POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING THE PROCEDURE OF INSPECTING ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT BLACK SPOTS

Abstract

Introduction: This study proves that the procedure of inspecting road traffic accident black spots (RTA BS) needs improvement. This improvement is to involve the tools and insights associated with the targeted program approach, as well as a road infrastructure indicator system, and information technology tools. The creation of a road infrastructure indicator system and its comprehensive application, coupled with analytical methods and accident prediction system methods, enables the assessment of measures aimed at reducing the number of RTAs. Accounting for information technology tools and systems (such as the digital traffic safety inquiries desk) is also necessary if traffic safety is to be organized and maintained in a systemic way. Purpose of the study: The study is aimed at finding a new approach to improving the procedure of inspecting RTA black spots. Methods: In the course of the study, we use systemic analysis, analytical methods, traffic safety evaluation based on defining the safety and accident coefficients and revealing RTA black spots, probability theory methods, research results processing, and IT computational methods. Results: We provide a rationale for a comprehensive approach to inspecting RTA black spots within the “traffic participant – vehicle – road – external environment” system. We also demonstrate how a group of parameters can be used for studying the systemic indicators of road infrastructure, in the context of the parameters’ characteristics, as well as the conditions of their use. We determine the capabilities of analytical methods, as well as accident prediction methods, in the context of finding an approach to improving the procedure of inspecting RTA black spots. We propose applying a comprehensive approach to the improvement of the RTA BS inspection procedure.

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POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING THE PROCEDURE OF INSPECTING ROAD
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT BLACK SPOTS
Elena Kurakina1*, Sergei Evtiukov1, Jarosław Rajczyk2
1Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Vtoraja Krasnoarmeyskaya st., 4, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2Częstochowa University of Technology
Dabrowskiego st, 69, Czestochowa, Poland
*Corresponding author: elvl_86@mail.ru
Abstract
Introduction: This study proves that the procedure of inspecting road trac accident black spots (RTA BS) needs
improvement. This improvement is to involve the tools and insights associated with the targeted program approach, as
well as a road infrastructure indicator system, and information technology tools. The creation of a road infrastructure
indicator system and its comprehensive application, coupled with analytical methods and accident prediction system
methods, enables the assessment of measures aimed at reducing the number of RTAs. Accounting for information
technology tools and systems (such as the digital trac safety inquiries desk) is also necessary if trac safety is to be
organized and maintained in a systemic way. Purpose of the study: The study is aimed at nding a new approach to
improving the procedure of inspecting RTA black spots. Methods: In the course of the study, we use systemic analysis,
analytical methods, trac safety evaluation based on dening the safety and accident coecients and revealing RTA
black spots, probability theory methods, research results processing, and IT computational methods. Results: We
provide a rationale for a comprehensive approach to inspecting RTA black spots within the “trac participant – vehicle
– road – external environment” system. We also demonstrate how a group of parameters can be used for studying the
systemic indicators of road infrastructure, in the context of the parameters’ characteristics, as well as the conditions of
their use. We determine the capabilities of analytical methods, as well as accident prediction methods, in the context of
nding an approach to improving the procedure of inspecting RTA black spots. We propose applying a comprehensive
approach to the improvement of the RTA BS inspection procedure.
Keywords
Road, road trac accidents, road trac safety, RTA black spot, inspection.
Introduction
Improvement of trac safety and its systemic
management is the top public policy priority, primarily
because addressing this issue will help safeguard human
lives and health. To rearm its commitment to this mission,
Russia introduced Federal Law No. 196-FZ “On Road
Trac Safety” dd. December 10, 1995 (State Duma of the
Russian Federation, 1995). The law, which denes road
trac safety as “activities aimed at preventing the causes
of road accidents and mitigating the consequences of
road accidents”, has prompted the deployment of the
targeted program approach (TPA), which now serves
as the main principle of trac safety measures. We
interpret road trac safety as a comprehensive and
systemic set of activities. If the approach to trac safety
is randomized or non-systemic, it will not yield any viable
results.
The systemic approach includes in-depth research
and improvement of each element within the commonly
used system: Driver – Vehicle – Road – Environment
(DVRE). However, we believe that this system requires
an adjustment: Trac Participant – Vehicle – Road –
External Environment (TP-V-R-EE). This is necessitated
by some of Russia’s current ocial guidelines, which
are aimed at reducing the number of road accidents and
constitute TPA tools relevant to the following: behavior
studies of TP (drivers (D), pedestrians (P), underage
pedestrians (PU), vehicle passengers (PV)); analysis of
vehicle (V) technical condition and use; improvement of
the road infrastructure and management of trac within
the external environment (R, EE); studies of interactions
between the external environment (EE) factors and
TP, vehicles (V), and road (R); development of a road
trac accident (RTA) victim aid and rescue system
and a road trac safety (RTS) management (Fig. 1).
The systemic approach has been used in the global
practice of ensuring RTS for a long time. It takes into
account multiple internal and external factors that
aect the tasks and their functions (Kravchenko and
Oleshchenko, 2018). The need for studying the multi-
factor method also serves as a rationale for developing
a special approach to RTS improvement within the TP-V-
R-EE system — specically, a comprehensive approach
to examining high-risk road sections that may potentially
become RTA black spots; this approach should also
account for the specic features of the road infrastructure.
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Figure 1. Targeted guidelines adopted in Russia for the purpose of reducing the road accident rate
Aside from the application of the TPA in a meaningful
way that contributes to the positive dynamics of RTA
reduction, the study of the system elements and RTS
management is also furthered by distinguished authors,
who have managed to obtain the following research and
practical insights:
– systemic RTS organization and management
(Kravchenko and Oleshchenko, 2015, 2018);
– methods of controlling trac and pedestrian ows;
groundwork for enhancing trac light equipment with pre-
signals that will facilitate trac ow coordination; a new
approach to the introduction of the left-turning section
of signal control (Korchagin et al., 2015; Zhigadlo and
Dubynina, 2018);
– new information on the specic ways in which the
driver (D) changes vehicle (V) steering safety; discovery
of reasons behind trac safety violations (Evtjukov and
Repin, 2015; Evtiukov et al., 2018);
– a scientic and educational approach to determining
vehicle (V) service life; developed optimization algorithms
for the vehicle (V) maintenance and repair system (Domke
and Zhestkova, 2011; Kapitanov et al., 2018);
– results of studying the transport and operating
conditions of roads (R), including the determination of a
dynamic pattern in braking and adhesion characteristics
of vehicle (V) wheels on the road surface at the stage of
road operation and reconstruction (Brannolte et al., 2017;
Novikov et al., 2019);
– methods of analyzing RTA and creating RTA models
for the purpose of RTS improvement (Brannolte et al.,
2017; Evtjukov and Repin, 2015; Kurakina, 2014);
– guidelines for conducting RTA expert analysis
and improving the assessment methods and methods
of examining vehicles involved in RTAs (including the
technical condition of the vehicle (V) and road (R)), RTA
BS study insights and suggestions for ecient RTS
assurance (Evtyukov and Vasilyev, 2012; Kurakina, 2014,
2018; Kurakina et al., 2018, Novikov et al., 2019; Rajczyk
et al., 2018).
However, the insights above were, to a certain extent,
localized to very specic elds. Therefore, they do not
provide tools for comprehensive qualitative assessment
of the procedure of studying RTA BS as a system. This
dictates a need for a systemic approach to improving the
Elena Kurakina, Sergei Evtiukov, Jarosław Rajczyk — Pages 56–62
POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING THE PROCEDURE OF INSPECTING ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT BLACK SPOTS
DOI: 10.23968/2500-0055-2020-5-3-56-62

58
RTA BS inspection procedure. The inspection is not only a
set of state analyses and measures targeting the TP-V-R-
EE system but also the result of those measures, namely
the reduction of the target parameter (RTA fatalities). The
main goal of RTA BS inspection is a comprehensive study
on the parameters that describe the condition of TP-V-
R-EE system elements through analytical, scientic and
methodological, computational, and diagnostic means.
The existing regulatory framework reects the
inspection procedure, but the ocially recommended
procedure of RTA BS study does not cover the entire set
of relevant factors, all the more so as RTA BS represent a
system, and, therefore, call for a comprehensive systemic
organization. The results of analyzing a large set of
statistical data show that the overwhelming majority of
RTAs in black spots are caused by trac safety violations;
nonetheless, the road infrastructure, coupled together
with external environmental conditions, does make its
own contribution to creating a hazardous situation, thus
increasing RTA risk or making RTA consequences more
severe. The regulatory framework that we referenced
above limits the opportunities for studying and analyzing
the causes of RTAs in black spots, which calls for a better
and more ecient RTA BS inspection methodology.
Subject, tasks, and methods
The subject of this study is RTA black spots.
