A multi-year analysis of traffic accidents involving agricultural tractors

Abstract

The agricultural sector in Spain is responsible for a high rate of accidents every year, and many of them are traffic accidents. Tractors are a relatively rare sight on roads, meaning that the incidence of accidents involving these vehicles is relatively low, however, an above-average number of people are seriously injured or killed as a result of such accidents. Tractors are considered responsible for the majority of the occupational accidents in agriculture. Moreover, tractor overturns stand out as the principal cause of fatal accidents mainly because those accidents involved tractors without rollover protective structures (ROPS). Despite the obligation for all tractors of having a protective structure, the incidence rate of accidents with sick leave followed a rising line in the last ten years. Thus, in this study an analysis of the data of traffic accidents involving agricultural tractors in Spain, during the 2004-2013 period, is developed in order to identify the main risk factors that influence them. Official data from the “Statistical Yearbook of Accidents” published annually were used. A total of 2892 accidents were analysed. The results obtained showed that the incidence rate of both accidents and deaths were lower in accidents involving tractors than in general ones, but the consequences were more severe. In addition, the majority of accidents producing victims happened in interurban roads involving two or more vehicles. Defects in the lighting and brake systems were identified as risk of producing an accident. In the majority of the cases, the driver was the only victim of the crash. The total number of victims showed a decreasing tendency while the fatality index remained constant. The age of driver was reported to directly influence the number of accidents, with a high proportion of drivers over 45 years old. The main offences committed by drivers were related to inadequate speed and distracted driving. As much as possible we put our findings in an international context.