In a study investigating the effect of car speed on accident severity, 5000 repo
ID: 3049190 • Letter: I
Question
In a study investigating the effect of car speed on accident severity, 5000 reports of fatal automobile accidents were examined, and the vehicle speed at impact was recorded for each one. For these 5000 accidents, the average speed was 48 mph and that the standard deviation was 14 mph. A histogram revealed that the vehicle speed at impact distribution was approximately normal.
(a) Roughly what proportion of vehicle speeds were between 34 and 62 mph? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number.)
Approximately
(b) Roughly what proportion of vehicle speeds exceeded 62 mph? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number.)
Approximately
Explanation / Answer
Mean = 48 mph
Standard deviation = 14 mph
P(X < A) = P (Z < (A - mean) / standard deviation)
A) Proportion of speeds between 32 and 62 mph = P(34 < X < 62)
= P(X < 62) - P(X < 34)
= P(Z < (62-48)/14) - P(Z < (34 - 48)/14)
= P(Z < 1) - P(Z < - 1)
= 0.8413 - 0.1587
= 0.6826 = 68%
B) Proportion of vehicle speeds exceeded 62 mph = P(X > 62)
= 1 - P(X < 62)
= 1 - 0.8413
= 0.1587
= 16%