Road traffic inherent safety evaluation in China

Different from traditional safety studies which focus on the probability of accidents, inherent safety research takes one step further to judge the possibility of the inherent hazards. The method in the paper is necessary to analyze the risk of the urban road, especially it is necessary to avoid the traffic conflict or traffic accident’s occurrence on the aspect of the source. This paper built an evaluation index based on the inherent safety principle. The evaluation index consists of inherent people safety, inherent automobile safety, inherent road safety and inherent environment safety, and each aspect contains sub-indexes. Finally, the paper will quantify evaluation index which influence the traffic safety by the extension evaluation model. Based on the evaluation results, it was found that the traffic safety evaluation based on inherent safety is more reasonable and valuable.

Background: Road traffic accidents have been one of the main causes of death worldwide. However, most of the crashes are both predictable and preventable. With the widespread use, mobile phone is considered as a major road safety risk. However, varieties of apps have recently been developed for improving the road traffic health and safety. Despite an increasing trend of these apps, there is no comprehensive analysis of their features and no taxonomy or classification of them based on the traffic safety theories or frameworks. The aim of this study was to explore characteristics of available mobile apps on the road traffic health and safety and classify them based on the Haddon’s Matrix. Methods: To conduct this research, a comprehensive and systematic review of the mobile applications developed for the road traffic health and safety was carried out through using the qualitative content analysis. Google Play was searched through using a combination of the keywords to retrieve the road traffic apps. In order to extract the app features, their description was examined, and their content was analyzed. Then they were classified in four main categories including Road Traffic Health & safety, Road Traffic Training, Road traffic Navigation, and Other Road Traffic apps. Finally, the Haddon’s matrix was applied to analyze and classify those mobile apps residing in two main categories of the traffic health & safety, and the traffic training. Haddon’s matrix is a relevant framework for structured analyses of traffic injury events. In the Haddon’s matrix, the contributions of human, vehicle/equipment and environmental factors to the injuries in the three phases pre-crash, crash and post-crash has been presented. Results: In this study, 916 mobile apps met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis.19 subcategories were identified for classifying the included apps based on their features and functionalities. In total, 620 of the mobile apps were grouped on the basis of Haddon’s matrix. About 61.76% of these apps were categorized as the traffic health & safety group. Among the subcategories of the traffic health & safety group, the highest number of apps (194) was the real-time traffic alerting apps. Behavior based feed-backing subcategory was ranked the second among the traffic health and safety apps with 75 apps. When the researchers applied factors and phases of Haddon’s framework for analyzing the apps, it was found that the Haddon’s factors have been taken into account in the apps grouped into two main categories of the apps including traffic training and traffic health & safety applications. The highest percentage of Haddon’s matrix factor considered for the intervention through the apps was related to the physical & social environment (23.69%) in the traffic training category. The features of 259 apps were classified in the Event/ Driving phase of Haddon’s matrix. Most of the apps in this phase was related to the real-time traffic alerting subgroup. These apps performed in real time while driving. The lowest number of the apps in driving phase was observed in the behavior based feed backing subcategory, which inform drivers about their driving behavior in real-time. Sixteen apps had features that categorized them in both Pre-event / Pre-driving and Event / Driving phases. In addition, 20 apps were found to have feature for intervening in both Event / Driving and Post-event / Post –driving phases. All 235 apps in the traffic training category were in pre-event/ pre-driving phase, which requires users to use these apps before driving. Conclusion: Applying Haddon’s matrix on analyzing and classifying the traffic health and safety apps revealed strengths and weaknesses of the existing related mobile apps in terms of the factors that must be considered for intervention toward prevention and reduction of road traffic accidents as the main public health issue.

