Investigating Factors Affecting the Occurrence and Severity of Rear-End Crashes

Abstract

Rear-end crashes are considered as the most frequently occurring types of traffic crashes in many countries. In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (AD), based on the data of year 2014, the rear-end crashes represented about 20% of total severe crashes and resulted 25% of total crash fatalities. This paper aims to investigate the contributing factors that affect the occurrence and severity of the rear-end crashes in AD. Intensive analyses are conducted regarding; 1) the characteristics of at-fault drivers being involved in rear-end crashes, 2) the main causes of rear-end crashes and 3) the contributing factors affecting the severity of rear-end crashes. Descriptive statistical analysis and binary logit model approaches are applied to achieve the study objectives. About 17 explanatory variables were tested. The results showed that seven variables are significantly affecting the severity of rear-end crashes. Four variables belong to drivers' characteristic and behaviour including tailgating, driving too fast, years of experience and the issue location of the driving licenses. Two variables related to road characteristics; road type and number of lanes and one variable related to vehicle type.