An Analysis of Contributing Factors of Car-to-Car Crash Severity on Mountain Freeways Using Clustering Regression: A Case Study in Chongqing, China

Current car crash tests cannot fully examine the contributing factors to the severity of real-world car-to-car crashes in China, because most of the test standards and regulations refer to European or American car crash test procedures. It does not reveal actual situations due to the particular driving behaviors and road conditions in China. An in-depth analysis of contributing factors to the severity of car-to-car crashes on mountain freeways is presented in this paper. The car-to-car crash data of mountain freeways in Chongqing, China from 2008 to 2012 are used to analyze the impact of these factors (i.e. overlap, mass ratio, crash direction and car body deformation) on occupant injury severity. A clustering regression method is applied in the analysis. First, a K-means clustering method is used to classify crashes into five categories. Then a logistic regression method is applied to each group in order to study the correlation of overlap, mass ratio, crash direction, car body deformation with occupant injury severity. The study results show that there is a significant correlation between occupant injury severity and the above factors; the crashes with 12 o’clock direction are the most severe among all directions; then 0-1/3 overlap crashes result in the most serious occupant injuries; crashes with a smaller mass ratio often lead to more severe occupant injuries; and occupant injury severity also becomes more severe with the increasing of car body deformation. The study results can be used as a reference basis to improve the current car crash test procedures in China.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE90 Transportation in the Developing Countries.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Li, Haoran
  • Wu, Chaozhong
  • Chu, Duanfeng
  • Xie, Fei
  • Hu, Zhaozheng
  • Zhong, Ming
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash characteristics; Crash injuries; Crash severity; Frontal crashes; Injury severity; Mathematical models; Mountain roads
• Candidate Terms: Overlap crashes
• Geographic Terms: Chongqing (China)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I80: Accident Studies; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01556857
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-4206
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 12 2015 3:19PM