There are more subjective factors and their weights can not been accurately decided in evaluation of road traffic safety. So, the matter element analysis model is applied in the paper to quantitate the evaluation indices, and the indices of road traffic safety are as the pending evaluation of multi-dimensional matter-element. And then, the weight coefficients of the evaluation indices is figured out from system of internal relations by applying the information entropy theory, and the subjective predilection of the evaluator is contained in the indices. Finally, the standard correlation of the evaluation of road traffic safety in Jiangsu Province is figured out and the level of the surrounding safety is gained. The result of the case is shown that the evaluation approach can accurately reflect the level of traffic safety development, so the approach is rational and feasible.

Traffic safety is a hot topic. Although traffic safety has improved, overall, for many developing countries, traffic safety fluctuates from year to year. Many studies have explored the issue of traffic safety evaluation from the perspective of the road, but little traffic safety evaluation is from the perspective of the city-cluster region. This paper adopts the fuzzy clustering theory to analyse the traffic safety level in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Through calculation and analysis, it can be concluded that the traffic safety level in the city-cluster region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei differs among the three. The result shows that the overall traffic safety is improved in city-cluster of region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, they are divided into two categories according to calculations. The traffic safety is relatively stable in Beijing and Hebei, but the traffic safety is more severe in Tianjin. The conclusions can provide a theoretical basis for the integrated traffic safety of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

Objective The visual guiding system, as a tunnel traffic safety improvement method by using visual guiding facilities to actively guide driving safely, has been widely used in countries with many tunnels, in recent years. This paper aims to quantitatively study the comprehensive evaluation of traffic safety of the visual guiding system in tunnels, which has certain engineering application value and can provide support for the quantitative evaluation and optimal design of tunnel traffic safety. Methods Based on the analysis of the relevant factors of urban tunnel traffic safety, a multi-factor comprehensive evaluation system with 5 upper-level indicators and 12 basic-level indicators was proposed. Considering the independent and incompatible indicators, a comprehensive evaluation method of traffic safety of the visual guiding system in urban tunnels was constructed by using the extension matter-element model. Taking the scene of 4 types of tunnel curves, such as no facilities, horizontal stripe, chevron alignment sign, and LED arch, as examples, the comprehensive evaluation of various schemes were carried out by using simulation tests. Results The traffic safety comprehensive evaluation system of visual guiding system in urban tunnels can be analyzed from five aspects: perception reaction, guidance ability, driver factor, driving task, and facility appearance. The results demonstrated significant the comprehensive evaluation result of the target level of scene 1 was L4, scene 2 was L3, scene 3 was L2, and scene 4 was L1. That is, the final results of the comprehensive evaluation of the four scenes were poor, medium, good, and very good, respectively. Conclusions In the scheme of visual guiding system for urban tunnel curves, the effectiveness of the three types of designs, from high to low, was the LED arch, chevron alignment sign, and horizontal stripe, and the safety of the scene without facilities was the lowest. Hence, setting the LED arch in the urban tunnel curve has a good effect in the aspects of guidance ability, sight distance, and sight zone, and is conducive to the driver’s perception reaction and driving task.

With the principal component cluster analysis method of statistics, the paper studies the present state and the evaluation methods of the traffic accidents in Jiamusi city of china, constructs the system of synthesis evaluation of road traffic safety. The new indicators used in the road traffic accidents occurred in Jiamusi city of China,2004–2008 .The research demonstrates that the new indicators of road traffic safety. Through using the new indicators, it can see precisely and objectively the feature and the trends of road traffic accidents, it also can obtain the type of road reasons. The new indicators can make up of the insufficiencies and faults of the Present road traffic accidents evaluations methods.

Inherent Safety and Economic Graphical Rating (InSafE) method for inherent safety and economic assessment

Traffic safety is considered as one of the important problems in the development of cities. Thus, a reliable estimation of traffic safety is crucial to be proposed. As predicting outcome indicators, two relative indicators, accident rate per 10000 cars and accident rate per 10000 capita, are introduced in this paper. Based on the theory of support vector machine (SVM), the improved SVM models are proposed. To improve the efficiency of learning, the least support vector machine (LSSVM) is introduced; to improve the model's robustness further, the weighted least support vector machine (WLSSVM) is introduced. As an example, using the traffic safety data collected from 2006 to 2010, the models' effectiveness and feasibility were verified by comparing and analyzing.

