• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.391-398
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• 2019

In general, truck-involved crashes increase severity in terms of both injury level and crash impact level. Recently, although the frequency and fatality of truck-involved crashes in Korea are rising, their associative studies are very limited. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify critical factors influencing on injury severity of truck-involved crashes on Korean freeway system. To carry out this objective, this study uses an ordered probit model (OPM) based on a 6-year crash dataset from 2012 to 2017. From the analysis, eight variables were found to have a great effect on injury severity: older driver, crash speed, rear-end collision, number of vehicles involved, drowsy driving, nighttime (0:00 to 6:00) driving, overturn or rollover, and vehicle's fire after crash. However, injury severity was less severe in crashes under snowy condition and crashes to traffic facilities (i.e., crash alone).

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.41-53
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• 2010

Traffic safety assessment is often accomplished by analyzing the number of crashes occurring in some geographic space over certain specific time duration. In this paper, we introduce a procedure that can efficiently analyze spatial and temporal changes in traffic crashes before-and-after implementation of a certain traffic controlling measure. For the analysis, crash frequency data before-and-after closing a major highway around St. Louis in Missouri was collected through Transportation Management System(TMS) database that is maintained by Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). In order to identify any spatial and temporal pattern in crashes, each crash is pinpointed on a map using the dynamic segmentation in GIS. Then, the identified pattern is statistically confirmed using an analysis of variance table. The advantage of this approach is to easily assess spatial and temporal trend of crashes that are not readily attainable otherwise. The results from this study can possibly be applied in enhancing the highway safety assessment procedure. This paper also makes several suggestions for future development of a comprehensive transportation data system in Korea which is similar to MoDOT's TMS database.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2011

To evaluate highway safety countermeasures or identify high risk sites, the expected crashes for a site (or segment) have been estimated using the panel crash data. Past studies show that two different methods can be employed to estimate the expected crashes: observed crash based method and empirical Bayes (EB) method. This study conducts a simulation study to analyze how the estimation errors of the two estimates are affected by the different structures of the panel crash data and the presence of the change in safety over time. The results disclose that the estimation errors of the observed crash based estimates (i.e. the mean observed crash and comparative parallel estimate) are always greater than those of the EB estimates regardless of the structure of the panel crash data and the presence of the change in safety over time. Thus, it is highly recommended that the EB method be used in the study of traffic safety to obtain more reliable estimates for the expected crashes. In addition, this study corroborates that the estimation errors of the two estimates decrease as the analysis periods increase if safety does not change over time. Hence, it is also recommended that the 1-year analysis period used for identifying high risk sites in Korea be extended to produce more efficient estimates of the time-constant expected crashes.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.35-45
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• 2008

Trucking is the most frequently used mode for freight movement due to relatively lower shipping costs and its operational flexibility. However, truck traffic can contribute to serious safety problems where they occupy high percentage of the total traffic. Heavy truck crashes arc more likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities than are crashes involving light vehicles. Therefore, safety issues for truck traffic are very significant both for public agencies and for general travelers. The objective of our study is to find truck-involved accident patterns according to traffic conditions and main factors as well as to find the most critical factor through conventional statistical techniques. A vailable data were obtained from TASAS (Traffic Accident Surveillance and Analysis System). Once critical factors are identified, effective and efficient truck management strategies can be discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2005

Railroad crossing crashes are fewer than road crashes, but with regard to crash severity, they can be serious injury crashes. There should be, therefore, enormous efforts to increase the safety of railroad crossings. The objective of this paper is to identify and understand factors associated with railroad crossing crashes. Statistical models are used to examine the relationships between crossing accidents and geometric elements of crossings. The results show the Poisson model is the most appropriate method for the crossing accidents, because overdispersion was not observed. This study identifies seven significant factors associated with railroad crossing crashes through the main and variant models. With regard to explanatory factors on crossing safety, the total traffic volume, daily train volume, presence of commercial area around crossings, distance of train detector from crossings, time duration between the activation of warning signals and gates, crossing types, and speed hump were found to affect the safety of railroad crossings.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.7-15
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• 2011

