Heavy Vehicle Crash Characteristics in Oman : 2009–2011
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Summary
This study investigates the characteristics of heavy vehicle crashes in Oman between 2009 and 2011, aiming to identify key driving behaviors and factors influencing fatality risks. Motivated by a shift in Oman’s disease burden toward road traffic injuries, which accounted for 73.3% of hospital deaths from external causes in 2007, the research seeks to inform future safety interventions. Heavy vehicles, comprising 12.5% of registered vehicles, are critical for goods transportation, yet their crash involvement and associated mortality rates require specific analysis to improve road safety policies. The researchers analyzed police-reported crash data from the Royal Oman Police (ROP) Directorate General of Traffic, covering all serious crashes involving heavy vehicles (defined as motor vehicles weighing >4,000 kg unladen) from January 2009 to December 2011. Minor crashes resolved by insurance companies were excluded. The Arabic database was translated into English, and a combined dataset was created to link crash, person, and vehicle variables. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, employing Fisher’s exact tests to identify significant associations between crash characteristics and fatality outcomes. A multivariate logistic regression model was then constructed using significant predictors to determine independent risk factors for fatal crashes. Of the 22,543 total traffic accidents during the period, 3,114 (13.8%) involved heavy vehicles, resulting in 268 deaths and 2,134 injuries. In 59.7% of these heavy vehicle crashes, the heavy vehicle driver was at fault. Demographic analysis of at-fault drivers revealed that 46.2% were aged 21–30, 99.3% were male, and 42.4% were non-Omani expatriates. Notably, 65.2% of at-fault drivers were unlicensed, though most held light vehicle licenses. Common crash causes included speeding, incorrect maneuvers, and inattention. Multivariate analysis identified several significant predictors for fatalities: drivers aged 41–50 were 2.09 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those aged 21–30. Not wearing a seatbelt increased fatality likelihood by 6.58 times. Surprisingly, licensed drivers were 1.64 times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than unlicensed drivers. Crash type and reason also significantly influenced outcomes; crashes involving a person or animal being run over were 2.38 times more likely to be fatal than vehicle collisions, while fatigue (OR = 10.65) and overtaking (OR = 2.77) significantly increased fatality risk compared to speeding. The findings highlight the need for more thorough crash investigation processes in Oman and targeted safety initiatives. The high proportion of young and expatriate drivers suggests a need for culturally sensitive safety education and potentially graduated licensing systems. The counterintuitive finding that licensed drivers had higher fatality risks warrants further investigation into licensing standards and enforcement. Additionally, the low reported incidence of fatigue-related crashes, despite its high fatality risk, indicates potential underreporting or differences in driving patterns compared to larger nations. Future research should explore cultural influences on heavy vehicle operations and improvements to the current licensing system to address these identified risks.
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| archive | success | openalex | — | — | 5 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | pdftotext | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-26 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
Topics
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- incidence prevalence
- pre crash contributing factors
- comparative international
- bus coach
- demographic disparities
- crash typology
Information type
What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).
- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence
- Methodological Resource: dataset resource