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Traffic Operation and Accident Investigation

Traffic - may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, street cars and other
conveyances either singly or together while using the public way for purposes of travel.

Traffic laws - laws which govern traffic and regulate vehicles.

Traffic signs/road signs - are signs erected at the side of the roads to provide information to
road users.

Rules of the road - are the laws and the informal rules that may have developed overtime to
facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic.

Right of way - is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism for
transportation purposes such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway.

- the legal right, established by usage or grant, to pass along a specific route
through property belonging to another.

Traffic signal/Traffic light - a visual signal to control the flow of traffic at intersections.

Highway - any public road. A main road especially one connecting major town or cities.

Speed limit - define the maximum, minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using
a traffic sign.
Hit and run - is the act of causing a traffic accident and failing to stop and identify oneself
afterwards.

Traffic accident - occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road
debris or other statutory obstruction such as tree or utility pole.

Mary Ward - worlds first road traffic death including a motor vehicle, is alleged to have
occurred on august 31, 1869, when she fell out of her cousins steam car and was run over it.

Causes of traffic accidents

Human factors - ex. driver behavior, visual and auditory acuity, intoxication,decision making
ability and reaction speed.

Motor vehicle speed.

Driver impairment - factors that prevent the driver at their normal level of skill. Common
impairment include, 1) alcohol use 2) physical impairment - ex. poor eyesight 3) youth - teens
and early twenty aged drivers have the highest incidence of both accidents and fatalities among
all driving age group. 4) old age 5) sleep deprivation/fatigue 6) drug use - including prescription
drug.

Road design

Vehicle design and maintenance

seat belts - wearing seat belts reduces the risk of death by two thirds.

maintenance - a well designed and maintained vehicle with good breaks, tires and well adjusted
suspension will be more controllable in an emergency and better equipped to avoid collision.

center of gravity - roll overs have become common due to increased popularity of taller SUV
and minivans which have a higher center of gravity than standard passenger car.

motorcycles - have little protection.

Skid mark - is the mark a tire makes when a vehicle wheel stops rolling and slides or spins on
the surface of the road.

skid marks are caused by rubbers deposited on the road.

one form of trace evidence, when their size and shape can reveal much about the vehicle speed
and forces of acceleration or deceleration.

the length of the skid mark is closely related to the vehicle speed at the instant of breaking,
measuring the marks yields an estimate of original speed.

Locard exchange principle - was postulated by Edmong Locard in the 20th century which states
that with contact between two items, there will be an exchange. Every contact leaves a trace.
Everywhere you go, you take something with you and you leave something behind.

Skid mark are divided into:

acceleration marks - created on acceleration if the engine provides more power that the tire
can transmit.

braking marks - if the brakes "lock-up" and cause the tire to slide.

yaw marks - if the tire slide sideways.

RA 4136 - Land Transportation and Traffic code of the Philippines.

Coefficient of Friction - is a dimensionless scalar value which describes the ratio of the force of
friction between two bodies and the force pressing them together.

Rail Adhesion - grip wheels of a train have on the rails.

Split Friction - dangerous condition arising due to varying friction on either side of a car.
Road Texture - affects the interaction of tires and the driving surface.

Profilograph - devised used to measure pavement surface roughness.

Tribometer - an instrument that measures friction on a surface.

Traffic Waves - "stop waves" "traffic Shocks" - are traveling disturbances in the distribution of
cars on a highway.

Traffic Flow - the total number of vehicles passing a given point in a given time. Traffic flow is
expressed as vehicle per hour.

Traffic Congestion - "traffic jam" - is a condition on roads, streets or highways that occurs as use
increases.

Characteristics of Traffic Congestion

1. Slow speed of vehicles

2. Longer travel time

3. Increased vehicle queuing

Classical Theories of Traffic Flow

1. Free flow

2. Congested traffic
Three-Phase Traffic Theory - is an alternative theory of traffic flow developed by Boris Kerner
between 1996 and 2002.

1. Free flow

2. Synchronized flow

3. Wide moving jam

Pedestrian - is a person traveling on foot whether walking or running.

Gridlock - a traffic jam so bad that no movement is possible.

China - (Beijing-Zhangjiakou province) - is considered the worlds worst traffic jam ever as traffic
congestion stretched more than 100 kilometers including 11 days of gridlock.

Brazil - (Sao Paolo) - has the worlds worst daily traffic jams.

France - (A6 Auto-route) - between Paris and Lyon was considered the worlds longest traffic
jam.

Related Readings: Traffic Operation and Accident Investigation

1. Traffic Operation Definition of Terms

2. Traffic Operation and Accident Investigation Reviewer 1

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