As one of the core objectives of traffic design, traffic safety plays an important role in improving the economic and social benefits of the transportation system. The principles and characteristics of all kinds of traffic safety evaluation methods will be illustrated, from the aspect of evaluation regions and evaluation tools. The specific methods include macroscopic and microscopic safety evaluation and direct and indirect safety evaluation. In addition, the real-time safety evaluation method will be presented, which is under the vehicle-infrastructure collaborative environment and provides new ideas for urban road traffic safety evaluation.

The traditional method of designing freeway geometric characteristics may not well consider traffic safety and evaluation problems associated with vehicle, driver, road, and environmental features. This paper looks into accident-prone compound curves and puts forward a traffic safety evaluation method that can comprehensively assess various influencing factors. This method integrates driving simulation and Virtual Reality (VR) technology. Methodically, this paper first used three-dimensional (3D) design software to build the digital model and spatial scene model of the compound curves from the aspects of geometric structure, spatial characteristics, terrain information, and so on. Next, drivers were invited to conduct a series of driving simulation experiments upon the human–computer interaction safety experience platform, and driver physiological data and vehicle driving information collected. Last but not least, the mean values of heart rate changes, steering wheel angle changes, and driving trajectory changes were derived to synthesise the comprehensive traffic safety evaluation framework. Based on the analysis of the results of the orthogonal test, select the road plane design indicators that have a significant impact on the traffic safety evaluation, and carry out regression analysis. The research shows that the novel traffic safety evaluation method integrating with VR technology can comprehensively consider various influencing factors, and designers can dynamically adjust the design metrics according to the traffic safety level.

Since the evaluation of traffic safety status of urban road intersections is fuzzy and hierarchical, this paper analyzes the occurrence mechanism of traffic accidents at urban road intersections, constructs an evaluation index system for smart traffic safety status of urban road intersections, and proposes an index system based on the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy theory. Smart traffic safety evaluation method at urban road intersections. The fuzzy theory is used to modify the weights calculated by the analytic hierarchy process to obtain the membership value of each indicator in the evaluation system, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation results of the traffic safety status of urban road intersections are determined based on the principle of maximum membership. The study takes an intersection in Chongqing Hi-tech Zone as an example, and uses the index system and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method in this article to evaluate its traffic safety status. Comparing the results with the actual results, it was found that the two are basically consistent, which verifies the effectiveness of the index system and evaluation method proposed in this article, and can provide reference and reference for the smart traffic safety evaluation of urban road intersections.

The safety of road traffic is facing increasing challenges from a range of factors, and this study aims to address this issue. The paper describes the development of a model that assesses both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the current traffic situation and can also predict future trends based on monthly data on traffic accidents over a period of years. The dataset is composed of the number of accidents that occurred in the Pristina region over a 10-year period, and these are categorized based on the type of accident and safety factors, including human, vehicle, and road factors. By using machine learning algorithms, a model has been developed that determines the factor with the greatest impact on traffic safety. To create the model, the algorithms Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Random Trees (RT) were used. The model evaluates the contribution of human, road, and vehicle factors to traffic accidents, using machine learning algorithms and 36 types of traffic accidents to analyze the relevant statistics. The results indicate a very good fit of the model according to the MLR algorithm, and this model also identifies the road factor as the main influencer of the traffic safety level. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-09-06 Full Text: PDF

Traffic conflict technique can be applied to quantitatively evaluate highway intersection traffic safety. The present study proposed that conflicts of different severity classes can be used in traffic safety evaluation when accident data are hard to acquire and the sample size of serious conflicts is not large enough. TTC (time to collision) was selected as index to judge the severity of conflicts. One second was determined to be the cut off value between serious conflicts and common conflicts, according to 85% cumulative frequency of TTC. Data of traffic volume and different severity conflicts in three periods of eight highway intersections were obtained to calculate six safety evaluation indices. Method based on gray clustering theory was used to process the six indices and to obtain safety sequence of eight highway intersections. Comparing with traditional method, the present method was verified more applicable.

