SAFETY IN MASS TRANSIT: A CASE STUDY OF BUS ACCIDENTS IN WASHINGTON. D.C.

The purpose of this report was to obtain an increased understanding of the variables involved in transit bus accidents. It is a case study of bus accidents in Washington, D.C. The methodology is an analysis of 1971 District of Columbia police accident reports that have a bus coded as one of the vehicles involved in the accident. To give the research perspective and facilitate the development of a research design, the future role of transit buses in urban transportation and traffic safety was analyzed and a review of relevant traffic safety research and programs was conducted. It is in the area of injuries that transit buses have their greatest safety problems. Factors in the operating environment such as traffic congestion, intersection width, differences in maneuverability between vehicle types, and route design were found to have an important role in the frequency and severity of transit bus accidents. Because vehicle design is significantly circumscribed by the requirements of intracity bus service, improved bus safety requires, according to the author, a reduction of safety hazards in the operating environment in addition to vehicle design innovation. Recommendations for reducing safety hazards in the operating environment are made and an inexpensive safety program for implementing these recommendations in different metropolitan areas is proposed. /UMTA/

• Corporate Authors:

  Consortium of Universities

  1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Shanley, J W
• Publication Date: 1974-10

Media Info

• Pagination: 146 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus transit; Buses; Case studies; Crash reports; Crash severity; Crashes; Design; Hazards; Hypothesis testing; Injuries; Metropolitan areas; Research; Safety; Traffic congestion
• Uncontrolled Terms: Hypothesis
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus transportation (Intracity)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways; Public Transportation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00082729
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-DC-11-0003-74-3
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 26 1981 12:00AM