning Right 14,382 1.5 11,229 1.0 

Subtotal (intersection) 405,357 41.1 377,095 32.2 

Others/Unknown 581,741 58.9 792,979 67.8 

Total 987,098 100 1,170,074 100 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table A5: Intersection-Related Crashes by Atmospheric Conditions 

(Based on multiple choices per crash) 

Traffic Control Devices Unweighted Weighted 

Estimate Percentage 

Clear 1,699 609,432 78.6 % 

Cloudy 359 124,143 16.0 % 

Rain 127 47,825 6.2 % 

Fog, Smog, Smoke 10 9,255 1.2 % 

Snow 13 2,139 0.3 % 

Other 17 3,938 0.5 % 

Total 2,225 796,732 102.8 %†

 Estimates may not add up to totals due to independent rounding. 

† Percentage greater than 100, due to multiple choices. 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

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Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table A6. Critical Reasons of Intersection-Related Crashes 

Critical Reasons Number of Crashes Weighted 

Unweighted Weighted Percentage

Driver Attributed 

Critical Reason 

Recognition Error 1,163 438,194 55.7 % 

Decision Error 724 230,047 29.2 % 

Performance Error 27 5,771 0.7 % 

Critical Non-Performance Error 17 6,588 0.8 % 

Other/Unknown Driver Error 171 75,971 9.7 % 

Sub-total (Drivers) 2,102 756,570 96.1 % 

Vehicles Attributed Critical Reason 12 2,932 0.4 % 

Environment Attributed Critical Reason 35 10,813 1.4 % 

Unknown Critical Reason 34 16,920 2.1 % 

Total 2,183 787,236 100.0 % 

Data Source: NMVCCS 2005-2007 

Table A7. Driver Attributed Critical Reason of Intersection-related crashes 

Critical Reason 

Number of Crashes Weighted 

Unweighted Weighted Percentage

Recognition Error Inadequate Surveillance 860 333,666 44.1% 

Internal Distraction 121 43,019 5.7 % 

Inattention (daydreaming, etc.) 87 25,659 3.4 % 

External Distraction 59 15,651 2.1 % 

Other/Unknown Recognition Error 36 20,199 2.7 % 

Decision Error False Assumption of Other's Action 202 63,317 8.4 % 

Illegal Maneuver 155 51,465 6.8 % 

Misjudgment of Gap or Other's Speed 162 41,567 5.5 % 

Too Fast for Conditions/Aggressive 

Driving Behavior 

28 7,688 1.0 % 

Turned With Obstructed View 155 58,702 7.8 % 

Other/Unknown Decision Error 22 7,307 1.0 % 

Performance Error 27 5,771 0.8 % 

Critical Non-Performance Error 17 6,588 0.9 % 

Other/Unknown Driver Error 171 75,971 10 % 

Total 2,102 756,570 100.0 % 

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7. Appendix B 

As an example, the relative ratio of inadequate surveillance is obtained as follows: 

Table B1. Crashes With Inadequate Surveillance as Critical Reason by IntersectionRelated and Non-Intersection-Related Crashes 

Critical Reason of Inadequate 

Surveillance 

Yes No Total 

Intersection-Related Crashes (a) 333,666 (b) 422,904 756,570 

Non-Intersection-Related Crashes (c) 93,841 (d) 1,195,441 1,289,283 

a / (a  b) Relative ratio  c / (c  d) 

333,666 / 756,570  93,841/1,289,283 

 6.1 

8. Appendix C 

As an example, Z-statistics based on CFA is obtained as follows: 

O  E Z  , E 

Where O is the observed frequency and E, the expected frequency, is calculated from the marginal distributions 

of the variables. More details are provided in Von Eye (2002). 

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DOT HS 811 366

September 2010