Roads In Korea Research Articles

Factors Affecting Rear-End Collisions in Underground Road Junctions Using VISSIM

Due to urban overcrowding, available land is limited and traffic congestion has increased. Underground roads are being built to mitigate traffic congestion as an alternative. Studies associated with underground roads are needed because these roads are dark and closed and have a high risk of accidents compared to surface roads. In particular, there is limited study on junctions that connect two or more underground roads. In this study, an underground road network including junctions was constructed to analyze the factors behind rear-end collisions at underground road connections. To reflect the driving behavior on underground roads, the scenario analysis was conducted by applying the speed distribution of underground roads in Korea. The results of the analysis showed that variables such as acceleration standard deviation and lateral position standard deviation are crucial for accidents on underground roads. Thus, this study can be used as a basis for traffic management and safety improvement in the operation of underground road junctions in the future.

Craniofacial and dental injuries associated with stand-up electric scooters.

With the recent increased share of stand-up electric scooters (e-scooters), it is common to see people riding e-scooters on the roads in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate traumatic injuries to the craniofacial region related to e-scooter accidents and to determine the role of dentists (especially oral and maxillofacial surgeons) in the evaluation of patients with trauma at the emergency department due to an e-scooter accident. This retrospective study investigated the medical records of patients who visited the Gangnam Severance Hospital Emergency Care Center for trauma related to e-scooter use from January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020. Medical records were reviewed to determine the injuries sustained to the craniofacial region related to e-scooter use, including location of the injury (eg, cranium, craniofacial bone, teeth, soft tissue) and the type of trauma (eg, fracture, laceration, abrasion, contusion, concussion). A total of 256 patients' medical records were evaluated. Among them, 125 patients (48.8% of all patients) had sustained craniofacial trauma. Laceration (n=56, 44.8%) was the most common type of craniofacial injury, followed by cerebral concussion (n=49, 39.2%), dental injury (n=27, 21.6%), and craniofacial bone fracture (n=16, 12.8%). Dentists should always consider the possibility of brain trauma and perform a complete craniofacial and oral examination when assessing patients after e-scooter accidents as outlined by the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines. Additionally, it is necessary to educate e-scooter riders about the importance of wearing protective devices, such as helmets, to reduce the risk of injuries to the craniofacial region.

A Study on the Evaluation Method of Autonomous Emergency Vehicle Braking for Pedestrians Test Using Monocular Cameras

Traffic accidents continue to increase in Korea as traffic increases, and the resulting loss of life is also on the rise. According to data surveyed by the South Korean National Police Agency, 45,921 pedestrian traffic accidents were reported in 2019, resulting in 1487 deaths and 46,400 injuries. Due to the increased interest in traffic accident safety, the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) concept is rapidly developing and playing a significant role in coping with activities that are not recognized by the driver. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), a representative ADAS system, is a system that is useful for preventing and mitigating accidents by braking vehicles in emergencies. For the study of AEBs’ safety evaluation methods for pedestrians, a distance measurement method using a monocular camera with excellent accessibility, and measurement equipment required to validate data on the movement of vehicles, and a dummy to replace pedestrians are used. Based on the evaluation scenario considering the proposed Korea road environment, the relative distance obtained from equipment like DGPS and the relative distance using a monocular camera is compared and analyzed to verify safety. Comparative analysis shows that the minimum deviation is 2.3 cm, the third test result of 30 km/h of Car-to-Pedestrian Nearside Child (CPNC), and the maximum deviation is 25 cm, the first test result of 25 km/h of Car-to-Pedestrian Nearside Adult (CPNA). The main factor in error generation is that the lane recognition in the camera image is not accurate, and the perception of small children is slow, which is why emergency braking is considered to have been slow. It is deemed that a safety assessment in weather conditions of adverse conditions will be required in the future.

Assessing the Applicability of Mobile Laser Scanning for Mapping Forest Roads in the Republic of Korea

