Safety Assessment Based on Accident, Traffic Flow and Facilities Characteristics in Rural Freeways

Safety assessment for an in-depth analysis and improvement is one of the key functions of any safety management program. On the basis of the relevant research works, this paper presents a method assessing the safety level in rural freeways based on accident, traffic flow and facilities characteristics. Three models relating accident data, traffic flow characteristics and facilities characteristics to safety are studied and the criteria to divide safety levels are established by applying statistics method, traffic flow simulation and fuzzy set theory. Then the integrated safety status is defined and classified by analyzing the intrinsic relationship among accident data, traffic flow characteristics, facilities characteristics and safety. The integrated safety status can present the priority for safety improvement and also help diagnose safety problems and select treatments.