Single-car road deaths--disguised suicides?

The authors examine the possibility of single-car, single-occupant road deaths, of being actually suicides as is often claimed. If this should be the case the epidemiological implications would be serious as these deaths are recorded as accidents and are therefore excluded from the suicide rate. If a substantial number of these deaths are deliberate then (1) their seasonal variation would be similar to those of suicides, and (2) they would occur independently of road conditions. From TRRL data on single-car accidents it was found that such road deaths differed from suicide deaths on three characteristics examined. It was found that the psychological state of driver involved in road accidents was close to normal. Only 20% were similar to suicidal subjects in the characteristic of increased alcohol intake. (TRRL)