Most Accidents Occur on Friday and the Majority are by Males A Study at UoB Suggests Developing a System to Improve Accident Monitoring and Analysis

Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al-Sabbagh)
24 January 2022
A study at the University of Bahrain (UoB) suggested developing an electronic system that relies on the use of geographic information systems (GIS), to facilitate the process of improving traffic accident monitoring, management and analysis, which helps in the registration of accidents, especially severe and fatal ones, responding to them faster, analyzing them, and detecting black points.
The student in the Master’s Program in Engineering Management at the College of Engineering at UoB, Mona Al-Ruwaili, presented a thesis entitled: “Evaluation of the Feasibility of Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Monitor Traffic-Related Accidents (Severe and Fatal Accidents): A Case Study from the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
According to the researcher, the study, which was recently discussed with an examination committee at the University, aimed to assess the feasibility of using GIS in monitoring traffic in Bahrain, as well as planning for future safety measures in the Kingdom’s road networks, to reduce fatal traffic accidents.
Also, Al-Ruwaili indicated that among the objectives of the study is the development of a geographical database to monitor traffic-related accidents, and the introduction of a digital GPS coordination to report traffic accidents, in addition to improving the response to accidents, using the dynamic guidance of the emergency vehicle.
The study examined reports of fatal and severe traffic accidents, amounting to 508 traffic accidents, for seven years from 2011 to 2018.
The study found that the majority of accidents occurred for the age group from 18 to 30 years, and that most drivers either did not take precautions while driving at high speed, or they jumped a red signal.
Moreover, the results revealed that Friday is the highest in terms of number of accidents among other days of the week, and that Bahraini males make the vast majority of accidents.
As for the results of spatial analysis, it was found that there are some fatal knots (i.e. a knot with two or more consecutive fatal accidents) and that only 19% of accidents occur at intersections and 81% occur on main and secondary roads.
The researcher suggested designing a geographical database and specifying the data according to spatial or non-spatial analysis, followed by design and implementation, and integrating many sites of civil emergency services (fire and ambulance) within the developed geographical database, which would reduce the response time of the medical staff.
Furthermore, she recommended a deep analysis of the causes of the spatial shift in accidents, and whether it relates to classifications of road functions, traffic density, exit and entrance ramps, and engineering designs.
The examination committee consisted of the Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at UoB, Dr. Uneb Gazder as a supervisor, the head of the same department, Prof. Mustafa Aytekin as an internal examiner, and a faculty member at the Ned University of Engineering and Technology in the Republic of Pakistan, Prof. Dr. Reza Mahdi as an external examiner.

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