Forest roads are an essential facility for sustainable forest management and protection. With advances in survey technology, such as Light Detection and Ranging, forest road maps with greater accuracy and resolution can be produced. This study produced a 3D map for establishment of a forest road inventory using a Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) device mounted on a vehicle in four study forest roads in Korea, in order to review its precision, accuracy and efficiency based on comparisons with mapping using Total Station (TS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). We counted the points that consist of the cloud data of the maps to determine the degree of precision density, and then compared this with 50 points at 20-m intervals on the centerlines bisecting the widths of the study forest roads. Then, we evaluated the relative positional accuracy of the MLS data based on three criteria: the total length of each forest road; the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) obtained from coordinate values of the MLS and TS surveys compared to the GNSS survey; and the ratios of the centerlines extracted by the MLS and TS surveys overlaid to the buffer zone by the GNSS survey. Finally, we estimated the time and cost per unit length for producing the map to examine the efficiency of MLS mapping compared to the other two surveys. The results showed that the point cloud data acquired by the MLS survey on the study forest roads had very high precision and so is sufficient to produce a 3D forest road map with high-precision density and a low RMSE value. Although the equipment rental cost is somewhat high, the fact that information targeting on all spatial elements of forest roads can be obtained with a low cost of labor is a benefit when evaluating the efficiency of MLS survey and mapping. Our findings are expected to provide a quantitative assessment of both maintaining sustainable effectiveness and preventing potential environmental damage of forest roads.

Catastrophic factors involved in road accidents: Underlying causes and descriptive analysis.

South Korea is ranked as 4th among 34 nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with 102 deaths in road accidents per one million population. This paper aims to investigate the factors associated with road accidents in South Korea. The rainfall data of the Korea Meteorological Administration and road accidents data of Traffic Accident Analysis System of Korea Road Traffic Authority is analyzed for this purpose. In this connection, multivariate regression analysis and ratio analysis with the descriptive analysis are performed to uncover the catastrophic factors involved. In turn, the results reveal that traffic volume is the leading factor in road accidents. The limited road extension of 1.47% compared to the 4.14% per annum growth of the vehicles is resulting in road accidents at such a large scale. The increasing proportion of passenger cars accelerate road accidents as well. 56% of accidents occur by the infringement of safety driving violations. The drivers with higher driving experience tend to have a higher accident ratio. The collected data is analyzed in terms of gender, driver experience, type of violations and accidents as well as the associated time of the accidents when they happen. The results indicate that 36.29% and 53.01% of accidents happen by male drivers in the day and night time, respectively. 29.15% of crashes happen due to safety infringement and violations of 41 to 60 years old drivers. The results demonstrate that population density is associated with the accidents frequency and lower density results in an increased number of accidents. The necessity of the state-of-the-art regulations to govern the urban road traffic is beyond dispute, and it becomes even more crucial for citizens’ relief since in our daily lives road accidents are getting more diverse.

Driver Behavior Analyses of 2+1 Roads based on a Driving Simulation Experiment

The Korean government has moved forward with the application of 2+1 roads to mitigate traffic delays and offer safety improvements relative to the two-lane highway. Before beginning construction of the first 2+1 road in Korea, calls have been made to conduct driver behavior studies prior to implementing these roadway types within the existing road network. In this study, experiments using a driving simulator were conducted to assess driver behavior on 2+1 roads. The study results suggest several concepts to be integrated into 2+1 road design in Korea. First, drivers tended to decrease speed suddenly in both critical and noncritical transition zones so that lane changing information system is significantly important in 2+1 roads. Second, the speed change patterns on the 2+1 roads were different for driver ages, with greater variations in speed by older drivers. Third, the locations of speed reductions are related to the passing lane lengths. Sufficient passing lane length is necessary to increase capacity and may offer safety benefits based on the driver behavior analyses. Fourth, inappropriate design of a passing lane can lead to traffic operational problems, especially for older drivers. Finally, safety treatments including median-delineators should be considered in bad weather conditions including snow.

JCP Behavior with Traffic and Temperature Loadings: Analysis of a Test Road in Korea

AbstractBecause traffic and environmental loadings cause concrete pavement failure, a large budget is allocated for maintenance. Through understanding the effect of traffic and temperature loadings...

An Investigation of the Relationships between Rainfall Conditions and Pollutant Wash-Off from the Paved Road

Stormwater runoff monitoring was carried out from 2011 to 2015 to investigate the relationships between rainfall conditions (antecedent dry days (ADDs), rainfall intensity, depth and duration), and water quality parameters of stormwater from a paved road in Korea. Factor analysis suggested that the effect of rainfall conditions on the concentrations of selected pollutants varied depending on the pollutant. As total COD (total chemical oxygen demand) concentration increased, the level of heavy metals increased and resulted in a decrease of BOD5 (biochemical oxygen demand) because of their toxicity. In addition, ADDs had a significant impact on the wash-off of solids from paved road. The predominant particles in stormwater were 30 μm and smaller, and increased in concentration as ADDs increased. Thus, the initial load of accumulated particles became a major factor in the wash-off process. The mass of particle-related pollutants was also subject to the effect of ADDs due to the affinity between pollutants and predominant particles (<30 μm). However, the effect of ADDs on the mass of organic matter and nitrogen was relatively weak. ADDs contributed to the decrease of some pollutants by photo-oxidation, volatilization and natural decay over dry days, as well as desorption from solids during rainfall.

