THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISIBILITY AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

The objective of this research was to develop statistical relationships between visibility, as defined by a visibility metric relying on luminances, and nighttime traffic accident experience on urban arterial streets. The results of this research show that as the visibility level increases, the accident rate decreases. Accidents are, however, directly related to both area type and population density. Higher population densities are associated with higher accident rates, and central business district areas have higher accident rates than other areas. In addition, it was found that higher illumination levels are related to higher accident frequency.