Journal article
Precipitation Effects on Motor Vehicle Crashes Vary by Space, Time, and Environmental Conditions
Weather, climate, and society, Vol.8(4), pp.399-407
10/01/2016
DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0009.1
Abstract
Abstract Numerous studies have shown that precipitation has a significant impact on motor vehicle crashes. Hourly weather radar data with a 4-km resolution and over 600 000 crashes from 2002 to 2012 in Iowa are used to assess the effects of precipitation on motor vehicle crashes. Using a matched pairs analysis, this study finds that the relative accident risk (RAR) across the state during the study period was 1.69 [1.66, 1.71]. However, RAR increased to as high as 3.7 [3.6, 4.0] and as low as 1.1 [1.0, 1.2] for frozen and liquid precipitation types, respectively. RAR also varied significantly by hour of the day, with RAR near 2 in the late afternoon and 1.3 during the early morning hours, suggesting an interaction effect between precipitation and traffic volume and/or density on crash risk. The study also shows that interstates and major highways tend to have higher RAR than smaller roads, and it was able to identify locations that are particularly sensitive to precipitation with regard to crashes. This study can be used to inform future studies on the effects of weather and climate change on crashes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Precipitation Effects on Motor Vehicle Crashes Vary by Space, Time, and Environmental Conditions
- Creators
- J. D Tamerius - Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IowaX Zhou - Department of Management Sciences, Tippie College of Business, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IowaR Mantilla - Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IowaT Greenfield-Huitt - Highways Division, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Weather, climate, and society, Vol.8(4), pp.399-407
- DOI
- 10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0009.1
- ISSN
- 1948-8327
- eISSN
- 1948-8335
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/01/2016
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Business Analytics; Geographical and Sustainability Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984083818902771
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