abstract: Highway safety is a major priority for the public and for transportation agencies. Pavement distresses directly affect ride quality, and indirectly contribute to driver distraction, vehicle operation, and accidents. In this study, analysis was performed on highways in the states of Arizona, North Carolina and Maryland for years between 2013 and 2015 in order to investigate the relationship between accident rate and pavement roughness and rutting. Two main types of data were collected: crash data from the accident records and roughness and rut depth data from the pavement management system database in each state. Crash rates were calculated using the U.S. Department of Transportation method, which is the number of accidents per vehicle per mile per year multiplied by 100,000,000. The variations of crash rate with both International Roughness Index (IRI) and rut depth were investigated. Linear regression analysis was performed to study the correlation between parameters. The analysis showed positive correlations between road roughness and rut depth in all cases irrespective of crash severity level. The crash rate data points were high for IRI values above 250-300 inches/mile in several cases. Crash road segments represent 37-48 percent of the total length of the network using 1-mile segments. Roughness and rut depth values for crash and non-crash segments were close to each other, suggesting that roughness and rutting are not the only factors affecting number of crashes but possibly in combination with other factors such as traffic volume, human factors, etc. In summary, it can be concluded that both roughness and rut depth affect crash rate and highway maintenance authorities should maintain good pavement condition in order to reduce crash occurrences. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil and Environmental Engineering 2017

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal comparar as percepções de ciclistas e de técnicos do órgão gestor quanto aos fatores de segurança viária em ciclofaixas na cidade de Porto Alegre. Para tanto o trabalho se propõe a: (i) identificar na literatura internacional o Estado da Arte em relação às discussões de segurança viária para ciclistas; (ii) identificar entre os atores do sistema de trânsito da cidade de Porto Alegre quais os principais fatores de segurança viária para ciclistas; (iii) analisar a influência dos fatores de segurança cicloviária em ciclofaixas segundo a percepção dos ciclistas que utilizam ciclofaixas; (iv) analisar a importância atribuída pelos gestores de mobilidade aos fatores de segurança cicloviária na provisão de ciclofaixas; e (v) identificar as lacunas existentes entre a percepção de influência no desempenho de segurança cicloviária (ponto de vista dos ciclistas) com a importância atribuída pelos gestores de mobilidade na provisão de ciclofaixas (ponto de vista dos gestores). A partir do levantamento de fatores relacionados ao contexto de segurança cicloviária para ciclofaixas, foi realizada uma pesquisa junto a ciclistas e gestores solicitando a hierarquização dos atributos de segurança cicloviária. A partir dessas percepções foi possível criar uma matriz que relaciona a influência no desempenho de segurança com a importância atribuída aos atributos de segurança, que permite identificar de forma mais clara as discrepâncias e os alinhamentos entre as percepções. Os resultados apontam oportunidades de melhorias na gestão de atributos de segurança cicloviária em ciclofaixas, bem como sugerem que o órgão gestor pode estar priorizando atributos que não influenciam no desempenho de segurança do ponto de vista dos ciclistas. / This study has as main objective compare the perceptions of influence on the safety of cyclists with the perception of importance attributed by the managing agency to the road safety factors in the provision of cycle lanes in the city of Porto Alegre. This study proposes: (i) identify in the international literature the State of the Art in relation to road safety discussions for cyclists; (ii) identify between the traffic system actors in Porto Alegre which are main road safety factors for cyclists; (iii) analyze the influence of cycling safety factors in cycle lanes based on the perception of cyclists using cycle lanes; (iv) analyze the importance attributed by managing agency to the cycling safety factors in the provision of cycle lanes; e (v) identify gaps between the perception of influence on cycling safety performance (view of cyclists) with the importance given by managing agency in the provision of cycle lanes (view of managing agency). Based on the survey of factors related to cycling safety context for cycle lanes, a survey was conducted with cyclists and managers requesting the hierarchization of cycling safety attributes. From these perceptions was possible to create a chart that relates the influence on safety performance with the importance attributed to safety attributes that identifies more clearly the discrepancies and the alignments between perceptions. The results indicate improvement opportunities in cycling security attributes management in cycle lanes, and suggest that the managing agency may be prioritizing attributes that do not influence the safety performance in view of cyclists.

