Safety analysis of roundabout designs based on geometric and speed characteristics

The study investigates data concerning crashes at roundabouts in order to identify the major factors influencing such events in South Korea. In this investigation, three stages of research tasks were carried out. First, crashes which occurred at South Korean roundabouts were categorized and subsequently compared with international cases. Second, field surveys were conducted in order to investigate how vehicle speeds influence the occurrence of accidents. Third, a statistical analysis was performed in order to investigate the correlation between roundabout geometry and crash occurrences and to reveal major geometric elements of roundabout safety. It was revealed in the study that most vehicles slow down substantially around roundabouts and recover their speed after the roundabouts. Based on the statistical analysis, it was found that negative binomial distribution would give a better performance. In addition, in contrast to cases in the US, the final selection of the independent variables includes as follows: the number of approaches, the number of entering lanes, the entry width, the flare width, the number of circulating lanes and the circulating lane width. Finally, the study provided a model with which to capture the relationship between geometric design elements and the occurrence of crashes at roundabouts. It is anticipated that this model will be applied by engineers to better predict crash occurrences at roundabouts.