Multivariate Geometric Factors Contributing to Crashes and Injuries in Mountainous Freeways: A Case Study from Jiangxi, China

Abstract

Mountainous freeway goes through complex geographic and geological regions and causes safety problem. Making clear of the inner relationship of the crash occurrence and the geometric factors is the most fundamental prerequisite to solve the problem. This paper reveals the contributing geometric factors through analyzing the crash data from Changjin Freeway, a typical mountainous freeway located in Jiangxi Province, China. Based on crash records and designed alignment data, contributing geometric factors are generally classified into three categories: vertical alignment, horizontal alignment, and cross section. And then detailed effects of geometric variables are separately discussed and quantified through the relation with crash rate (CR).