Accident Analysis

402. Accident Analysis

402.1. Postimpact Behavior of Vehicles
Analysis of the after eects of a collision can give clues about travel speeds
of vehicles immediately prior to impact. The following principles of physics
must hold:
1. Conservation of linear momentum
2. Coecient of restitution relating pre- and postimpact relative velocity
402.1.1. Conservation of Linear Momentum
Total momentum is conserved in all directions (vector):

(402.1)
where the subscripts i and f refer to initial and nal conditions, respectively.
This means that the total linear momentum of the system (both colliding
vehicles) before the impact, with speeds written as vector quantities, is equal
to the total momentum immediately after the impact. The direction of travel
immediately after impact can be estimated from the orientation of the skid
marks and distance traveled by the wreckage.
402.1.2. Coecient of Restitution
Also, the nature of the impact is specied in terms of a coecient of

restitution (e ), which is in the range 0 e 1, with e = 0 implying a

perfectly plastic collision (objects stick together after impact) and e = 1

implying a perfectly elastic collision (relative velocity of objects unchanged
by impact). The coecient of restitution is dened as

(402.2)
In Eq. (402.2), the velocity components aected by the nature of the impact
(i.e., the value of e ) are those that are parallel to the line of impact (the line
joining the centers of mass at the instant of impact). The velocity components
perpendicular to this line are unaected by the impact. If the vehicles get
stuck together as a result of the collision, the collision is plastic (e = 0) and
the two vehicles have a common velocity.
Example 402.1
At a right-angle intersection, two cars collide and the wreckage is seen to
follow the path as shown in the following gure. The distance traveled by the
wreckage before coming to a stop is 52 ft. It has been established that the
eective coecient of friction of the level ground over which the wreckage
travels is 0.72. The weight of the westbound vehicle (B) was 3200 lb and that
of the northbound vehicle (A) was 5100 lb. What were the speeds (mph) of
the two vehicles at the time of impact?

Solution Coecient of friction f = 0.72

Therefore, deceleration rate a = fg = 0.72 32.2 ft/s 2 = 23.2 ft/s 2

The speed at which the wreckage moves immediately after impact is thus

Conservation of momentum in the y direction gives

Conservation of momentum in the x direction gives

402.2. Design of Crash Cushions

An elementary design for crash cushion design is based on the energy
absorption capacity of the cushion. The critical design variables aremass of
design vehicle, impact speed, cushion length, and deceleration rate.
Example 402.2
A crash cushion must be chosen to safely stop a runaway vehicle. The
following data are given:
Weight of design vehicle = 4300 lb
Approach speed = 70 mph
Equivalent spring stiness of barrier system = 1200 lb/ft
What is the minimum length of crash cushion required?
Solution
Mass of the vehicle:
Impact speed: V = 70 mph = 70 1.47 = 102.9 fps
Kinetic Energy at the time of impact:

Energy absorbed by cushion (which is idealized as a spring):

Equating impact energy to absorbed energy, we get:

Thus, the crash cushion must be at least 35 ft long to absorb the energy of
the impact.

402.3. Accident Rates

Accident rates for a particular location are a critical parameter for decision
making about possible improvements to the location or facility. Once the
crash rate for the location (stretch of roadway or intersection) has been
measured, it is then compared to the critical crash rate for the surrounding
region (district, state, and the like).
The equivalent number of accidents

for a facility is often calculated by

adopting weighing factors for various types of accidents depending on their

severity. These are not economic weighting factors, but are meant to
represent the accident risk level for that facility.
402.3.1. Critical Crash Rate
The critical crash rate is calculated using various approaches. For example,
in Kentucky, Eq. (402.3) is used to calculate the critical crash rate.

(402.3)
where C c = critical crash rate

C a = average statewide crash rate for type of intersection

K = a constant related to statistical signicance level
M = exposure (e.g., for intersections M is in terms of million entering
vehicles, for highway segments it is hundred million vehicle miles)
The actual crash rate for each intersection is calculated using Eq. (402.6).
The critical rate factor is then dened as the actual crash rate divided by the

critical crash rate.

Example 402.3
A 0.25-mi segment of an urban arterial is being studied for its accident
history. The AADT is 12,000 vehicles per day. During the 3-year study period,
there have been a total of 43 "equivalent" accidents (fatal + injury + property
damage) per year. The statewide average for similar arterials is 725
equivalent accidents per year. Use a 95% condence level. What is the
accident ratio for this arterial?
Solution The exposure M is calculated as

For 95% condence level, the constant K = 1.645.

Since this ratio exceeds 1.0, this highway segment may have a safety
problem.
Example 402.4
The example below outlines various ways for normalizing and reporting
accident rates for a study jurisdiction. The table below shows some gross
accident statistics for a relatively small urban jurisdiction in 2003.
Fatalities

75

Fatal accidents

60

Injury accidents

300

PDO accidents

2000

Total involvement

4000

Vehicle miles traveled

1.5 109

Registered vehicles

100,000

Registered vehicles

100,000

Licensed drivers

150,000

Population of area

300,000

The following "accident rates" may then be calculated and reported:

1. Accidents per hundred million miles

2. Deaths per 100,000 population

3. Deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles

402.3.2. For Highway Segment (Length L )

For a segment of highway of a nite length, the rate of accidents over a
study period of N years is reported as number of accidents per hundred
million vehicle miles (number per HMVM) and is dened as

(402.4)
where ADT is the average daily trac for the study period. If ADT values for
these N years are reported individually, then the average ADT is calculated
as

(402.5)
402.3.3. For Intersections
For an intersection, the rate of accidents over a study period of N years is

reported as number of accidents per million entering vehicles (number per

MEV) and is dened as

(402.6)
The number of entering vehicles is counted for all approaches into the
intersection.
Citation
EXPORT

Indranil Goswami: Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth,
Second Edition. Accident Analysis, Chapter (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2012),
AccessEngineering

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