Akaateba, M: International Comparisons of Road Accidents

Road safety has become a global priority in view of the economic and human costs associated with road accidents. This notwithstanding, international comparisons of road accidents have become difficult to make due to the wide variations of road safety indicators across countries. Thus, the result obtained from comparing accidents rates among various countries varies depending on the accident rate/indicator used. This book reviews existing accident prediction and comparison models and suggests an alternative approach to making international comparisons of road accidents. It provides alternative ways of combining different road safety indicators into a single aggregate road safety index that can be used in ranking the road safety performance of various countries. Based on a calculated index, the road fatality trends among twenty African and EU countries for the period 1997-2006 have been compared and best practices recommended for improving road safety. This book is particularly useful to road safety professionals and students, persons in academia, transportation planning students and anyone with an interest in road safety research.