A GIS Approach to Evaluate Infrastructure Variables Influencing the Occurrence of Traffic Accidents in Urban Roads

Year 2017, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 17 - 24, 01.03.2017

Murat Selim Çepni , Ozan Arslan

https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.306488

Cited By: 3

Abstract

Several studies worldwide have been developed that seek to explain the occurrence of traffic accidents from
different perspectives. The analyses have addressed legal perspectives, technical attributes of vehicles and
infrastructure as well as the psychological, behavioral and socio-economic components of the road system
users. Recently, some analysis techniques based on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have
been used, which allow the generation of spatial distribution maps, models and risk estimates from a spatial
perspective. Sometimes analyses of traffic accidents are performed using quantitative statistical techniques,
which place significant importance on the evolution of accidents. Studies such as those in references have
shown that conventional statistical models are sometimes inadequate to model the frequency of traffic
accidents, as they may provide erroneous inferences. GIS approach has been used to explore different spatial
and temporal visualization technologies to reveal accident patterns and significant factors relating to vehicle
crashes, or as a management system for accident analysis and the determination of hot spots. This paper
examines the relationship between urban road accidents and variables related to road infrastructure,
environment and traffic volumes. Some accident-prone sections in the city of Kocaeli are specifically identified
by GIS tools. Urban road accidents in Kocaeli are a serious problem and it is believed that accidents can be
related to infrastructure characteristics. The study aimed to establish the relationship between urban road
accidents and the road infrastructure variables and revealed some possible accident prone locations for the
period of 2013 and 2015 in Kocaeli city.

Keywords

GIS, Accident, Road, Infrastructure

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