Abstract
ProblemThe severity of motorway accidents that occurred on the hard shoulder (HS) is higher than for the main carriageway (MC). This paper compares and contrasts the most important factors affecting the severity of HS and MC accidents on motorways in England. MethodUsing police reported accident data, the accidents that occurred on motorways in England are grouped into two categories (i.e., HS and MC) according to the location. A generalized ordered logistic regression model is then applied to identify the factors affecting the severity of HS and MC accidents on motorways. The factors examined include accident and vehicle characteristics, traffic and environment conditions, as well as other behavioral factors. ResultsResults suggest that the factors positively affecting the severity include: number of vehicles involved in the accident, peak-hour traffic time, and low visibility. Differences between HS and MC accidents are identified, with the most important being the involvement of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and driver fatigue, which are found to be more crucial in increasing the severity of HS accidents. Practical applicationsMeasures to increase awareness of HGV drivers regarding the risk of fatigue when driving on motorways, and especially the nearside lane, should be taken by the stakeholders.
Highlights
The hard-shoulder of a motorway – called shoulder or emergency lane – can only be used either by the public for emergency reasons or by public agencies and private companies that are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the road
In many past campaigns aimed at both the public and the operatives, it has been highlighted that the hard-shoulder is a hazardous place either to stop or drive (SURVIVE Group, 2006); this has not been investigated through rigorous research
Many studies have focused on the severity of motorway accidents since historical data suggest it is higher than occurs generally on the rest of the road network (SURVIVE Group, 2006)
Summary
The hard-shoulder of a motorway – called shoulder or emergency lane – can only be used either by the public for emergency reasons or by public agencies and private companies that are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the road. The aim of this study is to investigate the main factors affecting the severity of accidents in these two distinct parts of the motorway and to identify any differences between them. In this context, focus is drawn on a number of factors that are commonly reported as important in road accidents. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: the section provides a discussion on the factors that are commonly reported as important in road accidents, followed by the statistical methods used in this study. The conclusions at the end are followed by some relevant practical applications of the work
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