This thesis is the current stat of research on Czech roads.The main task was to find the major cause of errors in the drivers` conduct of operations. The analysis is focused on the impact of 4 categories: environmental impact, the impact of the car, the influence of work on human behavior and influence the very man to his work activities were the cause further specified. In my research is also included a questionnaire, whose job is to summarize the views of drivers, both men and women of the current situation. The analysis of individual factors were designed as field measurements, with emphasis placed on selected offenses against the rules. This was particularly aimed at measuring the impact of work performed by humans in these respects: respect the maximum speed limit, failing to stop at places where it's due to traffic signs, and use of safety belts by the driver of the vehicle.The influence of environment was tested, as well as the suitability of sites dealing with traffic, especially pedestrian crossings. The influence of people itself is then characterized in the next section. The analytical part has the task to summarize and compare data obtained from measurements, which are listed in the Experimental section. The conclusion is a list of recommendations for individual areas, which should bring improvements to the current situation.

Every year thousands of people die on the roads because of car crashes. Every year is this situation getting worse and brings problems to the families of victims and to the country as well. To solve this problem completely is really impossible but our country has to try decrease number of accidents and protect drivers. My research explains how many accidents are caused by senseless reasons and describes problems with work injuries in the transportation industry. Voluntary organizations, police and public organizations try to change this sad situation, but police statistics are clear and still show high number of victims, injured people and accidents. My measurements describe real situation in our country. Big problems are caused by infringement of law and irresponsibility. Future development depends on new ways of protecting people and new transport policy.

L’OMS évalue à 1.2 million le nombre de tués sur les routes par an et environ 20 à 50 millions le nombre de blessés (données de 2004). Même si on observe une nette amélioration dans certains pays développés, l’OMS a prévu une augmentation mondiale des décès et des traumatismes d’ici 2030 si rien de nouveau n’est effectué. Pour faire face à cette problématique, les recommandations reposent sur la mise en œuvre de stratégies globales d’amélioration. Celles-ci doivent prendre en compte l’ensemble des enjeux liés à la sécurité routière (santé publique, technologique, économique, juridique, etc.) et être conduites en collaboration par l’ensemble des acteurs du système routier. Par exemple, le travail des constructeurs automobiles consiste en partie à développer des systèmes de sécurité qui agissent dans l’objectif de réduire et/ou d’éviter les accidents (ceinture de sécurité, ABS, airbag, châssis adapté aux déformations, etc.) à partir de connaissances en accidentologie et en biomécanique dans l’objectif de répondre aux exigences de tests consuméristes. L’activité d’évaluation fait partie intégrante de ce processus d’amélioration de la sécurité routière. Elle a pour objectif de fournir des connaissances aux différents acteurs pour les aider à atteindre leurs objectifs. Plus précisément, elle est focalisée sur le calcul d’indicateurs qui renseignent sur les performances des actions de sécurité routière. Le travail de recherche que nous avons effectué est issu d’une réflexion globale sur la réalisation de ces évaluations. Nous avons identifié des enjeux que nous considérons comme levier pour améliorer leur réalisation. Ils concernent la formalisation d’un cadre de l’évaluation pour aider les évaluateurs à dépasser leurs habitudes de travail et ainsi mieux répondre aux besoins des destinataires des évaluations dans un contexte complexe. En se basant sur les connaissances expertes de l’évaluation en sécurité routière et la littérature sur l’évaluation, l’épistémologie, la modélisation des connaissances et les théories de conception, nous avons proposé un modèle générique, créatif et multipoints de vue de l’évaluation. Ce modèle est défini comme une description systémique de l’activité d’évaluation. Il est composé de modèles structurels et fonctionnels à destination des évaluateurs. Dans notre recherche, nous nous sommes focalisés sur les étapes d’analyse du cas d’étude et sur la conception des indicateurs d’évaluation. Notre modèle a été mis à l’épreuve sur des exemples d’évaluation. Les résultats montrent que la formalisation des cas d’évaluations engendre une réflexion plus détaillée sur les questions à traiter et les indicateurs à utiliser. Un outil logiciel permet de rendre opérationnel ce modèle. Il est basé sur la gestion de bases de données et sur des algorithmes de traitement des données. / The WHO estimates the number of road deaths per year is 1.2 million and the number of casualties is about 20 to 50 million (2004). Even if there is a marked improvement in some developed