The use of travel survey data in road safety analysis

Abstract

Mobility and traffic safety are, by nature, related. However, in traffic safety research, it is not always straightforward how this relation can be clarified, and what available data is best suited to do so. In this study, we present a decomposition of road victims in exposure and risk. This decomposition is applied to data from travel surveys for Flanders (Belgium) for the year 2000, combined with the accident records for the same year. This leads to models that enhance the insights in risk and exposure differences according to the age and gender of road users, as well as to the modal split. The results from the analysis shed a light on the relationship between mobility and traffic safety. The decomposition in time shows that the trend in the number of victims is not only determined by the increase in exposure, but also by the level of the risk over time. The decomposition by age and gender show a lower risk and exposure for female road users, and a fluctuating pattern over the different ages. If modal split is considered, it becomes clear that the number of bicycle and pedestrian victims is mainly determined by a higher risk factor, while car user victims have a higher level of exposure. These detailed insights are useful to take into account the differences in exposure and risk for various gender-age combinations and for the diversity of modal choices.