Influence of Road Proximity on the Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Korean Urban Agricultural Soils and Crops.

The urban agricultural (UA) environment near active roadways can be degraded by traffic-related particles (i.e., exhaust gases and road dust), which may contain heavy metals. The current study investigated changes in heavy-metal [cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr) nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)] concentrations in soils located near highly trafficked roads in Korea and the subsequent uptake of these metals by Chinese cabbage. Heavy-metal plant concentrations were determined in both washed and unwashed plant leaves to determine whether foliar deposition played any role in plant metal uptake. Soil concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were all lower than the Korean standard soil limits and showed no significant influence from road traffic. In contrast, both Ni and Cr concentrations in soils collected within 10m of the road were 4 and 5 times greater, respectively, than those in soils collected 70m from the road. Heavy-metal concentrations in unwashed Chinese cabbage leaf collected at 5m from the road were consistently greater than those of washed leaf samples, thus indicating the deposition of traffic-related particles on the plant surface. With the exception of Cu, all heavy-metal concentration in washed plant samples collected at 5m also showed greater accumulation compared with samples collected further away. This was mainly attributed to increased total soil heavy-metal concentrations and increased metal phytoavailability induced by decreases in soil pH near the road. However, overall heavy-metal soil concentrations were well lower than the allowable concentrations, and the levels observed in plants collected in this study were considered not to currently pose a significant risk to human health. However, some traffic-related heavy metals, in particular Cr and Ni, were being accumulated in the roadside UA environment, which may warrant some caution regarding the environment and/or health issues in the future.

Concentration Variations in Primary and Secondary Particulate Matter near a Major Road in Korea

Particle-phase concentrations were measured at 10, 80, and 200 m from the roadside of a national highway near Seoul in January and May 2008. The highway has two lanes each way, with an average hourly traffic volume of 1,070 vehicles. In January 2008, PM 10 concentrations decreased from 10 to 80 m but increased at 200 m. Black carbon (BC) decreased only slightly with distance due to the influence of biomass burning and open burning from the surrounding areas. In May 2008, the effect of secondary formation on both PM 10 and PM 2.5 was significant due to high temperatures compared with January. Because on-road emissions had little effect on secondary formation for a short time, variations in PM 10 concentrations became smaller, and PM 2.5 concentrations increased with distance. The effects of fugitive dust on PM concentrations were greater in May than in January when the mean temperature was below freezing. In the composition variations, the amounts of primary ions, organic carbon (OC), and BC were larger in January, while those of secondary ions and others were larger in PM 10 , as well as PM 2.5 in May.

A Study on the Legal Nature and Operational Directions for the Toll Payment of the Toll Roads in Korea

A Study on the Legal Nature and Operational Directions for the Toll Payment of the Toll Roads in Korea

Relationship Between Cognitive Perceptual Abilities and Accident and Penalty Histories Among Elderly Korean Drivers.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between cognitive perceptual abilities of elderly drivers based on the Cognitive Perceptual Assessment for Driving (CPAD) test and their accident and penalty histories.MethodsA total of 168 elderly drivers (aged ≥65 years) participated in the study. Participant data included CPAD scores and incidents of traffic accidents and penalties, attained from the Korea Road Traffic Authority and Korea National Police Agency, respectively.ResultsDrivers' mean age was 70.25±4.1 years and the mean CPAD score was 52.75±4.72. Elderly drivers' age was negatively related to the CPAD score (p<0.001). The accident history group had marginally lower CPAD scores, as compared to the non-accident group (p=0.051). However, incidence rates for traffic fines did not differ significantly between the two groups. Additionally, the group that passed the CPAD test had experienced fewer traffic accidents (3.6%), as compared to the group that failed (10.6%). The older age group (12.0%) had also experienced more traffic accidents, as compared to the younger group (2.4%).ConclusionOverall, elderly drivers who experienced driving accidents had lower CPAD scores than those who did not, without statistical significance. Thus, driving-related cognitive abilities of elderly drivers with insufficient cognitive ability need to be further evaluated to prevent traffic accidents.