countries, the WHO has planned a global increase in deaths and injuries by 2030 if nothing new is done. To address this issue, the recommendations are based on the implementation of safety strategies for improvement. These latter must take into account all issues related to road safety (public health, technological, economic, legal, etc..) and be conducted in collaboration with all actors of the road system. For instance, work of carmakers is partially to develop safety systems that operate in the goal of reducing and / or to avoid accidents (safety belt, ABS, airbag, chassis adapted to deformation, etc.). They are constructed from knowledge in biomechanics and accidentology with the aim to meet the demands of consumerist tests. The evaluation activity is part of this process of improving road safety. It aims to provide knowledge to different actors to help them to achieve their goals. More specifically, it focuses on the calculation of indicators that provide information on the performance of road safety strategies. The research we've done is from a general thought on these evaluations. We have identified issues which we consider as leverage to improve their achievement. They concern the formalization of a framework to help the evaluators to look beyond their work habits and better meet the needs of the recipients of evaluations in a complex context. Based on the expert knowledge of road safety evaluation and literature on evaluation activity, epistemology, knowledge modelling and design theories, we proposed a generic, creative and multipoint of view model of evaluation. It is composed of structural and functional models intended for evaluators. In our research, we focused on the stages of case studies analysis and the design of the indicators. Our model was tested on examples; the results show that the formalization of the evaluation case generates a more detailed reflection on issues to be addressed and indicators to be used. Software is used to address operational side of this model. It is based on the management of databases and algorithms for data processing.

A aderência pneu-pavimento é um dos parâmetros mais importantes da segurança viária e deve ser avaliada em duas escalas: microtextura e macrotextura. As medidas de textura da superfície de pavimentos podem ser obtidas por diversos equipamentos, sendo que os mais difundidos são o Pêndulo Britânico e a Mancha de Areia. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa pretende utilizar esses dois equipamentos para verificar o comportamento da textura em função do tempo/tráfego para diferentes tipos de revestimentos. Para tanto, foram realizados levantamentos dos valores de micro e macrotextura em pavimentos da rodovia BR-290/RS, trecho Osório-Porto Alegre, com uma freqüência aproximadamente mensal durante um período inferior a um ano. Com base nos dados coletados, foi possível desenvolver tendências de desempenho da micro e macrotextura para pavimentos flexíveis e rígidos dessa rodovia. Os modelos propostos para a estimativa da textura podem ser usados como ferramentas auxiliares no Sistema de Gerência de Pavimentos (SGP), prevendo o momento oportuno para intervenções na superfície dos pavimentos de modo a garantir a segurança dos usuários. Após a análise dos resultados, constatou-se que, no geral, os pontos de monitoração da rodovia BR- 290/RS apresentam boas condições de aderência pneu-pavimento quando avaliados pelo International Friction Index (IFI), que é um índice representativo da combinação entre a macro e microtextura do pavimento. Além dos modelos para estimativa da textura, desenvolveu-se nesta pesquisa um modelo de correlação entre os resultados dos ensaios de Mancha de Areia e de Drenabilidade, possibilitando, assim, a estimativa do IFI através do valor da vazão de água na superfície do pavimento. / Tire-road friction is one of the most important parameters regarding the safety of vehicles under slippery road conditions. Road surface texture is currently evaluated using several devices. In Brazil, the British Pendulum and the sand-patch method are most frequently used to measure microtexture and macrotexture, respectively. They were used in the research reported in this dissertation that aimed at verifying texture evolution with time/traffic on different types of pavement wearing courses. Thus, micro and macrotexture values were monthly measured in surveys carried out during one year in Brazilian Federal Road BR- 290/RS. Collected data allowed defining performance trends regarding micro and macrotexture of asphalt and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavements. The models here proposed might be used as auxiliary tools in Pavement Management Systems (PMS) to estimate the time when a given rehabilitation action is necessary to assure vehicle and drivers safety. Results analysis showed that the surveyed pavements present adequate tire-road friction, when evaluated by the International Friction Index (IFI) which combines pavements macro and microtexture. In addition, a model relating results of the sand-patch method to drainability results is proposed. Such model allows the estimation of the IFI based on values of water inflow through the pavements wearing courses.

