TRAFFIC SAFETY AT INTERSECTIONS: THE CASE OF TULKAREM, PALESTINE
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Date
2022-10-30
Authors
Mohammad Wael Abed Al-Fatah Teebi
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Abstract
Background: Research on traffic safety at intersections in Palestine urban areas is dearth. Data on traffic crashes between July 2016- 2021 for Tulkarem Governorate were obtained from the Traffic Police Department. Additional data were collected from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Ministry of Transportation.
Aim: The aim of this research was to draw a comprehensive profile of road crashes at intersections in Tulkarem Governorate areas.
Methodology: Two different approaches were used to identify the governorate's most critical sites: severity of injuries at intersections and crash rate per traffic volume. Analyses were performed on three levels: Tulkarem Governorate, Tulkarem city, and COVID-19 pandemic; examining trends, severity levels; and accident-causing factors, and spatial distribution.
Results: Results revealed that Tulkarem city and the city’s Zone 6 were the most critical locations. Results also indicated that Thursday had the highest intersection crashes at all levels. The highest number of crashes at the governorate level occurred between 10:00-16:00, while for Tulkarem city the highest occurred between 12:00-20:00. During the pandemic, the highest were reported between 10:00-14:00. The spring season recorded the highest frequency at all levels, followed by summer, autumn, and winter. The percentage of males injured was higher than that of females at all levels. "Not giving right of way" was the highest cause in all intersection crashes in the governorate, while the ‘'over speeding" was the highest cause in the city. The number of crashes involving pedestrian injury was 15.88% of the total number of intersection crashes at the governorate level. Most injuries were for the 11-30 age group in the governorate and the city.
Conclusions: The majority of crashes were caused by users’ behavior; therefore, it is strongly advised that nationwide awareness campaigns on traffic laws be launched targeting all road users (drivers, passengers, and pedestrians). The behavior of drivers and other road users should, therefore, be thoroughly studied. Another important and urgent need is the creation of a national traffic safety program.
Keywords: Intersection safety; COVID-19; Tulkarem; crashes; pedestrians; Palestine.