Does street network design affect traffic safety?

Negative binomial regression models were used to assess the effect of street and street network characteristics on total crashes, severe injury crashes, and fatal crashes. Data from over 230,000 crashes taking place over 11 years in 24 California cities was analyzed at the U.S. Census Block Group level of geography. The analysis controls for variables such as vehicle volumes, income levels, and proximity to limited access highways and to the downtown area. Street network characteristics that were considered in the analysis included street network density and street connectivity along with street network pattern. The findings suggest that for all levels of crash severity, street network characteristics correlate with road safety outcomes. Denser street networks with higher intersection counts per area are associated with fewer crashes across all severity levels. Conversely, increased street connectivity as well as additional travel lanes along the major streets correlated with more crashes. These results suggest that in assessing safety, it is important to move beyond the traditional approach of just looking at the characteristics of the street itself and examine how the interrelated factors of street network characteristics, patterns, and individual street designs interact to affect crash frequency and severity.

• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V5S-51RF5WX-1/2/2efec2398515aab9341e317b01de0697
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Elsevier
• Authors:
  • Marshall, Wesley Earl
  • Garrick, Norman W
• Publication Date: 2011-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 769-781
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 43
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash severity; Highway design; Highway safety; Networks; Regression analysis; Streets; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety; Urban design
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01337396
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 20 2011 2:03PM