NEAR-MISS DETERMINATION THROUGH USE OF A SCALE OF DANGER

TLDR

Near‑miss traffic events are underused as a safety tool because their identification is highly subjective. The study proposes applying a danger scale to traffic events to objectively measure and detect near‑miss situations. The danger scale is based on the time until collision between two vehicles, measured from Federal Highway Administration traffic‑sensing films at an urban intersection. The scale can standardize observer judgments of dangerous maneuvers, enabling near‑miss monitoring as a viable traffic safety alternative. Author information provided.

Abstract

NEAR-MISS TRAFFIC EVENTS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED BUT NOT ADOPTED AS A TRAFFIC SAFETY TOOL BECAUSE OF THE HIGH DEGREE OF SUBJECTIVITY INVOLED WITH THEIR IDENTIFICATION. A SCALE OF DANGER MAY BE APPLIED TO A TRAFFIC EVENT TO FACILITATE OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT AND SUBSEQUENT DETECTION OF NEAR-MISS SITUATIONS. THE UNIT PROPOSED HERE FOR THIS DANGER SCALE IS THE TIME MEASURED UNTIL COLLISION BETWEEN TWO VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THE UNSAFE EVENT. THIS MEASURE, COMPUTED FROM FILMS TAKEN WITH THE TRAFFIC SENSING AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AT AN URBAN INTERSECTION, IS AN ADEQUATE UNIT TO RATE THE DANGER OF ALMOST ANY TRAFFIC EVENT. IT MAY BE USED TO STANDARDIZE HUMAN OBSERVER JUDGEMENT OF DANGEROUS MANEUVERS AND, THEREFORE, MAKE NEAR-MISS MONITORING A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO TRAFFIC SAFETY DETERMINATION. /AUTHOR/