Mekelle University Graduate Studies Program College of Social Sciences and Languages Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Spatio – Temporal Assessment of Road Traffic Accident in Mekelle City By Girmay Giday Kindaya A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Masters of Science Degree in Geography and Environmental Studies: Specialization in GIS and Remote Sensing Advisors Atkilt Girma (Drs.) Solomon Hishe (MSc.) January, 2014 Mekelle Spatio – Temporal Assessment of Road Traffic Accident in Mekelle City A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Masters of Science Degree in Geography and Environmental Studies: Specialization in GIS and Remote Sensing By: Girmay Giday Kindaya Advisors Atkilt Girma (Drs.) Solomon Hishe (MSc.) January, 2014 Mekelle DECLARATION This is to certify that this thesis entitled “Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Road Traffic Accident in Mekelle City” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies with Specialization in GIS and Remote Sensing at Mekelle University, department of Geography and Environmental Studies done by Girmay Giday Kindaya, CSSL/PS006/03 is an authentic work carried out by him under our guidance. The matter embodied in this project work has not been submitted earlier for an award of any degree or diploma to the best of our knowledge and belief. Name of the Student: Girmay Giday Kindaya Signature: ______________ Date: _________________ Advisors: 1. Atkilt Girma (Drs.), Mekelle, Ethiopia Signature: ______________ Date: _________________ 2. Solomon Hishe (MSc.), Mekelle, Ethiopia Signature: ______________ Date: _________________ Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. viii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 General Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Objective of the Study ........................................................................................................ 5 1.3.1 General Objective ......................................................................................................... 5 1.3.2 Specific Objectives ....................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 6 1.5 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Scope of the Study .............................................................................................................. 7 1.7 Limitation of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Organization of the Paper ................................................................................................. 8 1.9 Standard Definition of Basic Terms ................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................ 11 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 11 2.1.1 Definition and Concepts ........................................................................................... 11 2.2 Global and Regional Trends of Road Traffic Accidents ............................................. 12 2.3 Causes of Road Traffic Accident .................................................................................... 13 2.3.1 Human Related Causes of Road Traffic Accident ................................................ 13 2.3.2 Road Related Causes of Road Traffic Accident ..................................................... 17 2.3.3 Vehicle Related Causes of Road Traffic Accident ................................................. 19 2.3.4 Environment Related Causes of Road Traffic Accident ....................................... 20 iii 2.4 Impacts of Road Traffic Accident .................................................................................. 20 2.4.1 Economic Impact ....................................................................................................... 20 2.4.2 Social Impact .............................................................................................................. 21 2.5 Black Spots of Road Traffic Accident ............................................................................ 22 2.5.1 Black Spot Definition ................................................................................................. 22 2.5.2 Black Spot Analysis ................................................................................................... 23 2.6 Road Traffic Accident in Ethiopia .................................................................................. 24 2.6.1 Road Traffic Accident Reporting System in Ethiopia .......................................... 25 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................... 28 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA ............................................................................. 28 3.1 Background of the Study Area ....................................................................................... 28 3.1.1 Location and Administrative Setup ........................................................................ 28 3.1.2 Demographic Characteristics ................................................................................... 29 3.1.3 Topography ................................................................................................................ 30 3.1.4 Climate ........................................................................................................................ 32 3.1.5 Road Network Infrastructure .................................................................................. 33 CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................................... 35 4. MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................... 35 4.1 Nature and Source of Data .............................................................................................. 35 4.2 Data Collection Methods and Procedure ...................................................................... 36 4.3 Data Preparation ............................................................................................................... 37 4.4 Data Processing, Presentation and Analysis ................................................................ 37 4.5 Road Traffic Accident Black Spot Identification .......................................................... 38 CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................................ 40 5. RESULT AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................... 40 5. 1 General Characteristics of Road Traffic Accident in Mekelle City .......................... 40 5.1.1 Time and Road Traffic Accidents ............................................................................ 40 5.1.2 Drivers Characteristics and Road Traffic Accidents ............................................. 42 5.1.3 Vehicle Characteristics and Road Traffic Accidents ............................................. 45 5.1.4 Road Characteristics and Road Traffic Accidents ................................................. 48 iv 5.1.5 Weather Condition and Road Traffic Accidents ................................................... 50 5.1.6 Types of Road Traffic Accidents.............................................................................. 51 5.2 The Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Road Traffic Accident Spots and Road Traffic Accident Black Spots in Mekelle City ............................................................................ 53 5.2.1 The Spatial Distribution of RTAs and RTA Spots in Mekelle City in 2008 ....... 53 5.2.2 The Spatial Distribution of RTAs and RTA Spots in Mekelle City in 2009 ....... 57 5.2.3 The Spatial Distribution of RTAs and RTA Spots in Mekelle City in 2010 ....... 61 5.2.4 The Spatial Distribution of RTAs and RTA Spots in Mekelle City in 2011 ....... 65 5.2.5 Spatial Distribution of all Spatially Identified RTA Spots of Mekelle City From