Visualizing Temporal and Spatial Distribution Characteristic of Traffic Accidents in China

Abstract

The interaction among social economy, geography, and environment leads to the occurrence of traffic accidents, which shows the relationship between time and space. Therefore, it is necessary to study the temporal and spatial correlation and provide a theoretical basis for formulating traffic accident safety management policies. This paper aims to explore the traffic accident patterns in 31 provinces of China by using statistical analysis and spatial clustering analysis. The results show that there is a significant spatial autocorrelation among traffic accidents in various provinces and cities in China, which means that in space, the number of traffic accidents and deaths is high with high aggregation and low with low aggregation. Positive spatial autocorrelation is primarily concentrated in the southeast coastal areas, while negative spatial autocorrelation is mainly concentrated in the western areas. Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, and Shandong are typical areas of traffic accidents, which deviate from the overall positive spatial autocorrelation trend. Traffic accidents in Sichuan are much more serious than those in neighboring provinces and cities; however, in recent years, this situation has disappeared.