A ampliação acelerada da demanda por transporte, mais especificamente pelo transporte rodoviário, tem provocado um aumento expressivo no número de acidentes de trânsito nesse ambiente. Consequentemente, a redução dos acidentes de trânsito tem sido um grande desafio para os pesquisadores e gestores da área rodoviária. Porém, os acidentes de trânsito são eventos complexos se considerados os diversos fatores que podem influenciá-los. Dentro desse contexto esta dissertação apresenta um estudo de modelos de previsão de acidentes, que podem ser utilizados para a avaliação do potencial de segurança em determinados locais, identificação e classificação de localidades perigosas ou com propensão a acidentes e avaliação da eficácia de medidas de melhoria da segurança. Nessa dissertação é apresentado um levantamento teórico e metodológico dos modelos de previsão de acidentes, identificando as principais variáveis adotadas bem como as técnicas utilizadas. Para cada modelo revisado foram verificadas as principais diferenças e limitações, e ainda, a análise das variáveis mais influentes presentes nesses modelos. Após, é feita uma comparação de duas abordagens distintas para estimar modelos de previsão de acidentes. A primeira consiste em estimar a ocorrência de acidentes em segmentos da via com as mudanças de características dos elementos de infraestrutura. O segundo relaciona a frequência de acidentes para um único elemento de infraestrutura da via, chamado na literatura internacional de entidade (ex: interseção, curva, tangente, etc.), com base apenas na variável relacionada ao volume de tráfego. O estudo baseado na comparação dessas duas abordagens para a previsão de acidentes revelou que a utilização do volume de tráfego como única variável independente apresenta resultados semelhantes ou até melhores que os modelos baseados em diversos elementos de infraestrutura da rodovia. / The enlargement and the accelerated development of transportation systems, more specifically the land system, have caused the number of road accidents to increase significantly. Therefore, the reduction of road accidents has been a great challenge for researchers and managers in the field of land transportation. However, considering the various factors that may influence them, road accidents are complex events. In this context, this paper presents a study of accident prediction models that can be used to assess the safety potential in certain locations, identify and rank dangerous locations or areas prone to accidents and evaluate the effectiveness of safety improvement measures. Initially, a theoretical and methodological review of accident prediction models is presented, and both the main variables adopted and the methodologies employed are identified. The main differences between all models reviewed and their limitations are presented, and the most influential variables are analyzed. In a second moment, a comparison of two different accident prediction methods is performed. The first method consists in estimating the occurrence of accidents in road sections with changes in the characteristics of infrastructure elements. The second one relates the frequency of accidents based on a single infrastructure element (intersection, curve, tangent, etc.) based on traffic volume only. The study based on the comparison of these two methods found that the use of traffic volume as the only independent variable yields similar or even better results than the models based on various road infrastructure elements.