The status and prospect on the study of the Silk road in Korea

The status and prospect on the study of the Silk road in Korea

자전거 사고예측모형 개발 및 개선방안 제시에 관한 연구

본 논문은 무동력 비탄소 교통수단 중 하나인 자전거 이용의 활성화를 위해 자전거교통의 안전성을 향상시키고자 한다. 이에 현재 설치 운영되고 있는 자전거도로의 문제점을 분석하고, 자전거 교통사고 자료를 토대로 자전거 사고예측모형을 개발하였다. 그에 대한 절차는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 국내 자전거도로의 현황 및 사고 자료를 제시하고 최근 3년(2009년~2011년)동안 전국에서 발생한 자전거교통사고를 수집하여 자료를 토대로 자전거교통사고 특성을 분석한다. 둘째, 전라남도 자전거 사고 자료를 사고 특성 분석을 통해 자전거 사고건수에 영향을 주는 변수를 선정하고, 'SPSS Statistics 21'의 중회귀분석을 이용해 사고예측모형을 개발하였다. 이때 자전거사고건수는 도로형태(교차로, 횡단보도, 기타단일로)별 연장에 따른 사고건수를 사용하였다. 도출된 사고예측모형을 검증하기 위하여 2011년도 광주광역시에서 발생한 자전거 사고자료를 이용하였으며 예측값과 실제 사고건수를 비교하였다. 그 결과, 일부 자료를 제외하고는 대부분 실제사고건수와 일치하는 것을 통해 사고예측모형의 신뢰성이 확보되고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 자전거도로 문제점 분석을 위해 자전거도로 현장조사를 실시하였으며 도출된 문제점에 대한 개선대책을 제시하였다. 본 연구를 통해 향후 자전거도로 계획 및 재정비 시 기초자료로 활용 될 것으로 판단되며 자전거 이용자의 안전성을 향상시키고 교통수단으로서의 자전거 이용의 활성화를 도모할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. This thesis aims to improve the safety of bicycle traffic for activating the use of bicycle, main means of non-powered and non-carbon transportation in order to cope with worldwide crisis such as climate change and energy depletion and to implement sustainable traffic system. In this regard, I analyzed the problem of bicycle roads currently installed and operated, and developed the bicycle accident forecasting model. Following are the processes for this. First, this study presented the current status of bicycle road in Korea as well as accident data, collect the data on bicycle traffic accidents generated throughout the country for recent 3 years (2009~2011) and analyzed the features of bicycle traffic accidents based on the data. Second, this study selected the variable affecting the number of bicycle accidents through accident feature analysis of bicycle accidents at Jeollanam-do, and developed accident forecast model using the multiple regression analysis of 'SPSS Statistics 21'. At this time, the number of accidents due to extension per road types (crossing, crosswalk, other single road) was used. To verify the accident forecast model deduced, this study used the data on bicycle accident generated in Gwangju, 2011, and compared the prediction value with actual number of accidents. As a result, it was found out that reliability of accident forecast model was secured through reconciling with actual number of cases except certain data. Third, this study carried out field survey on the bicycle road as well as questionnaire on satisfaction of bicycle road and use of bicycle for analysis of bicycle road problems, and presented safety improvement measures for the problems deduced as well as bicycle activation plans. This study is considered to serve as the fundamental data for planning and reorganizing of bicycle road in the future, and expected to improve safety of bicycle users and to promote activation of bicycle use as the means of transportation.

Does Temperature Modify the Effects of Rain and Snow Precipitation on Road Traffic Injuries?

BackgroundThere are few data on the interaction between temperature and snow and rain precipitation, although they could interact in their effects on road traffic injuries.MethodsThe integrated database of the Korea Road Traffic Authority was used to calculate the daily frequency of road traffic injuries in Seoul. Weather data included rain and snow precipitation, temperature, pressure, and fog from May 2007 to December 2011. Precipitation of rain and snow were divided into nine and six temperature range categories, respectively. The interactive effects of temperature and rain and snow precipitation on road traffic injuries were analyzed using a generalized additive model with a Poisson distribution.ResultsThe risk of road traffic injuries during snow increased when the temperature was below freezing. Road traffic injuries increased by 6.6% when it was snowing and above 0°C, whereas they increased by 15% when it was snowing and at or below 0°C. In terms of heavy rain precipitation, moderate temperatures were related to an increased prevalence of injuries. When the temperature was 0–20°C, we found a 12% increase in road traffic injuries, whereas it increased by 8.5% and 6.8% when it was <0°C and >20°C, respectively. The interactive effect was consistent across the traffic accident subtypes.ConclusionsThe effect of adverse weather conditions on road traffic injuries differed depending on the temperature. More road traffic injuries were related to rain precipitation when the temperature was moderate and to snow when it was below freezing.

