With gas prices exceeding $4 a gallon, the pain consumers feel at the pump will likely lead to headaches for collision repairers in the form of decreased accidents, according to a study by Mississippi State’s Social Science Research Center. The rising cost of gas also drives a decline in all traffic accidents, including drunk-driving crashes, according to the study.
Researcher Guangqing Chi, an assistant professor of sociology at the university, published his findings in the Journal of Safety Research and Accident Analysis and Prevention. The study analyzed total traffic crashes between April 2004 and December 2008, comparing gas prices to traffic safety statistics and factoring in other variables like age, gender and race.
“The results suggest that prices have both short-term and intermediate-term effects on reducing traffic crashes,” Chi said in the journal article.
The research also shows gas prices having a short-term impact on crashes involving younger drivers and intermediate-term impact related to older drivers and men.
In the study, "short-term impact" refers to immediate effects – how average gasoline prices during a month affect that same month’s traffic crashes. "Intermediate-term impact" refers to effects over a one-year subsequent time period.
Chi’s research also found significant connections between gas prices and a reduced frequency of alcohol-related crashes.
