Urban Traffic Accidents: the Case of Montijo
Urban traffic accidents: the case of Montijo Mariana Fragoso de Rhodes Baião Abstract: Portugal has shown a very positive evolution in reducing road traffic accident fatalities in the past decade. Hence, it is necessary to address the issue of road crashes in a smaller scale, in the municipal level, reducing the number of severe and light injuries as well. Thus, this study analyses the patterns of road traffic accidents in a Portuguese municipality: Montijo. A literature review of the state-of-the-art approaches in black spot analysis was performed and in correspondent counteractive measures as well. The road crash data collected for Montijo was analysed and a black spot detection methodology was applied, based on the currently used severity indicator and on a suggested indicator, calculated through accident costs. As a result, 11 black spots were identified. Several counteractive measures were proposed, within the traffic calming methodology, aiming to prevent the occurrence of severe and light injuries by reducing traffic speed and control traffic flows. Keywords: Black spots, road traffic accidents, severity indicator, traffic calming, urban traffic accidents. 1. INTRODUCTION The roadway environment is formed by the interaction between three factors: the road, the vehicle and the human element (Macedo, 1999). This paper aims to study the first factor, the road, in order to detect fragilities and propose possible solutions, within Road Safety Engineering. An accident occurs when a driver is unable to meet the challenges presented by the roadway system (Geurts and Wets, 2003). In fact, the link between the driver and the road is the most crucial part of the road environment, and were it is most urgent to take action in reducing risks.
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