Systematic Approach to Address Traffic Safety Vinod Vasudevan, Ph.D., P.E. Department of Civil Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, UP, India Shashi Nambisan, Ph.D., P.E. Institute of Transportation Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA 1

Traffic Safety in India 130,000 fatalities on road in India in 2006 (~356 people die every day) Increase ~8% annually since ,000 reported injuries Unofficial estimate of over 9,000,000 – Includes over 1,650,000 serious injuries Accidents Vs Crashes 2

Presentation Outline Systematic approach – introduction Problem identification Analysis of problem Prioritization Countermeasure selection Deployment of countermeasures Evaluation of countermeasures Case studies: – Engineering – Pedestrian safety – Education/Enforcement – Occupant protection 3

Systematic Approach Why do we need systematic approach? – Repeatability – Transferability – Identifying best practices – Identifying efficient countermeasures Challenges – Requires additional funds and man power (minimal) – Could consume additional time 4

Components Problem identification Analysis of the problem Prioritization of risks Selection of countermeasure Deployment of countermeasure Evaluation of countermeasure 5

Problem Identification The first and the most important step Use all existing information (official + unofficial) Could use simple spreadsheets or similar programs for initial analysis Example: – High proportion of mid-block pedestrian crashes in an area – Increase in proportion of traffic fatalities without wearing seatbelts during nighttime 6

Problem Analysis Analyze all available information in detail Detailed police crash report (if available) are ideal Could use analysis tools such as GIS Could also use results of traffic safety audits Identifies major causes of problems by location Example: – High speeds of vehicles and huge proportion of elderly pedestrians are involved in crashes – High proportion of traffic fatalities also include alcohol involvement 7

Site (or Risk) Prioritization Lack of funds to address all safety concerns Efficient utilization of limited resources Maximum benefits Could use mathematical and statistical analyzes Example: – Top 20 sites account for 80 percent of pedestrian crashes – Areas near bars account for over 75 percent of fatalities 8

Selection of Countermeasures Based on “problem analysis” Need to study sites in detail Could vary from site to site Could include engineering, education, and enforcement, or a combination of any Example: – Traffic calming measures and high-visible pedestrian crossings – Education campaigns and strict enforcement aimed and drink-and-drive 9

Countermeasure Deployment Could be very tricky Might face huge opposition, if not deployed without proper planning Some could be deployed in stages Example: – Deploy high-visibility cross-walk first, depending on the driver behavior deploy traffic calming measures – Start education campaigns for 2-3 weeks, then start enforcement campaigns for the next two weeks 10

Evaluation of Countermeasures Evaluating effectiveness Uses mathematical and statistical analyzes Could be used for economic feasibility for large scale deployment Examples: – Before and after studies – Control site methods 11

Case Study 1: Pedestrian Safety 12 Problem identification Analysis of problem Prioritization of risks Selection of countermeasures Deployment of countermeasures Evaluation

Problem Identification Significant growth for 20+ years Wide, fast street grid network – High posted & operational vehicle speeds High risk conditions for pedestrians Demographics – Population ~ 1.8 million – Diversity: age, race – Over 39 million visitors in percent of the crashes involved locals 13

Crash Analysis - Pedestrian Crashes (2003 – 2006) 14

15 Need to identify pedestrian High Crash Locations (HCL) NHTSA guidelines to identify HCL Criteria for HCL selection – Number of crashes – Crash severity – Traffic volume – Pedestrian exposure Ranks vary based on criteria used Site Prioritization 15

Comparison of Ranking Methods 16

Study Locations Top priority / High Risk Locations – Crash Index and Crash Rank GIS based analysis 18 locations – includes 4 control locations Different Jurisdictions – City of Las Vegas – City of North Las Vegas – Clark County – Nevada Dept. of Transportation (State) 17

Selection of Countermeasures Site Characteristics – Geometric Conditions – Operating Conditions – Light Conditions – Demographics – Land-use Costs Countermeasures include: – Engineering-based – ITS-based – Other 18

Portable Speed Trailer 19

Danish Offset and Median Refuge 20

Pedestrian Activated Flashers 21

Automatic Pedestrian Detection and Smart Lighting 22

Pedestrian Buttons that Confirm “Call” 23

Pedestrian Channelization 24

ITS No-Turn on Red Blank out Signs 25

Countermeasure Deployment Several challenges due to changes in personnel Administrative and vendor related hurdles Combination of countermeasures per site – Deployed in stages – Helps to evaluate individual and combined effectiveness 26

Evaluation of Effectiveness “Before” and “After” analysis Comparative studies (with control sites) Used statistical analyses 27 MOE Baseline vs. Stage 1Baseline vs. Stage 2 Delta Mean Speed P- value H0H0 Delta Mean Speed P- value H0H0 H 0 : V before = V after vs. H a : V after < V before Eastbound mph (kmph) 5.5 (8.9) <0.001Reject 8.1 (13.0) <0.001Reject Westbound mph (kmph) 6.5 (10.5) <0.001Reject 3.7 (6.0) <0.001Reject

Case Study 2: Occupant Protection 28 Problem identification and analysis Prioritization of sites (site selection) Prioritization of sites (site selection) Selection of countermeasures Deployment of countermeasures Evaluation

Problem Identification and Analysis Nevada has a secondary seatbelt law Lower seatbelt usage rates among motorists Existing data showed lower usage among: – Male drivers – Hispanic and African American drivers Need to improve seatbelt usage rates 29

Site Selection Sites selected based on guidelines established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – Identified based on VMT distribution and geographic distribution across various roadway functional classes – Rural interstates, urban interstates, rural arterials and urban arterials, collector roads 50 sites selected including rural sites 400 observations per site (total 20,000 observations for the state) 30

Selection of Countermeasures Combination of education and enforcement Education: – Media campaigns: “Click-it or ticket” campaigns – Earned and paid media coverage (print and broadcast) – TV advertisements: mainly aired during sports events – Radio media: music stations – Hispanic advertisements on Hispanic TV and radio Enforcement: – “Joining forces” program: 19 agencies across the state coordinate enforcement efforts – Stepped-up enforcement of seatbelt usage 31

Deployment First 4 weeks on education campaigns only – Inform motorists of advantages of using seatbelts – Inform about the enforcement activities Followed by 2 weeks of stepped-up enforcement Nevada Office of Traffic Safety paid overtime for police officers for enforcement campaigns 32

Evaluation Telephone survey response: 33

Statistical Analysis 34

Evaluation 35

Summary Systematic approach is important Advantages: – Keep track of activities over time – Repeatability – Transferability – Identifying best practices – Identifying efficient countermeasures Extremely important to document activities in Indian scenario on effectiveness of various countermeasures 36

Questions? Thank you! 37