Geographic information system as a supportive tool for road accident investigation

The worst problem found in the Road System is, in general terms, the high rate of accidents, which contributes to increase the number of deaths around the world. In Brazil the situation is not different. According to the most important insurance company for personal injury caused by motor vehicles (DPVAT, 2014), 52,226 death benefits were paid for traffic casualties in Brazil. The previous data shows that there should be a call for action in order to solve and reduce this problem. This paper aims to promote the importance of the Geographic Information System (GIS) for the studies of road accidents. GIS may be an essential tool for accidents investigation. It allows visualization of spatial and georeferenced data, facilitating the analyses. With this system is also possible to undertake researches in order to identify problematic areas, and also point out possible solutions to such problems. For the present study it was used the ArcGIS 10.1 to geocode and map the information for the analysis. The ArcGis 10.1, widely used in the Brazilian market, is a program that has a practical and simple interface. It uses the basic principles of georeferencing, allowing to perform excellent tasks using GIS. The program allows to identify areas where the researches should be extended and intensified in order to bring up benefits to society. An analysis of accidents on federal highways in the state of Espirito Santo will be presented thus, aiming to show the importance of GIS in locating dangerous and problematic sections which require immediate interventions. Furthermore, will also be shown some effective government measures adopted in some particular areas. In conclusion, GIS is an important support tool that might assist institutions and researchers that investigate road sections with high accident rates. This paper, therefore, is expected to support and help new studies and researchers that are focused on improving Brazilian traffic.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Pagination: 11p
  • Monograph Title: Proceedings from the 17th International Conference Road Safety on Five Continents (RS5C), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 17-19 May 2016

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01625739
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
  • Files: ITRD, VTI
  • Created Date: Feb 9 2017 12:06PM