Research towards a better understanding of crashes in a traffic safety continuum perspective. (R-3251)

Traditional analysis methods in the domain of traffic safety rely strongly on crashes as measurement units. However, important limitations are related with the use of crash data. The occurrence of crashes is a relatively rare event, which means that registered variations in crash numbers (over time, between locations...) are at least partly due to chance. Furthermore, crashes are not always correctly reported and - most importantly - too little is known about crash-preceding factors and mechanisms. The main objective of this research is to improve the understanding of crash occurrence by defining relations of these crashes with crashpreceding events and higher-order conditions that influence the occurrence of these preceding events. An improved knowledge hereof would contribute to the establishment of conceptual, law-like relationships between variables describing features of the traffic system (roadway, vehicles and human (inter)actions) and the level of traffic safety. Dit research will consist of four parts, each of them related to particular research questions on (1) classification of noncrash events and indicator development, (2) validation of the relation between non-crash events and crashes, (3) assessing the form of this relation and (4) an investigation of the relation between non-crash events and much more frequent events and behaviour.

Keywords:traffic safety

Disciplines:Economics and business