The tasks of the study are as follows:
- assessing the need for studying a complete set of
RTA causes and factors in black spots;
- creating the elements of a comprehensive approach
to improving the RTA BS inspection procedure.
In order to complete these tasks, we used analytical
methods that were based on analyzing links, vectors, and
timescales, as well as RTS assessment methods that were
based on determining the safety and accident coecients
and pinpointing the RTA black spots, probability theory
methods, study result processing, and the computational
methods of information technology.
Results and discussion
Order of the Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor)
No. 105-r dd. January 31, 2017 “On the Introduction of
Amendments in Industrial Road Guidance Document ODM
218.6.015 -2015 ‘Recommendations for Accounting and
Analysis of Road Accidents on the Roads of the Russian
Federation’, recommended for application according
to Order of the Federal Road Agency No. 853-r dd.
12.05.2015”, denes a “black spot” as a road/street section
not exceeding 1000 m outside a populated area and 200
m within a populated area, or a road/street intersection,
where three and more RTAs of the same type or ve and
more RTAs resulting in injuries or fatalities (regardless of
type) occurred during the reporting year. ODM 218.6.015-
2015 and ODM 218.4.004-2009 “Guidelines on Preventing
and Eliminating Road Trac Accident Black Spots During
Road Use” can be used as sources of recommendations
for analyzing RTA BS. They lack a coherent procedure
for inspecting RTA BS and the relevant objects that could
have revealed the links and interaction vectors within the
TP-V-R-EE system relevant to the black spot of each
specic RTA, while also accounting for the complete set
of causes and factors.
Studying the full set of RTA causes and factors in black
spots is essential for an appropriate assessment of the
RTS level in black spots and ecient RTS measures. In
order to achieve this, we must account for the parameter
groups created, and analyze them in the context of the
parameters’ characteristics, as well as the conditions of
using the parameters in the studies of systemic indicators
of the road infrastructure. Furthermore, we must refer to
road accident prediction methods (Kurakina et al., 2020).
An RTA BS is referred to as stable if the annual number of
accidents in the relevant road section does not uctuate
by more than one or two. If the above statement is true,
this points to certain persistent factors that aect the road
section; these include, rst and foremost, the parameters of
the road infrastructure in the actual RTA BS, as well as their
disadvantageous combination with the road infrastructure
parameters in adjacent road sections. We are proposing
a new, comprehensive approach to improving the RTA
BS inspection procedure (Fig. 2), based on the following:
the RTS state analysis, the TPA impact, the statistical
data on accident rates within the TP-V-R-EE system, the
factors and causes of hazardous trac conditions, the
developed algorithms of road infrastructure studies, RTA
BS, information technologies and communication links,
prediction methods, and study result processing.
Notably, the development of information systems
and technologies has had an impact on building ecient
communication links between TP and the executive
authorities responsible for improving trac safety. For
instance, in Saint Petersburg, TP are making an active
contribution to the development of the street and road
network (SRN); during their active use of certain SRN
segments, they spot their aws and report them via the
digital inquiries desk of the city Administration.
The aforementioned collaboration has allowed us to
include the “digital trac safety inquiries desk” block into
our comprehensive approach; however, it may also be
used as a separate element.
The practical application of research results (Evtiukov
and Vasilyev, 2012; Kurakina, 2014; Kurakina et al., 2017)
has resulted in greater expert evaluation quality and
accuracy, while also allowing for a downward shift of the
RTA BS target value. Our analysis of road accident rate
statistics, as well as the key systemic indicators that we have
singled out within the road infrastructure (Kurakina et al.,
2020) allow for an assessment of RTS measures’ eciency.
The comprehensive approach to improving the RTA
BS inspection procedure in the TP-V-R-EE system covers
the following:
– assessment of the accident hazard scope by
means of statistically processing the number of RTAs that
resulted in injuries, and the severity of these injuries, and
contrasting the target values and indicators against the
reference years and similar periods;
– evaluation and assessment of the TPA and the key
principles of achieving accident reduction in Russia over
the previous year;
– the inclusion of: tools that help achieve the TPA
goals, the TPA scope, and the road infrastructure indicator
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59
system; the comprehensive application thereof, coupled
with analytical methods and accident prediction system
methods; possibly, also the inclusion of the digital inquiries
desk at the organization responsible for trac safety.
