Lane-by-Lane Analysis of Crash Occurrence Based on Driver's Lane-Changing and Car-Following Behavior

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of the traffic flow parameters related to individual drivers’ lane-changing and car-following behavior on the occurrence of sideswipe and rear-end crashes on freeways. A total of 184 sideswipe and 605 rear-end crashes on I-4 freeway in Orlando, Florida, with the loop detector data were used for the analysis. A set of the Bayesian logistic regression models were developed to estimate the likelihood of crashes in a specific lane compared to the adjacent lanes using the 5 min average and lane-by-lane traffic flow parameters. The analysis results showed that the significant traffic flow parameters affecting crash occurrence in a specific lane are distinctively different between sideswipe and rear-end crashes. The flow-related variables were significant in the sideswipe crash models whereas the speed-related variables were significant in the rear-end crash models. The results suggest that the lane-by-lane traffic flow parameters are considered as surrogate measures of lane-changing and car-following behavior that are associated with the occurrence of sideswipe and rear-end crashes. These parameters can potentially be used for real-time monitoring of the likelihood of crash occurrence by lane on instrumented freeways.