A study on Korea road conditions assessment for Speed Limit Information Function(SLIF)

A study on Korea road conditions assessment for Speed Limit Information Function(SLIF)

건설기계용 엔진의 국내 표준시험모드에 따른 배출가스 특성 및 개선

The emission standard of diesel engine on the construction equipment has been rapidly enhanced in advanced countries, because most of air pollutions was caused by construction equipment. So, all of the construction equipments will be tested for emission with standard measurement mode. But, the standard measurement mode of construction equipment is different for non-road and one for the road in korea. This study was conducted to measure emission characteristics of the construction equipment with changed standard measurement mode and to improvement the emissions experimentally.

Effect of Double Noise-Barrier on Air Pollution Dispersion around Road, Using CFD

Noise-barriers on both sides of the roadway (hereafter referred to as double noise-barriers), are a common feature along roads in Korea, and these are expected to have important effects on the near-road air pollution dispersion of vehicle emissions. This study evaluated the double noise-barrier impact on near-road air pollution dispersion, using a FLUENT computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The realizable k-<TEX>${\varepsilon}$</TEX> model in FLUENT CFD code was used to simulate vehicle air pollutant dispersion, in around 11 cases of double noise-barriers. The simulated concentration profiles and surface concentrations under no barrier cases were compared with the experimental results. The results of the simulated flows show the following three regimes in this study: isolated roughness (H/W=0.05), wake interface (H/W=0.1), and skimming flow (H/W>0.15). The results also show that the normalized average concentrations at surface (z=1 m) between the barriers increase with increasing double noise-barrier height; however, normalized average concentrations at the top position between the barriers decrease with increasing barrier height. It was found that the double noise-barrier decreases normalized average concentrations of leeward positions, ranging from 0.8 (H/W=0.1, wake interface) to 0.1 (H/W=0.5, skimming flow) times lower than that of the no barrier case, at 10 x/h downwind position; and ranging from 1.0 (H/W=0.1) to 0.4 (H/W=0.5) times lower than that of the no barrier case, at 60 x/h downwind position.

A time series study on the effects of cold temperature on road traffic injuries in Seoul, Korea

ObjectiveAlthough traffic accidents are associated with weather, the influence of temperature on injuries from traffic accidents has not been evaluated sufficiently. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature, especially cold temperatures, on injuries from traffic accidents in Seoul, Korea. We also explored the relationship of temperature with different types of traffic accident. MethodsThe daily frequencies of injuries from traffic accidents in Seoul were summarized from the integrated database established by the Korea Road Traffic Authority. Weather data included temperature, barometric pressure, rainfall, snow, and fog from May 2007 to December 2011. The qualitative relationship between daily mean temperature and injuries from traffic accidents was evaluated using a generalized additive model with Poisson distribution. Further analysis was performed using piecewise linear regression if graph the showed non-linearity with threshold. ResultsThe incidence of injuries was 216 per 100,000 person–months in Seoul. The effect of temperature on injuries from traffic accidents was minimal during spring and summer. However, injuries showed a more striking relationship with temperature in winter than in other seasons. In winter, the number of injuries increased as the temperature decreased to <0°C. The injuries increased by 2.1% per 1°C decrease under the threshold of the daily average temperature −5.7°C, which is 10-fold greater than the effect of temperature above the threshold. Some groups were more susceptible to injuries, such as young and male drivers, according to the types of traffic accident when the temperature decreased to below the freezing temperature. ConclusionsThe incidence of injuries increased sharply when the temperature decreased below freezing temperature in winter. Temperature can be effectively used to inform high risk of road traffic injuries, thus helping to prevent road traffic injuries.

대형 경유자동차 배출가스 검사방법 개선에 관한 연구

The method of emission inspection for Heavy-duty diesel vehicles has been engine speed type Lug-down 3mode. This method could bring damage to decrepit vehicles under high speed and high load condition and it could not apply the driving pattern on the road. For these reasons, this study has started to create new emission inspection which is appropriate for Korea's road infrastructure. KD 147 would be applied to light-duty diesel vehicles from july 2010 after model operations. Therefore, this study has investigated new emission inspection system for heavy-duty diesel vehicles, except for light-duty diesel vehicles. In consideration of domestic conditions to meet the new load test method in this study, the Lug-down3 mode vehicle speed method was developed for the first time in korea.