ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ACCIDENTS AND THE GEOMETRIC AND TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM

Abstract

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY WERE THAT GEOMETRICS ALONE ACCOUNT FOR ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE VARIANCE IN ACCIDENTS AND THAT NO RELATIONSHIP COULD BE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN FATALITIES AND THE GEOMETRICS STUDIED. FATALITIES ON THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO FACTORS OTHER THAN THE GEOMETRICS AND TRAFFIC OF THE SYSTEM. THE GEOMETRICS STUDIED INCLUDE SEVERAL TYPES OF INTERCHANGES, PAVED SHOULDERS, SIGHT DISTANCE, DELINEATORS, SURFACE TYPES, AND OTHER VARIABLES. MATHEMATICAL MODELS WERE DEVELOPED WHICH CAN PROVIDE ESTIMATES OF THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ON A PARTICULAR TYPE OF HIGHWAY OR INTERCHANGE, USING THE APPROPRIATE VARIABLES. /HSL/