TRANSPORTATION

ENGINEERING
A Report on Road Accident Studies
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………….3
Contributing factors………………………………4
Objectives of Accident Studies…………………….5
Causes of Road Accidents…………………………6
Accident types……………………………………..7
Accident data……………………………………...8
Collision Diagrams………………………………11
Causes of the collision…………………………....12
Remedial steps undertaken………………………13
Conclusion……………………………………….14
 INTRODUCTION
The problem of accidents is very acute in highway transportation due
to complex flow patterns of vehicular traffic and presence of mixed
traffic along with pedestrians. Traffic accidents lead to loss of life and
property. Thus, traffic engineers have to undertake a big responsibility
of providing safe traffic movements to road users and ensure their
safety. Road accidents cannot be totally prevented but by suitable traffic
engineering and management, accident rates can be reduced to a
certain extent. For this reason, systematic study of traffic accidents are
required to be carried out. Proper investigation of the cause of an
accident will help to propose preventive measures in terms of design
and control.
 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Road traffic accidents are primarily influenced by three main factors:
 Human (drivers, riders, vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists)
 Vehicle (vehicle design/structure, mass, equipment such as
seatbelts or tires, etc.)
 Infrastructure/Environment (hereinafter called “infrastructure”
and comprising roadway, signage, weather, conditions affecting
visibility, etc.)

Conventionally, accidents are analyzed for each of the above factors, and
the accident is finalized as a result of a problem with only one of these
factors. This type of analysis results in an overrepresentation of human
failures and tends to identify driver errors as the main contributors to
road traffic accidents. Thus, the commonly repeated wisdom—“Driver
error is the cause of over 90% of accidents”.

The problem with this type of analysis is the assumption that the driver
initiated the accident and hence all responsibility lies with him/her.
Influencing factors which are vehicle-related and infrastructure-related
are often not accounted for, even though they are an inseparable part of
the whole accident.
 OBJECTIVES OF ACCIDENT STUDIES

Some objectives of accident studies are listed below:

1. To study the causes of accidents and suggest corrective measures

at potential location
2. To evaluate existing design
3. To compute the financial losses incurred
4. To support the proposed design and provide economic justification
to the improvement suggested by traffic engineers
5. To carry out before and after studies and to demonstrate the
improvement in the problem
 CAUSES OF ROAD ACCIDENTS

The various causes of road accidents are:

1. Road Users - Excessive speed and rash driving, violation of traffic

rules, failure to perceive traffic situations, signs or signals in
adequate time, carelessness, fatigue, alcohol, sleep etc.
2. Vehicle - Defects such as failure of brakes, steering system, tire
burst, lighting system
3. Road Condition - Skidding road surface, pot holes, ruts.
4. Road design - Defective geometric designs like inadequate sight
distance, inadequate width of shoulders, improper curve design,
improper traffic control devices and improper lighting,.
5. Environmental factors -unfavorable weather conditions like mist,
snow, smoke and heavy rainfall which restricts normal visibility
and makes driving unsafe.
6. Other causes -improper location of advertisement boards, gate of
level crossing not closed when required etc.
 ACCIDENT TYPES
The ten major accident types are listed below:

1. Collision with another vehicle which starts, stops or is stationary.

2. Collision with another vehicle moving ahead or waiting.
3. Collision with another vehicle moving laterally in the same
direction.
4. Collision with another oncoming vehicle.
5. Collision with another vehicle which turns into or crosses a road.
6. Collision between vehicle and pedestrian.
7. Collision with an obstacle in the carriageway.
8. Run-off-road to the right.
9. Run-off-road to the left.
 ACCIDENT DATA
The accident occurred on Saturday, 10th October 2015.
According to various eye witnesses present at the scene of the
accident, the time of occurrence of the accident was 4:30 p.m.
The persons involved in the accident were 2 male drivers of ages
25 and 41 years. The nature of the accident was serious but
resulted in no injuries sustained by the persons involved.
 LOCATION:

The accident occurred on an intersection on Barakhamba Road,

New Delhi. The intersection, being non-signalized, has reported a
large number of minor accidents in the last few years.

 VEHICLES INVOLVED:

The vehicles involved in the accident were a grey Honda City and
a Hyundai i10. The brake pads of the Honda City were found to
be defective.

 NATURE OF ACCIDENT:
The accident was classified as a rear-end collision. It resulted in
significant damages to both the vehicles involved. The Honda City
sustained serious damage to the windshield, engine and bonnet.
The Hyundai sustained damages to the rear bumper, deck lid and
fender.
Fortunately, no injuries were sustained by either driver involved
in the accident.
 PRIMARY CAUSE:
The accident was primarily caused due to human errors on part
of the Honda owner, where it was found that the vehicle had
faulty brake pads installed. Also, the driver was reportedly
travelling over the speed limit assigned at that particular
intersection.

Also, it was found that the site of the accident was non-signalized
and lacked the necessary markings required for the proper
awareness of motorists.

 ACCIDENT COSTS:
The damages incurred to both parties was significant.
The Honda City racked up damages costing Rs. 75,000. The
vehicle, being insured, was repaired by the insurance provider.
The Hyundai incurred damages amounting to Rs, 35000.
There were no injuries sustained by both the drivers. Also, no
damage to property was reported at the scene of the accident.
 COLLISION DIAGRAMS

The accident occurred when the Honda City,

travelling at a relatively high speed, failed to
properly apply the brakes when approaching an
intersection, resulting into a rear-end collison to the
Hyundai ahead, which was negotiating a right turn.

The accident is illustrated in the figure below:

 CAUSES OF REAR END COLLISIONS:
There a number of causes which lead to rear-end collisions. Some of
these include –

o Pedestrian crossings located at the intersection

o Lack of awareness of the driver about the location of the
intersection
o Slippery surfaces of the upper layers of the carriageway
o Large number of vehicles turning at the intersection

These causes can be studied using a variety of methods such as:

 Reviewing pedestrian signs and crosswalk markings

 Reviewing the signings provided when approaching the
intersection
 Checking the skid resistance of the carriageway
 Checking for adequate drainage
 Performing a spot speed study
 Performing a turning count of the vehicles passing through the
intersection
 Checking the volume count for through traffic
 REMEDIAL STEPS UNDERTAKEN
 Install and improve signings and markings near the intersection
 Install warning signs informing drivers about approaching the
intersection
 Reducing speed limit on approach
 Providing groove pavements
 Prohibiting turns
 Increasing curb radii
 Constructing a left-turn lane
 CONCLUSION
According to accident statistics, a high number of provisional license
holders involved in crashes seems to be partly due to inexperience
because driving is a new skill. When we are new at anything (e.g.
playing tennis or football) we tend to make mistakes and not be as
skillful as those with lots of experience.

However, new drivers also sometimes do things that can increase their
risk of crash involvement. These include:

 Travelling too closely behind other vehicles (tailgating)

 Driving too fast for the conditions
 Not looking far enough ahead when driving
 Choosing gaps that are too small when making turns, crossing
intersections or overtaking
 Texting while driving
All these factors need to be avoided in order to reduce the number of
accidents occurring on roads. In conclusion, always remember –

“It takes 8460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and just one nut to
scatter it all over the road!”