Uncovering Deep Structure of Determinants in Large Truck Fatal Crashes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2020

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0361198120931507

Abstract

The number of fatalities and severe injuries in large truck-related crashes has significantly increased since 2009. According to the safety experts, the recent increase in large truck-related crashes can be explained by the significant growth in freight tonnage all over the U.S. over the past few years. This notable freight-haul growth has allowed continuous day–night movement of freight on roads and highways, exposing the trucks to a greater number of potential crashes or near-crash scenarios. There are many ongoing research efforts that aim to identify the different factors that influence large truck crashes; however, further research with innovative approaches is still needed to better understand the relationship between crash-related factors. In this study, the project team applied taxicab correspondence analysis (TCA), a data-mining method known for dimension reduction, to large truck fatal crash data to investigate the complex interaction between multiple factors under a two-dimensional map. For this study, 6 years (2010–2015) of large truck fatal crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) were used. The study found five clusters of attributes that show patterns of association between different crash attributes such as two-lane undivided roadways, intersection types, posted speed limit, crash types, number of vehicles, driver impairment, and weather. The findings of this study will help the safety professionals, trucking industry, and policymakers to make decisions for safer road design, and improvement in truck driver training, and education.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Transportation Research Record, v. 2674, issue 9, p. 742-754

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