Interactive effects of elevation difference, slope variation, and terrain formation on road traffic crashes occurrences using triangular irregular network

Abstract

AbstractNumerous factors contribute to traffic crashes, which result in fatalities and injuries. Road traffic crashes and their severity level are likely caused by variations in elevation, slope, and terrain formation. As far as our knowledge is concerned, the triangular irregular network (TIN) was not used to analyze dangerous zones of the road network with respect to traffic crashes' location. The main purpose of this study was to investigate a dangerous road network that was affected by traffic crashes using TIN. To address the goal, this study used elevation differences slope variation, and terrain between road traffic crash locations. The study used the intersection zone road network coordinates of traffic crashes in the city of Budapest that were recorded from 2017 to 2021. Using tools like ArcGIS and MS Excel, the study organized, modeled, and analyzed the data. Geometrical interval classification was used to classify the data in accordance with the characteristics of elevation deference and slope variation. Both inferential and descriptive statistics were engaged to explain, analyze, and summarize the findings. The results of this study demonstrated that the majority of traffic crashes occurred in locations with lower elevations and their differences, steeper/cliff slopes between points, and flat terrain. The finding was in contrast to what was observed in other studies. This study advocates that TIN is the optimal method and substitute for analyzing the risky zone of the road network at macroscopic level.