A study on crashes related to visibility obstruction due to fog and smoke

    Authors

    M. Abdel-Aty; A. Ekram; H. L. Huang;K. Choi

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Accid. Anal. Prev.

    Keywords

    Fog and smoke; Visibility; Crash risk; Injury severity; WEATHER; Ergonomics; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Social; Sciences, Interdisciplinary; Transportation

    Abstract

    Research on weather effects has focused on snow- or rain-related crashes. However, there is a lack of understanding of crashes that occur during fog or smoke (FS). This study presents a comprehensive examination of FS-related crashes using crash data from Florida between 2003 and 2007. A two-stage research strategy was implemented (1) to examine FS-related crash characteristics with respect to temporal distribution, influential factors and crash types and (2) to estimate the effects of various factors on injury severity given that a FS-related crash has occurred. The morning hours from December to February are the prevalent times for FS-related crashes. Compared to crashes under clear-visibility conditions. FS-related crashes tend to result in more severe injuries and involve more vehicles. Head-on and rear-end crashes are the two most common crash types in terms of crash risk and severity. These crashes were more prevalent on high-speed roads, undivided roads, roads with no sidewalks and two-lane rural roads. Moreover, FS-related crashes were more likely to occur at night without street lighting, leading to more severe injuries. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Accident Analysis and Prevention

    Volume

    43

    Issue/Number

    5

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1730

    Last Page

    1737

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000292670500016

    ISSN

    0001-4575

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