IDENTIFICATION OF SEVERE CRASH FACTORS AND COUNTERMEASURES IN NORTH CAROLINA

This report examines the roadway, crash, vehicle, individual and environmental factors that are associated with fatal and serious injury crashes in North Carolina between 1993 and 1997. The initial analysis identifies road classifications, geographic characteristics, and time trends related to severe crashes using Highway Safety Information Systems (HSIS) segment and crash data. HSIS system highways in North Carolina included the state primary and major secondary routes. Non-HSIS roads include local streets and minor secondary streets. Both HSIS and non-HSIS data are used in the more detailed section of the study to analyze the severe crash factors on all HSIS highways, two-lane urban HSIS highways, two-lane rural HSIS highways, urban non-HSIS routes and rural non-HSIS routes. In this report, a test of the standard error of a binomial proportion is used to find the statistical significance of the roadway, crash, vehicle, individual and environmental factors related to severe crashes. The initial analysis shows that urban and rural two-lane roads are associated with the highest crash severity, mountain counties have the highest proportion of severe crashes and crash severity remained stable for some of the most severe crash types. Factors associated with significantly high crash severity on all roadway types include curve, run-off-road, utility pole, tree, head-on, pedestrian, bicycle, darkness and alcohol use. The final section of the report recommends countermeasures that can be used to reduce the incidence of fatal and serious injury crashes associated with these factors.

• Record URL:
  https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/research/pages/ProjDetails.aspx?ProjectID=1999-11
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Analysis Group, 1 South Wilmington Street
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27601

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Huang, H F
  • Schneider, Robert J
  • Zegeer, C V
  • Khattak, A J
  • Amerlynck, V J
  • Lacy, J K
• Publication Date: 2001-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 151 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Crash analysis; Crash causes; Crash characteristics; Crash data; Crash rates; Crash severity; Crashes; Highway factors in crashes; Human factors in crashes; Rural highways; Statistical analysis; Time series analysis; Traffic safety; Two lane highways; Urban highways; Vehicle factors in crashes
• Geographic Terms: North Carolina
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I81: Accident Statistics; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00941208
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/NC/2001-003,, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: 199-1442-01
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 23 2003 12:00AM