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A simple method for identifying and correcting crash problems on urban arterial streets
R A Retting1, H B Weinstein, A F Williams
1Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, VA 22201-4751, USA. rretting@iihs.org
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|October 3, 2001
Summary
This study analyzed urban arterial crashes to identify collision patterns and specific high-crash locations. Engineering countermeasures were recommended to reduce the frequency of motor vehicle crashes on these busy roads.
Area of Science:
- Traffic safety engineering
- Urban planning
- Transportation research
Background:
- Urban arterials experience high traffic volumes and frequent motor vehicle crashes.
- Understanding precrash events and driver actions is crucial for crash mitigation.
- Traditional blackspot analysis methods have limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify precrash events and driver actions for crashes on urban arterials.
- To develop a method for reducing crashes based on collision pattern analysis.
- To pinpoint locations with excessive crashes of specific types and recommend countermeasures.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of police-reported crash data from three urban arterials in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
- Review of 2,013 crash reports to identify seven predominant crash types (accounting for ~90% of reports).
- Identification of specific locations with high frequencies of particular crash types.
Main Results:
- Seven major crash types were identified, dominating the dataset.
- Specific high-crash locations were identified on each studied arterial.
- Engineering countermeasures tailored to identified crash types and locations were recommended.
Conclusions:
- A data-driven method can effectively identify crash patterns and problem locations on urban arterials.
- Targeted engineering countermeasures can be developed based on collision analysis.
- This approach offers an alternative to traditional blackspot analysis for improving urban road safety.