Risk analysis of traffic accidents’ severities: An application of three data mining models

Abstract

Traffic accidents are costing the world more than a million lives yearly alongside monetary losses, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. This situation raised the need to examine potential risk factors contributing to traffic accident severities. In this paper, three data mining models were applied to provide a comprehensive analysis of risk factors related to traffic accidents’ severities. One of the used models was a decision tree to examine the correlations between potential risk factors. The other applied models were Bayesian Network and linear Support Vector Machine. The results confirmed that pedestrians were the most vulnerable road users compared to drivers and passengers. Male drivers and front seat-passengers were more exposed to severe or fatal injury. Similarly, elderly drivers had higher odds of having severe or fatal injuries. Road classifications and accident types were also considered significant variables related to traffic accidents’ injuries. Utilizing seat belt could lessen the level of injury. Regarding the performance of the applied models, Bayesian network was more accurate in predicting the variables compared to other models.