Exploring the significance of road and traffic factors on traffic crashes in a South African city

Abstract

Traffic crashes on the roads of South African cities is a critical problem. Road and traffic-related parameters are argued to contribute significantly to this challenge. Therefore, this study assessed the relative impact of the major road and traffic parameters on the incidence of traffic crashes on the roads of the cities of South Africa. Data collected both from surveys and authentic organisations, as well as inferential statistics with Negative Binomial regression modelling approaches, were used. Findings suggested that road width, number of access roads, median width, and vehicle speed influence the incidence of traffic crashes in that order. A combined effect of restriction of the road width, limiting the number of access roads, increase in median width and reduction in the speed can reduce the incidence of traffic crashes by more than three-fifth of the total crashes that occur in the business as usual scenario. The findings of the study can assist the road and traffic departments and municipalities to take the appropriate road and traffic-related interventions to improve road safety on urban roads.

Keywords

• Access roads
• Road geometry
• Road safety
• Traffic crashes
• Urban roads