AN ANALYSIS OF ACCIDENT DATA FOR FRANCHISED PUBLIC BUSES IN HONG KONG

This paper analyses data on accidents involving franchised public buses operating in Hong Kong. The data were obtained from the Royal Hong Kong police, the Hong Kong Government Transport Department, the two major franchised bus operators and international sources. The analysis includes an international comparison of accidents with emphasis on the situation in Hong Kong compared to urban areas in the United Kingdom. An attempt has been made to identify the characteristics of bus accidents; accident incidence has been related to time of day, day of the week, time of year, weather conditions, driver's age and experience, hours on duty and police-reported cause. The results indicate that Hong Kong has a high accident rate compared to Japan, the UK and the USA with particularly high pedestrian involvement rates. Bus accidents peak at around 9:00 am and 4:00 pm but the accident rate is high throughout the day. Monday and Saturday appear to have a higher than average accident rate. The variability of accident rate throughout the year does not seem to be significant and the accident rate does not appear to be influenced by weather conditions. Older, more experienced drivers generally have a safer driving record than their younger, less experienced colleagues. Accident occurrence is related to the time the driver has been on duty. The paper questions the reliability of police-reported accident causation data and suggests improvements in the design of the accident report form and in the training of police investigators. The relevance of the Hong Kong study for accident research in general is also discussed. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Evans, W A
  • Courtney, A J
• Publication Date: 1985-10

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 355-366
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Bus drivers; Buses; Conferences; Cooling; Crash investigation; Data collection; Design; Drivers; Equipment; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Human factors; Location; Motors; Periods of the day; Public transit; Size; Sound; Sound level; Statistics; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases; Driver age
• Geographic Terms: Hong Kong (China)
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1612: Accident rate; 1757: Age; 1272: Bus; 9003: Cause; 9007: Day (24 hour period); 1772: Driver; 2222: Fatigue (human); 8131: Hong Kong; 1733: Pedestrian; 744: Public transport; 2525: Season; 5414: Time; 8119: United Kingdom; 313: Urban area; 2545: Weather; 9088: Week
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways; Motor Carriers; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00453905
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM