ANALYSIS OF BUS TRANSIT ACCIDENTS: EMPIRICAL, METHODOLOGICAL AND POLICY ISSUES. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report reflects the need to analyze bus transit accident data as a means of deriving more refined hypotheses concerning accident causality, and the view that research should include a discussion of empirical findings, methodological concerns and policy implications. Accident report data from PACE, the suburban bus agency within the Regional Transit Authority in the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area, for 1982-84 were analyzed to derive refined safety measures. The analysis of over 1800 accidents lead to the general conclusion that safety was well managed at the studied agencies. A full 89 percent of accidents involved collision with another vehicle or object, while 11 percent involved non-collision passenger injuries while boarding, alighting or moving about the bus. Severity of injury was low and occurred infrequently except for collisions in which autos rear-ended the bus. Accident occurrence appeared to increase near times of driver shift changes, although further studies are needed for verification. Drivers with 3-6 years experience were overrepresented in accidents. This report concludes with policy recommendations and future research and policy implications for UMTA and USDOT. This report provides a List of References and 3 Appendices. Appendix A contains an Annotated Bibliography (General and Bus Characteristics and Maintenance; Bus Drivers). Appendix B contains Information Available from Accident/Incident Reports. Appendix C includes the particular actions coded for bus' and other vehicle's action.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Final report title: Analysis of Bus Transit Accidents: Empirical, Methodological and Policy Issues, UMTA-IL-11-0031-89-1.
• Corporate Authors:

  Northwestern University, Evanston

  Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
  Transportation Center, 1936 Sheridan Road
  Evanston, IL  United States  60208-4040

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Jovanis, P P
  • Schofer, J E
  • Prevendouros, P
  • Tsunokawa, K
• Publication Date: 1989-6

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 10 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buses; Crashes; Data analysis; Mathematical analysis; Policy making
• Identifier Terms: Urban Mass Transportation Act
• Old TRIS Terms: Umta section 11
• Subject Areas: Policy; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00487966
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-IL-11-0031-89-2
• Contract Numbers: UMTA-IL-11-0031
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 30 1989 12:00AM