Impact of Road Environment on Occurrence and Injury Severity in Hit-And-Run Crash

Wei, Bai · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.4108/eai.26-5-2023.2334255

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of road environment and external factors on the occurrence and injury severity of hit-and-run crashes involving casualties. Motivated by the severe consequences of drivers leaving accident scenes without reporting or providing aid, the research aims to identify specific environmental conditions that influence the likelihood of hit-and-run behavior and the resulting injury severity. While previous studies have examined driver characteristics or specific crash types, this paper provides a comprehensive quantitative analysis of external factors using logistic regression models. The analysis utilizes road traffic crash data from Michigan, USA, spanning 2012 to 2014. From an initial dataset of 861,651 crashes, the authors focused on two-vehicle crashes causing injury or death where the at-fault driver bore full responsibility. The final sample consisted of 90,350 crashes, including 5,791 hit-and-run incidents. The study employed a binary logistic regression model to identify factors affecting the occurrence of hit-and-run crashes and an ordered logistic regression model to analyze injury severity, which was categorized as possible injury, non-incapacitating injury, or incapacitating injury/fatal. Ten external variables were examined, including time of day, day of the week, road function (urban vs. rural), lighting, weather, road surface condition, intersection status, road lane location, and speed limits. The results indicate that nighttime significantly increases the probability of a hit-and-run crash occurring, with an odds ratio of 2.454. Conversely, rural roads and higher speed limits (31–50 mph and 51–120 mph) were associated with a lower likelihood of hit-and-run behavior. Cross-variable analysis revealed that the combination of nighttime with being within the lane, nighttime with weekends, and rural roads at night further increased the risk of hit-and-run occurrences. Regarding injury severity, crashes occurring on roads with well-maintained surfaces, away from intersections, and outside of road lanes were associated with higher injury severity. In contrast, better lighting conditions, daytime occurrences, working days, and urban roads significantly reduced the probability of severe injuries. The authors attribute higher severity in well-conditioned road areas to faster vehicle speeds and lower severity in urban/daytime settings to higher visibility and quicker emergency response. The study concludes that targeted traffic supervision and monitoring are necessary during high-risk periods, specifically nighttime, weekends, and on rural roads. To mitigate injury severity, the authors recommend focusing prevention measures on areas with good road surface conditions, non-intersection zones, and spaces outside road lanes. The findings suggest that improving road monitoring equipment and enforcing traffic laws in these specific environmental contexts can effectively reduce both the incidence of hit-and-run crashes and the severity of resulting injuries.

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• driver post crash behavior
• urban rural setting
• demographic disparities
• crash typology
• pre crash contributing factors

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes