Road Accident Hotspots on Jordan’s Highway Based on Geometric Designs Using Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

One of the primary objectives of transportation engineering is to increase the safety of road infrastructure. This study seeks to determine the relationship between geometric design parameters in relation to road accident criteria based on accident hotspots on Jordan’s Desert Highway. The road accident data (from 2016 to 2019) were collected from the Jordan Traffic Department. The spatial pattern of hotspots was identified using a GIS tool named Getis-Ord Gi* based on the severity index of road accidents. A topographic survey was conducted to investigate the road alignment and intersections at hotspot locations. The study utilized the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique via SmartPLS to highlight the correlation between geometric designs in relation to road accidents. The hotspot analysis (Gits-Ord Gi) discovered 80 road accident hotspots along the highway. The study found that horizontal alignment and road intersections significantly impact road accidents in hotspot locations. Furthermore, vertical alignment has no effect on road accidents in hotspot areas. The study enhanced the comprehension of the factors associated with road geometrics and intersections that affect the occurrence of road accidents.