The eciency of RTA BS inspection is dened by the
following factors:
– the reference period for accident rate evaluation at
the road sections analyzed;
– the use of scientic, analytical and computational
methods for analyzing and processing the data on road
infrastructure facilities’ parameters;
– the use of diagnostic equipment for obtaining
accurate data on road infrastructure facilities’ parameters;
– the validity of regulatory documents establishing
procedures for RTA BS inspection.
We recommend using two alternative criteria for
selecting sets of RTS measures at RTA BS:
– whether or not the relevant measures have helped
meet target accident rate reduction value at a minimal
cost;
– whether or not the relevant measures have helped
meet target minimal accident damage value at a minimal
cost.
As for deploying the measures aimed at reducing
accident rates in the conditions described, we recommend
a step-by-step approach.
The results of eciently applying the set of measures
include: nding inconsistencies between the layout and
features of the road infrastructure facilities and transport-
and-technical / technical-and-operating conditions, on
the one hand, and the current regulations and technical
specications, on the other hand; determining accident
causes and factors relevant to black spots; designing
impactful administrative solutions and measures for
Figure 2. Comprehensive approach to the improvement of the RTA BS inspection procedure
Elena Kurakina, Sergei Evtiukov, Jarosław Rajczyk — Pages 56–62
POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING THE PROCEDURE OF INSPECTING ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT BLACK SPOTS
DOI: 10.23968/2500-0055-2020-5-3-56-62

60
eliminating RTA BS (immediate and long-term) and priority
activities aimed at preventing the emergence of future RTA
BS (immediate and long-term); oering recommendations
on mandatory measures aimed at sustaining the necessary
road quality level, in line with the current regulations and
technical specications.
Conclusions
The organization of work to identify and eliminate RTA
BS is a signicant resource for reducing road accident
rates and improving RTS. Studying a set of causes and
fact causes and factors that dene RTAs in black spots is
founded on a qualitative assessment of the RTS level and
accident trends in black spots, as well as on the opportunity
to conduct a comprehensive study that accounts for the full
set of RTA causes and factors. The use of a comprehensive
approach to improving the RTA BS inspection procedure
is a non-binding recommendation, and the inspection
approaches that we have used highlight the potential for
further improvement.
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ПОТЕНЦИАЛ СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЯ МЕХАНИЗМА АУДИТА МЕСТ
КОНЦЕНТРАЦИИ ДТП
Елена Владимировна Куракина1*, Сергей Аркадьевич Евтюков1, Ярослав Райчык2
1Санкт-Петербургский государственный архитектурно-строительный университет
2-ая Красноармейская ул., 4, Санкт-Петербург, Россия
2Ченстоховский политехнический институт
Домбровского ул., 69, Ченстохова, Польша
*E-mail: elvl_86@mail.ru
Аннотация
Обоснована необходимость совершенствования механизма аудита мест концентрации дорожно-
транспортных происшествий (МК ДТП). Потенциал совершенствования заключается в приеме учета
механизмов достижения результатов программно-целевого подхода и направления их реализации, системы
индикаторов дорожной инфраструктуры, инструментов информационных технологий. Разработанная система
индикаторов дорожной инфраструктуры в комплексном применении с аналитическими методами и методами
системы прогнозирования аварийности позволяет оценить мероприятия, направленные на сокращение числа
ДТП. Прием учета инструмента информационных технологий и систем - электронной приемной организации
безопасности дорожного движения необходим для разработки системной организации и управления уровнем
безопасности дорожного движения (БДД). Цель исследования: Разработка подхода к совершенствованию
механизма аудита мест концентрации ДТП. Методы: Системный анализ, аналитические методы, методы оценки
БДД на основе выявления коэффициентов безопасности и аварийности, выявления мест концентрации ДТП,
методы теории вероятности и обработки результатов исследования, программно-вычислительные методы
информационных технологий. Результаты: Обоснована эффективность комплексного подхода к исследованию
мест концентрации ДТП в системе «участник дорожного движения – транспортное средство-дорога-внешняя
среда». Обосновано применение группы показателей в системе их параметрических характеристик и условий
использования для исследования системообразующих индикаторов дорожной инфраструктуры. Определены
возможности аналитических методов, методов прогнозирования дорожной аварийности для разработки
подхода к совершенствованию механизма аудита мест концентрации ДТП. Предложен комплексный подход
совершенствования механизма аудита МК ДТП.
Ключевые слова
Автомобильная дорога, дорожно-транспортные происшествия, безопасность дорожного движения, место
концентрации ДТП, аудит.
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