Identification and Prioritization of Black Spots in Hilly Road Segment Using Accident Severity Index Method

Abstract

Introduction: Road traffic accidents (RTA) will become the third-largest contributor to the global burden of diseases after the ischemic heart diseases and depression. The place where the traffic accident percentages are higher is called as black spot location. The most common assumption for a black spot location is that, there should be any road environmental or geometric issues resulting in the repetition of accidents. Methodology: 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, and road geometry such as number of curves, segment length, Annual Average Daily Traffic. Results: The present study was an attempt to find out the black spots and to measure the accident severity index (ASI) of the identified black spots in the areas of Dehradun and Haridwar. For each location the ASI was calculated and the Rankings were allotted to the black spots so as to find the severity of the black spots. Conclusion: The present study also suggests that the RTA should be taken under consideration as per the accident severity rather than the frequency of the accidents.