Factors Contributing to One-Vehicle and Two-Vehicle Crashes at Intersections and Mid-Blocks

Many jurisdictions around the world have set specific targets for reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from road vehicle crashes. In order to develop targeted countermeasures to achieve this goal and enhance road safety a better understanding of the factors contributing to crashes at hazardous locations is required. In particular it is necessary to isolate the behavioural environment in which these crashes occur. This environment changes between one- and two-vehicle crashes at intersections and mid-block. This study examines the effects of traffic characteristics, roadway design, vehicle features, collision types and road user characteristics on one- and two-vehicle crashes in the Australian Capital Territory to throw light on this environment. These factors will be explored using chi-square statistical tests and subsequently modelled using the binary logistic regression model. Both these methods complement each other in that they enable the factors affecting the number and severity of one- and two-vehicle crashes at intersections and mid-block. These analyses support the hypothesis that there is a difference between intersections and mid-block crashes. It is shown that several roadway, environment, traffic, and crash characteristics had differential effects on intersections and mid-block crashes. Furthermore, it is shown that different factors contribute to one- and two-vehicle crashes at these locations in different ways. This study improves the understanding of the factors affecting intersection and mid-blocks crashes, which in turn enables road safety authorities to focus on countermeasures that will enhance roads safety performance.