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Paper Title:
Rural Speed and Crash
Risk
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Authors:
Craig Kloeden, Jack McLean
Abstract:
The relationship between
free travelling speed and the risk of involvement in a casualty
crash in 80 km/h or greater speed limit zones in rural South Australia
was quantified using a case control study design. The crashes involving
the 83 case passenger vehicles were investigated at the scene by
the Road Accident Research Unit and reconstructed using the latest
computer aided crash reconstruction techniques. The 830 control
passenger vehicles were matched to the cases by location, direction
of travel, time of day, and day of week and their speeds were measured
with a laser speed gun. It was found that the risk of involvement
in a casualty crash increased more than exponentially with increasing
free travelling speed above the mean traffic speed and that travelling
speeds below the mean traffic speed were associated with a lower
risk of being involved in a casualty crash. The effect of hypothetical
speed reductions on all of the 167 crashes investigated indicated
large potential safety benefits from even small reductions in rural
travelling speeds.
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