Experience of the State of Qatar Introduction: Since the second half of the last decade of the twentieth century, Qatar has witnessed the implementation of a comprehensive development plan in various economic, urban and social scales. This comprehensive plan granted greater attention to developing the infrastructure and providing the necessary facilities. Road network development, with world-class engineering standards, was conducted with a view to improving the transportation system and providing suitable conditions for its sustainability. Another objective was to align the carrying capacity and design components of this system with the increase in the number of vehicles and population in the wake of the rising numbers of foreign workers and technical personnel induced by the implementation of the plan, along with the soaring number of various driver licenses and different types of registered vehicles. Components of the Study The study examined and analyzed statistical data of a number of elements, some of which are shown in Figure (1) below: 1. Statistics documented by the relevant authorities, showing a rise in the number of foreigners, which drove the population to grow four folds; 2. The number of vehicles registered at the Traffic Department, which also increased in proportion to the rate in (1) above; 3. The significant increase recorded in driver licenses awarded by the Traffic Department. The most important element in these variables is the number of injuries caused by road traffic accidents as a natural result reflecting the above-mentioned increases. Figure (2) shows the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents between 2000 and 2014, which peaked in 2006 as the fatality rate recorded 270, unprecedented in the State. Research Method The research method has mainly relied on collecting, analyzing and surveying the statistics and events documented by the relevant departments and authorities in the Ministry of Interior and other related bodies. This study comes in line with the vision and mission of the Ministry of Interior (in its capacity as the institution in charge of maintaining security and safety and protecting public and private properties, as well as establishing security and safety in the country through a highly professional performance of security services in a genuine partnership with society). During the implementation stage of the study, the documented findings have been treated as outcomes of the measures and events carried out by the Ministry with the aim of reducing road traffic accidents and mitigating the related human and material losses. The measures addressed in the study include the following: 1. The Ministry of Interior developed the legislation of Traffic Law no. 19 of 2007 to keep pace with the developments in the State, whereby stricter sanctions were introduced to the lawbreakers, mechanisms of testing drivers were activated and driving schools were developed. 2. The employment of sophisticated technologies in road traffic control and management. 3. Awareness-raising programs for the benefit of road users were adopted and carried out in a highly professional manner. Conclusions 1. The study and analysis the measures adopted show good results, as fatality rates in recent years, until 2014, are always below the rate recorded in 2006. 2. Traffic police patrols› reports and traffic surveillance systems show the development in traffic awareness and control. 3. The effective measures and programs carried out in driving schools have their positive good effects on schools, trainers and trainees. 4. This paper exposes an important aspect of development in the road traffic safety in general through the measures and effective regulations adopted. The research work also highlights some findings noticed on the road network outside cities (highways in particular) Recommendations 11. The study findings show the importance of putting laws and regulations into practice and the need for reviewing them from time to time in accordance with the changes in the components of transportation system›s design, implementation and operation. 22. It is necessary to adopt sophisticated technologies in traffic control and organization. The use of modern traffic technologies should be coordinated, serving as support means to the major components of traffic control: police and laws.

Road traffic safety is a complex problem which involves many factors as human, vehicle, road and environment and so on. For the road factor, the horizontal alignment can not be ignored, especially the horizontal curve. Although the accident rate happened on curve is higher than the straight line, it is inevitable to design horizontal curve. As the traffic accident becomes serious gradually, the paper analyzes the relation between road horizontal alignment and traffic safety based on investigation, in the horizontal alignment design, the curve radius, super-elevation, widen, transition curve and sight distance have the important effect for traffic accidents, summarizes the importance of the geometric design elements which improves safety and the consistency of each element. At last the paper puts forward some advice for highway horizontal curve design.