Geospatial Analysis of Rural Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in Oregon

摘要

This research examines the spatial extent of crashes in and around city boundaries in the state of Oregon in the U.S.A. For this study, summary of fatalities data for the year 2006 obtained from NHTSA’s report (2009), crash data for the year 2012, and city boundaries were obtained from ODOT “Oregon Department of Transportation” FTP: www.odot.state.or.us. In order to differentiate between the urban and rural crashes, city boundaries were used to find the numbers of urban and rural crashes. Outside areas of this urban-rural boundary were divided into further boundaries of 2.5 miles. An intersection tool in ArcMap was used to locate crashes within these areas. Road crashes in Oregon were classified into fatality crashes, serious injury crashes (Injury Type A), non-fatal crashes (KABC), and PDO (Property damaged only) crashes. By using the miles of road method, this research found that the total number of crashes that were recorded were 49,790. The number of fatal crashes was 305 while non-fatal (KABC) crashes were 24,455 and while 25030 crashes resulted in PDO, and 1432 crashes resulted in serious injuries. A difference in the percentage of fatal crashes has been observed in crashes involving the use of alcohol, unbelted occupants, during weekends, during nighttime and on US / State highways. Another difference in the percentage of fatal crashes was on interstate highways crashes. Fatal crashes have shown a difference on the results of this research and the one done by NHTSA in 2009, the difference was 1% on the urban zone, for the 10 mile buffer zone the difference was 21% from the year 2006 to 2012. Thus, it is essential to establish safety-associated outlays and shoulder widening, making suitable alterations to the existing vertical and horizontal curves, introduction of median treatments and to introduce the resurfacing will go long way in reducing the number of road accidents in the Oregon rural roads.