The analysis of the relations between road vehicle traffic parameters and the number of road accidents in subsequent hours of the day - a case study

The study analyzes the relation between vehicle traffic parameters, i.e. volume, speed, noise and road accidents within the time period of one year. The data regarding the number of accidents was obtained from the Polish Accident and Collision Records System (Polish abbreviation - SEWIK). Traffic flow, vehicle speed and urban traffic noise were recorded by two traffic and noise monitoring stations at Krakowska and Lódzka streets in Kielce in 2013. The road noise was calculated according to the Cnossos-EU method and compared with measured values. Relation between the median of the number of traffic accidents, traffic volume, vehicle speed and noise in subsequent hours of the day was analyzed. High values of the correlation coefficient calculated for the relationship between the number of road accidents and traffic volume, speed and noise were found. In the case of Krakowska street (Road No 762), the values of this coefficient were, respectively: 0.88, -0.83 and 0.74. For Lódzka street (Road No 74), the values of the correlation coefficient between the tested parameters were 0.89, -0.82 and 0.85. The study showed that the largest number of road accidents occurs during the morning and afternoon rush hours. At these times of the day the noise is also the highest. The possibility of using the median of the road noise and traffic volume as a traffic accidents descriptor was examined.