A review of the literature reveals that psychoanalysts have approached the problem of accidents from the point of view of motivation, character structure, and precipitating ego state.

A group of fifteen men involved in fatal one-car accidents were studied. These were designated 'accident prone' and then matched with fifteen 'suicide prone' men who had fatally shot themselves. The latter group tended to be depressive, dependent, passive, immobilized, constricted, with basic fantasies of losing love or the love object. In striking contrast, the 'accident prone' men were active, counterphobic, counterdepressive, impulsive, quick, decisive, independent, adventurous, rebellious, with a strong need to prove themselves invulnerable. At the time of the accident many were in a transition phase and under increased pressure of added responsibilities.