The Typical Traffic Accident in Lithuania In Comparison with Sweden

Ušpalytė-Vitkūnienė, Rasa; Laureshyn, Aliaksei · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.7250/bjrbe.2020-15.484

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Summary

This study addresses the persistent issue of high traffic accident rates in Lithuania, which remains one of the worst-performing countries in the European Union regarding road safety despite recent improvements. The research aims to identify typical traffic accidents in Lithuanian cities and compare these patterns with Sweden, a leader in traffic safety, to derive actionable recommendations for infrastructure improvements. The motivation stems from the need to move beyond general safety goals toward targeted interventions based on specific accident typologies, particularly in urban areas where the concentration of road users is highest. The methodology involved a comparative analysis of traffic accident data from the five largest cities in Lithuania, with detailed statistical investigation focused on Panevėžys, Kaunas, and Klaipėda. These data were compared against accident statistics from two major Swedish cities, Gothenburg and Malmö, selected for their comparable size and population. The analysis utilized official police records to categorize accidents by type, involved road users, and circumstances, such as time of day and collision dynamics. The study also considered the limitations of police-only data by referencing Swedish hospital injury records to highlight under-reporting issues. The findings reveal that pedestrian collisions are the most significant safety problem in Lithuanian cities, accounting for 33–44% of all urban accidents. Crucially, approximately half of these pedestrian accidents occur at designated pedestrian crossings, with proportions ranging from 34% in Panevėžys to nearly 70% in Kaunas. These accidents are evenly distributed between daylight and low-visibility conditions, suggesting that infrastructure improvements, such as better lighting and visual separation, are necessary. Collisions between two motor vehicles constitute the second largest category (30–38%), with same-direction collisions being the most frequent subtype. These are primarily rear-end collisions caused by speeding and insufficient safe distance. In contrast, Swedish cities show a markedly different distribution: pedestrian collisions represent only 12–15% of injuries, while motor vehicle-to-motor vehicle collisions account for up to 47%. The study also notes that Swedish data integration with hospital records reveals significant under-reporting of vulnerable road user accidents in police statistics, a gap likely present in Lithuania as well. The significance of this research lies in its identification of specific, addressable infrastructure flaws in Lithuanian urban environments. The high incidence of accidents at pedestrian crossings indicates a failure of current infrastructure to protect pedestrians, necessitating targeted upgrades such as improved lighting and speed control measures. By contrasting Lithuanian patterns with Swedish benchmarks, the paper argues for a shift toward science-based, data-driven road safety management. It highlights the importance of accurate data collection, including hospital records, to fully understand the scale of the problem and implement effective, quantifiable safety measures that align with EU road safety frameworks.

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• comparative international