Traffic Safety and City Structure: Lessons for the Future

This article reports on a study that investigated the factors that are likely to influence road traffic fatality rates in large cities around the world in the next few decades. The authors collected road traffic fatality data from 2000 to 2003 for 56 cities around the world and for cities in the United States with a population of greater than 100,000. They found wide variations in fatality rates across income levels and within similar incomes levels. Improvements in the crashworthiness of vehicles, use of seatbelts and airbags, and other safety devices can reduce fatality rates by 30 to 70%, alcohol control by about 30 to 40%, and enhancement in road and infrastructure facilities can lead to an increase in fatalities. However, city structure, modal share split, and exposure of motorists and pedestrians may have a significant role in determining fatality rates, in addition to enforcement, vehicle crashworthiness and road design. The authors discuss transport planning in low and middle income countries (LMICs). They conclude that the data appear to indicate that it is not enough to have the safest vehicle and road technology to ensure low road traffic fatality rates. A final section briefly addresses sustainable transportation.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00363634
• Authors:
  • Mohan, Dinesh
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp S93-S100
• Serial:
  • Salud Publica de Mexico
  • Volume: 50
  • Issue Number: Supplement 1
  • Publisher: Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica
  • ISSN: 0036-3634

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Crashworthiness; Developed countries; Developing countries; Fatalities; Infrastructure; Passengers; Pedestrians; Seat belts; Socioeconomic factors; Sustainable development; Traffic congestion; Traffic density; Transportation planning
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01105322
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 30 2008 8:10AM