Survey on Hazardous Road Locations and the Relation with Environmental/Demographic Variables Using Hot Zone Method in Yazd-Kerman Highway

Nowadays, there are many efforts in different countries to identify hazardous road locations through different models in Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Our goal was to identify hazardous locations on a part of Yazd-Kerman highway located in Yazd province. It was by using hot zone method in GIS, and the relationship between these locations and environmental and demographic variables was assessed.
By using hot zone method, each road (Yazd-Kerman & Kerman-Yazd path) was divided into segments named Basic Spatial Units (BSUs). A BSU was defined as 1 Kilometer. For each BSU, variables such as number, time and cause of crashes, vehicle type, weather, age, sex and status of drivers were collected. The hazardous locations were classified in two definition groups as Hot Zones and Yellow Zones.
According to results, 17% of total 212-kilometer road was identified as hazardous locations. The most drivers engaged in crashes in these locations (34%) were in age group of 31-40. Motorcars, trailers and trucks had the most crashes, respectively. The most frequently cause of crashes was non-attendance to front and miss control of vehicle. The most number of crashes were taken place in the sunny climate.
Considering that hazardous locations increase near entrances, exits and junctions, it seems that paying attention to road design principles may cause a great reduction in the crash rate. A safe design also can reduce the effect of environmental factors such as weather, time and even vehicle type. Furthermore a good training program, especially for age 21-40, may have a great role in minimize the human errors in crash occurrence.