Evaluating the traffic characteristics of the road network in Ramadi city using sustainable transportation indicators (Hazard Index)

Abstract Annually, road accidents claim the lives of around 1.25 million individuals and leave a staggering 20 to 50 million people injured. The objective of this thesis is to create a hazard index for the primary highways in the metropolitan region of Al-Ramadi City, Iraq, covering the time span from 2018 to 2023. To achieve the main objective of this study, we will analyze how traffic characteristics, such as the logarithm of the average daily volume (Ln ADV), the daily volume of heavy vehicles (HVv), and the operation speed (OS), affect the frequency of accidents. We will use both fixed parameter model (FPM) and random parameter model (RPM) for this analysis. The model’s estimation outcomes indicate a positive correlation between LnADV and both the frequency and rate of all types of accidents. The models indicate that the parameter of LnADV is fixed for all models, indicating that this variable will not vary over all roadway segments. A 10% rise in LnADV results in a corresponding 65% increase in total accident frequencies, a 45% increase in slight damage accident frequencies, and a 70% increase in serious damage accident frequencies. There was a significant correlation between HVv (high vehicle volume) and the frequency of total, slight damage, and major damage accidents. The parameter estimates for HVv were found to be random parameters in the models for total, slight damage, and major damage accident frequencies. This indicates that the impact of Hvv on the rates of total, slight damage, and major damage accidents will differ according on the specific sections of the road. An increase of 10% in HVv results in a corresponding rise of 20% in total accident frequencies, 10% in slight damage accident frequencies, and 17% in serious damage accident frequencies. The examination of stochastic variables The model results indicate a positive correlation between the increase in OS and the increase in frequency of total, slight damage, and major damage accidents. A 10% increase in operating speed (OS) results in an 8% rise in the frequency of total accidents, a 6% increase in the frequency of slight damage accidents, and a 13% increase in the frequency of serious damage accidents.