Identification of risk factors associated with road traffic accident in hilly road segment using accident severity model

Abstract

Every year, 1.2 million people die as a result of road traffic accidents (RTA). Following ischemic heart disease and depression as the leading causes of death, RTA will become the third leading cause of death worldwide. The first RTA instance was documented in 1896 [1]. The term "black spot location" refers to an area where the number of traffic accidents is higher. The most prevalent assumption for a black spot site is that there should be any environmental or physical concerns on the road that are causing accidents to occur repeatedly. Our study was conducted in two districts of the Northern Region of India (Uttarakhand). The data were collected on various factors such as weather, accident type, severity levels, road geometry such as the number of curves, segment length, Annual Average Daily Traffic etc. The present study was an attempt to find out the risk factor for road traffic accident in the identified blackspots in the areas of Dehradun and Haridwar. Roadside features were found to significantly affect the severity of run-off-roadway accidents including the presence of bridges, cut-type slopes, ditches and culverts, fences, tree groups, sign supports, utility poles, and isolated trees, and guardrails.