One of the most primary requirements of any efficient transportation system is safety of the users. The national highways should provide the required mobility and accessibility accompanied with safety for its smooth functioning. Efforts are being made to improve the safety of our highways, which are still exposed to a significant number of fatalities due to traffic crashes. An intersection is, at its core, a planned point of conflict in the roadway system. With different crossing and entering movements by both drivers and pedestrians, an intersection is one of the most complex traffic situations that motorists encounter. Add the element of speeding motorists who disregard traffic controls and the dangers are compounded. At-grade intersections are one of the highest frequency accident-prone locations. Studies reveal that almost 40 % of the total crashes occur at the intersections. Left turn collisions and Red Light Running crashes are found to be common types of accidents occurring at intersections. Most of the crashes at un-signalized intersections are right angle collisions. Such high frequency of crashes at a particular kind of location makes it obvious that there are more factors that need to be studied in addition to the traffic volume and traffic characteristics. This research thesis aims at analyzing the Statewide Traffic Crash data for crashes at intersections in the State of Florida and to determine the contributing causes of the crash which are not only driver errors, as are generally accepted. The analysis shall look into the type of the crash, Roadway Geometrics and other Transportation Engineers' concerns, which could have added to the probability of the crash and thereby suggesting relevant countermeasures. The source data used for analysis was obtained from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the scope of the research is restricted to the State of Florida. Failure to yield the right of way due to inattention or misjudging of safe gap is the most frequently observed contributing factor to the crashes at intersections, which may be a result of inadequate sight distance, improper stop signs or higher posted speeds, which are a cause of concern for a Transportation Engineer. In an attempt to make the roads safer for the users, suitable generic and site-specific countermeasures are suggested in this research. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Civil Engineering in partial fulfillment of
the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2005. / Date of Defense: April 8, 2005. / Crash Study, Intersection Safety, Traffic Safety, Fatal Intersection Crashes / Includes bibliographical references. / John O. Sobanjo, Professor Directing Thesis; Lisa K. Spainhour, Committee Member; Renatus N. Mussa, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_168464 |
| Contributors | Desai, Abhijeet H. (authoraut), Sobanjo, John O. (professor directing thesis), Spainhour, Lisa K. (committee member), Mussa, Renatus N. (committee member), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
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