Uma das maiores preocupações dos órgãos responsáveis pelo planejamento do trânsito e também da comunidade científica é encontrar soluções que possam reduzir o número de fatalidades e de feridos por acidentes de trânsito. Analisar os acidente e melhor compreender esses eventos pode ajudar a prevenir ou reduzir a sua ocorrência e o seu impacto. Paralelamente, é preciso buscar dados que expressem a realidade brasileira e que permitam a realização de estudos com base nesses dados. Tendo em vista esses aspectos, esta dissertação apresenta um estudo do registro de fatores contribuintes para os acidentes de trânsito urbanos, discutindo a importância deste tipo de registro como complemento as informações para a análise de segurança e o planejamento de intervenções. Inicialmente, o estudo da literatura permitiu reunir uma listagem ampla de fatores contribuintes. Após, as informações coletadas foram processadas, foram eliminadas redundâncias e superposições e foi gerada uma listagem que compõe um formulário de registro de fatores contribuintes. Este formulário foi aplicado em uma pesquisa prática, para avaliar a potencialidade da metodologia proposta. O estudo, envolvendo revisão da literatura, pesquisa aplicada e entrevista com o gerente de fiscalização de empresa municipal de transportes, revelou que: (i) o registro de fatores contribuintes é uma opção considerada relevante para a obtenção de informações referentes a melhoria da segurança viária; (ii) o formulário desenvolvido para registro dos fatores contribuintes atende as questões de abrangência e facilidade de uso; (iii) utilizando o formulário proposto, esse registro pode ser feito por pesquisadores dedicados, agentes de trânsito ou policiais; (iv) do ponto de vista de entendimento da gênese do acidente e do desenvolvimento de medidas mitigadoras, o levantamento de informações sobre os fatores que contribuem para a ocorrência dos acidentes, de forma direta ou indireta, revela elementos importantes para a promoção da segurança viária. / A major concern of governments and also the scientific community is to find solutions that can reduce the number of fatalities and injuries from traffic accidents. Analyze accidents and better understand these events can help preventing or reducing their occurrence and impact. In parallel, we need to collect data that reflect Brazilian reality and allow studies based on these data. Considering these aspects, this dissertation presents a study of the record of contributing factors for urban traffic accidents, discussing the importance of such information as a complement to safety analysis and intervention planning. Initially, a literature review brought together a broad list of contributing factors. Next, the data were processed, duplication and overlapping were eliminated, and a list that constitutes a contributing factors report form was generated. This report form was applied in a practical research, to evaluate the suitability of the proposed methodology. The study, involving literature review, applied research and interviews with the manager of traffic inspectors of the municipal transport agency, revealed that: (i) the record of contributing factors is a consistent option to obtain relevant information for the improvement of road safety (ii) the form developed for recording the contributing factors meets the questions of coverage and ease of use, (iii) using the proposed form, the record of contributing factors may be carried out by dedicated researchers, traffic agents, or police, (iv) in the point of view of understanding the genesis of the accidents and the development of mitigating measures, collecting information about factors that contribute to the occurrence of accidents, either directly or indirectly, reveals important elements for the promotion of road safety.

Esta dissertação de mestrado se refere ao estudo investigativo dos fatores de risco e a influência destes na ocorrência de acidentes envolvendo motocicletas, segundo a percepção dos condutores profissionais. A área de estudo foi a cidade de Porto Alegre, cujo cenário buscou-se mapear através do levantamento do perfil da categoria profissional de motociclistas e da análise dos anuários estáticos de acidentes envolvendo motocicletas, ocorridos entre os anos de 2000 e 2008. A pesquisa foi estabelecida em duas etapas. A primeira refere-se à pesquisa qualitativa, realizada através de aplicação da técnica de Grupo Focado, para determinação dos fatores de risco. Ao passo que, na segunda fase, foram realizados 123 questionários com condutores profissionais de motocicleta, para levantamento do perfil e percepção destes quanto à influência de cada fator no risco de acidentes. O estudo mostrou que para alguns dos fatores identificados como, pressão por pontualidade da entrega e longa jornada de trabalho, os entrevistados foram tendenciosos ao afirmar que estes possuíam pouca ou nenhuma influência no risco de acidentes, resultado contrário ao apontado por outros estudos encontrados na literatura. Para os demais fatores, os condutores profissionais demonstraram conhecer bem o ambiente viário urbano, de forma a terem boa percepção sobre os riscos de sua atividade. A pesquisa identificou a desatenção por parte dos motoristas de outros veículos, a presença de chuva e a má qualidade da infra-estrutura viária como os fatores de maior influência no risco de acidente. Sendo as situações de trânsito de maior perigo as de tráfego em interseções e nas vias congestionadas. A análise das bases estatísticas identificou a necessidade de coletar informações sobre os motociclistas acidentados, de forma a explicitar o objetivo de viagem quando da ocorrência do sinistro, permitindo assim, identificar o percentual de condutores profissionais entre os motociclistas acidentados. / This master's dissertation refers to the study of risk factors, and its influence, on the occurrence of accidents involving motorcycles, according to the professional drivers’ perception. The study area was the city of Porto Alegre, whose scenery was mapped by surveying the profile of the professional category of motorcyclists, and by analysis of statistical directories of accidents involving motorcycles, occurred between the years 2000 and 2008. The research was established in two stages. The first one refers to the qualitative research, conducted by applying the technique of Focus Group for determining the risk factors. While in the second phase, 123 questionnaires were conducted with professional motorcyclists, to identify their profile and perception of how each factor influences the risk of accidents. The study has shown that for some of the risk factors indentified, such as pressure for punctuality and long hours of work, the respondents were biased in saying that they had little or no influence on the risk of accidents, contrary to the result reported by other studies found in the literature. For the other factors, professional drivers have demonstrated to know the urban road atmosphere well, in order to have good perception on the risks of their activity. The research has identified inattention by drivers of other vehicles, presence of rain and poor quality of road infrastructure as the factors of greatest influence on the risk of accidents. Traveling in crossing intersections and congested roads has been found as the most dangerous traffic situations. The statistical databases analysis has identified the need to collect information about the motorcycle accident victims in order to clarify the purpose of travel at the time of the accident, thus allowing, identifying the percentage of professional drivers among motorcyclists injured.