Emerged in early 1990s, so called 'Quick service' industry that provides faster delivery of small parcels than regular mail service accelerated use of motorcycles. As the economic grows, use of large bicycles (more than 250CC displacement) for leisure purpose has also rapidly increased. Traffic crash data clearly shows the increasing trend in motorcycle crashes. The ratio of motorcycle involved crashes out of total has increased from 5.7% in 2005 to 8.3% in 2008, and similar trend can be found in fatalities ratio as well. In this study, we assess the level of risk when motorcycles operate on motorways by analyzing traffic rule violation ratio, lane change behaviour, driving speed behaviors of motorcycles in Uninterrupted Traffic Flow Facilities and using PC-CRASH simulation we also calculate car shock impulses occurred when an accident happens. Analysis result shows that the motorcycle is different from the car in terms of lane change timing and average speed, and also shows motorcycle drivers tends to conduct more improper driving behavior particularly when traffic is congested. The results from this study could be usefully applied when the law enforcement agent decides whether bicycles shall be allowed to use motorways. The result could be also utilized as fundamental information for further study of bicycles' driving behavior.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.75-82
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• 2016

PURPOSES : This study was initiated to estimate the benefits from the campaign to prevent drowsy driving crashes on expressways. The study was conducted by the Korea Expressway Corporation using a contingent valuation method. METHODS : First, a questionnaire was designed for a preliminary survey. From the survey's results, the initial willingness to pay for the campaign was determined by averaging different amounts of payments chosen under virtual scenarios in the survey. The willingness to pay data was used to find a first bid price for the open-ended method used for the second survey. After that, a primary questionnaire was designed and conducted using a single dichotomous choice question (SDBCQ). Drivers at expressway resting areas were asked their willingness to pay for the campaign. Based on statistical analysis using data collected from the second survey, the mean willingness to pay was estimated using a probability utility function. Finally, the benefit from the campaign was calculated using the estimated willingness to pay and accident data on expressways. CONCLUSIONS : Based on the result from the contingent valuation method, the benefit from the campaign to prevent drowsy driving crashes was estimated to be 170.6 won per expressway trip. The benefit is to be paid as an additional toll. In addition, the traffic crash cost estimate is about 2,209,680,000 won less than the cost during the same period in 2014.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

The traffic accidents in Korea have been increasing every year due to various reasons and simultaneously causing socioeconomic cost at the national level. This study has analyzed the correlation between meteorological factors and the traffic accidents in Seoul during 2013. Especially, we have selected season, rain and temperature among the meteorological factors to identify their significance with the traffic accidents. In addition, analysis of variance, t-test and a multiple regression technique is applied. Major findings from the analyses are discussed at the district point of view, including the different effect of weather condition and the interaction effect of rain and temperature in winter. The results of this study would be useful for developing management strategies to reduce car crashes and injury severity in Seoul.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.1 s.72
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• pp.63-72
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• 2004

In conducting traffic safety programs, it is very important to identify hazardous sites in appropriate manner. The rate qualify control method is generally used in identifying hazardous sites since it can interpret the sites in the statistic aspects. The rate qualify control method is based on the assumption that the occurrences of traffic crashes follow the Poisson's distribution in which the expected value of traffic crashes equals the variance of those. However, there is greater variability than expected statistically, we call this phenomenon over dispersion. This study analyzed the problem related to the rate quality control method under the over dispersed data, and established a methodology to solve the problem. As a result of test on the basis of the field data, the new approach produced more reasonable results than those of the Poisson based rate quality control method.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to model the avoidable burden of the risk factors of road traffic crashes in Iran and to prioritize interventions to reduce that burden. Methods: The prevalence and the effect size of the risk factors were obtained from data documented by the traffic police of Iran in 2013. The effect size was estimated using an ordinal regression model. The potential impact fraction index was applied to calculate the avoidable burden in order to prioritize interventions. This index was calculated for theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios. The joint effects of the risk factors were then estimated for all the scenarios. Results: The highest avoidable burdens in the theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios for the non-use of child restraints on urban roads were 52.25, 28.63, and 46.67, respectively. In contrast, the value of this index for speeding was 76.24, 37.00, and 62.23, respectively, for rural roads. Conclusions: On the basis of the different scenarios considered in this research, we suggest focusing on future interventions to decrease the prevalence of speeding, the non-use of child restraints, the use of cell phones while driving, and helmet disuse, and the laws related to these items should be considered seriously.