Researchers from Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad campus, found that heavy motor vehicles and movement of vehicles during the time period from 9 pm to 3 am influenced the majority of traffic accidents in Hyderabad.
Data obtained from the Hyderabad Police Department enabled them to classify the risk factors associated with fatal road traffic injuries into six categories and recommend various measures, including safe pedestrian crossing facilities at intersections and adequate nighttime illumination of roadway stretches.
With data collected from 60 police stations, which reported the highest number of crashes across Hyderabad for the period 2015 to 2019, a comprehensive database, including details about road traffic injuries such as the date, time, and location of the crashes, injuries and fatalities, as well as vehicle details, was developed in this study.
“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t collect data for the last couple of years, said Bandhan Bandhu Majumdar, assistant professor, department of civil engineering.
He categorizes risk variables into six categories: very high-risk, high-risk, moderate-risk, low-risk, very low-risk, and very low-risk.
He further noted that heavy motor vehicles, pedestrians, and other slow-moving vehicles were very high-risk factors during the study period.
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In addition to safe pedestrian crossing facilities, traffic signals at intersections, and appropriate road markings and signage, the researchers proposed numerous solutions to reduce fatal accidents.
Pedestrian guardrails will be installed in strategic locations to prevent pedestrian accidents caused by jaywalking. The study also advised that heavy vehicle drivers be educated about the safety of vulnerable road users through education and training programs.
The hours of 9.00 p.m. to 3.00 a.m. have been associated with a substantial number of fatal collisions in Hyderabad. For improved safety, appropriate lighting of roadway sections, the installation of active speed calming measures, and the deployment of retro-reflective pavement markings have also been recommended.
The research was carried out by Majumdar, Prasanta Sahu, assistant professor at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad; Siddardha K, a research scholar; and Agnivesh Pani, assistant professor at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi.
In the prestigious international journal “SafetyScience,” it was published under the title “A registry-based examination of road traffic fatality risk variables using police data: A case study of Hyderabad, India.”
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