Detection of Geometric Risk Factors Affecting Head-On Collisions through Multiple Logistic Regression: Improving Two-Way Rural Road Design via 2+1 Road Adaptation

Abstract

This study aims to characterize locations on two-way rural roads where head-on crashes are more likely to occur, attending to geometric road design factors. For this purpose, a case-control study was carried out using multiple logistic regression models with variables related to road design parameters, considering several scenarios. The dataset corresponding to cases (places where crashes have occurred) was collected on Spanish “1+1” rural roads over a four-year period. The controls (places where no crashes have occurred in the period) where randomly selected through a specific ad hoc designed method. The obtained model identifies risk factors and allows the computation of the odds of a head-on collision on any specific road section: width of the pavement (when it exceeds 6 m), width of the lanes (for intermediate widths between 3.25 and 3.75 m) and tight curves (less than 250 m of radius) are identified as factors significantly increasing the odds of a crash, whereas a paved shoulder is a protective factor. The identified configurations on two-way rural roads may be susceptible to transformation into “2+1” roads to decrease the odds of a head-on crash, thus preventing possible serious injuries and enhancing transportation safety.

Road Crash Data Visualisation and Analytics Using Tableau for Mountainous Roadway Areas in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

“…From this table, the highest head-on collision cases occur in two-way rural road traffic systems where vehicles can travel in both directions. A study by Cáceres et al, (2021) and Maksid & Hamsa (2014) identified that head-on collisions are associated with geometric design factors where roads section of 7 meters or wider; road sections with curves; narrowing or drop changes; on wet or snowy roads surfaces; in twilight condition; incorrectly overtaking another vehicle and measurement of medians and paved shoulders not to the correct specification.…”

Temporal Instability Analysis of Injury Severities for Angle and Non-Angle Crashes at Roundabouts

“…Investigations considering multiple collision modes mainly aim to compare crash frequency, injury severity, and influencing factors of different modes [15,16]. The studies on the single collision mode are mainly concerned with head-on collisions [17]. Multiple pieces of literature conduct separate studies on different collision modes, which can lead to more precise conclusions.…”

Identifying Influencing Factors of Road Accidents in Emerging Road Accident Blackspots

“…e following human factors, such as the health condition of the driver and pedestrian, alcohol consumption, use of mobile phones while driving, distraction due to roadside advertisements, and the age of the driver, will have a more significant influence on the occurrence of road accidents [5]. Environmental factors associated with the road accidents, such as fog, ice rain, and rain, will have higher relevance to the occurrence of road crashes [16][17][18][19][20]. Accident analysis based on the type of road based on environmental exposure revealed high significance for road accidents in poor weather conditions [6].…”