Arbaeen Ceremony and its Impact on Suburban Road Accidents in Western of Iran

The Arbaeen ceremony has increased the volume of road traffic in Kermanshah province, so accident analysis can improve policy-making and traffic accident prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to analyze traffic accidents on suburban roads of Kermanshah province using GIS in Arbaeen trips.

This applied study was performed descriptively-analytically in 2019 in the ArcGIS 10.6 software environment. The study was conducted in three phases: data collection, database preparation, and data analysis. In the first phase, the vector layers of the study were created and the accident data of 2018 were collected from Police Office, then the accident data related to the Arbaeen days (13.10.2018- 2.11.2018) were extracted from this collection. In the second phase, the study environment map was entered into ArcGIS 10.6 and their vector layers and descriptive tables were created. Phase 3, data analysis was performed to identify the cause, type, and condition of accidents, accident hotspots, and distribution.

In the Arbaeen days of 2018, 149 accidents occurred, as a result of which there were 20 deaths and 129 injuries. Personal vehicle crashes with 110, multi-vehicle collisions with 65, and speeding with 54 were the most common types of vehicles, modes, and causes of accidents.

High vehicle traffic in the Arbaeen days requires careful planning. Therefore, improving the infrastructure will improve the traffic situation and reduce traffic accidents. Proper distribution of resources and facilities, relief, and rapid response in Arbaeen traffic routes are also essential.