Abstract
The paper investigates the accidents and fatalities on the main road network in the North-West Region of Romania over a period of 4 years (2015– 2018). The aim of the paper is to highlight some shortcomings and suggest possible improvements of the road network in order to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities. Detailed analyses, including statistical and spatial statistical analyses, were conducted on the accidents involving goods and public transport vehicles considering the scale of their impact. As a result, black corridors and vulnerable municipalities were identified. They were found to be related to the reduced main road density and high levels of freight traffic transit. In conclusion, with one of the lowest motorization rates in the EU and given the important efforts already made by the police, improving road network in Romania becomes the key for reducing accident and fatality rates in the region. In this regard, it is suggested that motorways and ring roads are needed in order to bypass the vulnerable municipalities. The results of this research may enable planners and administrations to act strategically to improve road safety in the critical areas, to prioritize actions for road network development and to formulate better strategies to ensure road safety.
Highlights
Road safety is an essential component of a modern transportation system
The N-W Region has a total population of 2 556 639 inhabitants and a total area of 34 160 km2 as described in Table 1 (Romania National Institute for Statistics, 2019)
BH and CJ have a larger number of municipalities compared to the other counties
Summary
Road safety is an essential component of a modern transportation system. Efficiency of the system, including safety, implies a reliable road network with a certain density of the dedicated infrastructure for high-speed and goods vehicles. According to the European Commission (2019), Romania ranks first in the European Union in terms of road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2018, the evolution over the period of time between 2010 and 2018 presents the same trend as the EU average. Improvements have been made in many areas by the authorities, especially by the Romanian Police. Traffic Department of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (TDGIRP) is part of the CARE project (European Commission, 2018a). Reducing fatalities on roads is a far more complex problem and road network development is the key issue in this matter
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