Esta dissertação examina a situação geral dos Acidentes Viários, no contexto do transporte rodoviário, cujas evidências apontam o Fator Humano como o maior responsável por tais eventos. Entende-se que um maior conhecimento sobre ele possibilitará melhorar a segurança do tráfego e da produção transporte. O estudo pretende destacar a importância das análises relacionadas com a atividade transporte rodoviário, as variações da demanda do sistema de circulação e a tarefa do motorista, sob a ótica da ergonomia. Objetiva ele, também, mostrar importância desses estudos para melhor avaliar as interações dos fatores homemmáquina- ambiente viário e para o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e produtos de segurança viária. A revisão bibliográfica dos capítulos iniciais revelam o estado da arte e a importância da segurança de trânsito, em nível internacional. Também revelaram que todas nações sofrem do mesmo mal em suas redes viárias, que varia de acordo com a realidade de cada um. Embora o acidente de trânsito seja um fenômeno comum às nações, aqui eles atingiram a dimensão de flagelo social, em razão da sua severidade; e de calamidade econômica, face a elevação dos custos de produção na atividade do transporte rodoviário. São analisadas as características do fator humano, fundamentais na tarefa de condução, e o respectivo nexo causal das falhas com a gênese do acidente, num sistema multifatorial e interativo. O trabalho fundamenta-se em extensa revisão bibliográfica. O estudo de caso, desenvolvido a partir da revisão dos dados de uma pesquisa anterior, comprova a hipótese que o “álcool-direção”, considerado na literatura como o maior causador de acidentes viários, tem sua presença marcada por elevados índices nas rodovias do RS, contrariando a conclusão da pesquisa anterior. Ao final, também oferece recomendações para o desenvolvimento de ações objetivas para melhorar a segurança viária. / This dissertation examines road accidents within the context of traffic systems, evidencing the participation of the Human Factor as the key responsible for accidents. It is thought that a better understanding on the subject of Human Factor will contribute towards improving traffic management and increasing the productivity of road transportation systems. The study emphasizes the need to analyse, under an ergonomical view, the variable task demands imposed to drivers during different traffic conditions. It depicts the value of research aimed at better estimating the Human Factor- Machine-Road Environment interaction, and developing new technology and road safety equipment. The initial chapters review the state-of-the-art of work directed to road safety. They reveal that every nation suffers from losses due to road accidents. Whilst being a common phenomenon to all nations, road accidents in Brazil, on account of their frequency and severity, reached the dimension of a serious social problem. Road accidents are also interpreted as an economical calamity by virtue of growing production costs imposed to road freight activities. The focus of this dissertation is centered on the characteristics of the Human Factor which is of fundamental importance to the driving task. The study also incorporates amulti-factor and interative evaluation of faults and the generation of accidents. The work is supported by a comprehensive bibliographic review. The case study benefits form field data previously collected along roads of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It confirms the drunk-driving hypothesis, mentioned in the literature as the biggest road accident factor, has a market incidence in the southernmost state of Brazil. These results contrast with an earlier interpretation that did not take into consideration the period drivers drunk before the field data was collected. The work also offers subsidies to those interested in developing actions to improve road safety conditions.