Analysis of Traffic Collisions in Dublin Using GIS Based System

This study aims to analyse traffic collisions in the Greater Dublin Region between the period 2006-2012, using GIS to identify hotspots and examine the relationship between collisions and a range of contributory factors including vehicular speeds, traffic volume, road curvature, road category and distance from intersection that could enable prediction of traffic collisions. To this end, Road Safety Authority (RSA) collision data for Dublin Region geocoded as point events, road profiles, traffic flow characteristics on which these occur are spatially merged using ArcGIS and FME software to establish if a significant relationship exists between collision frequencies on road links and the specific link characteristics and traffic flow characteristics. The road network has been divided into uniform segments and the collision frequencies on each of these noted. Traffic collisions are rare and random events and often a major proportion of segments would have no instance of collisions, thus following a Negative Binomial distribution. The outputs from GIS exercise are tested through SPSS software using Negative Binomial distribution for modelling the relationship between different variables. This paper comes at a significant time where efforts are being made to improve the safety of roads within the European Union [1]. Every year, road collisions cause human fatalities together with huge financial loss which can be significantly reduced by improving road safety through the enforcement of traffic laws and road user compliance. By identifying the cause effect relationship and the spatial locations most prone to collisions, prioritized regulatory and safety interventions can be put in place to reduce the collisions on the roads.