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 Introduction |
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| Do traffic accidents occur more easily when it is raining? In order to understand this phenomenon, we
need to know how many accidents occur per hour during rainfall. In order to investigate the relationship
between traffic accidents and the weather, we integrated data on traffic accidents with meteorological
data from the AMEDAS system, compared the number of traffic accidents per hour during conditions of
rainfall and no rainfall. Our findings confirmed that there was a higher incidence of traffic accidents per
hour during rainfall. In the following section, we outline the results of our analysis of fatal accidents
during rainfall. *1 We hope that you will find this information useful in your efforts to reduce the number of traffic accidents that occur when it is raining. |
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| Conclusion |
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| We constructed a system for integrating AMEDAS data and conducted a quantitative analysis of the potential dangers of traffic
accidents occurring during rainfall. Our findings confirmed that there was a high incidence of fatal accidents per hour during
rainfall, as compared to periods of no rainfall. There were approximately 1.16 times more fatal accidents per hour during rainfall
than during periods of no rainfall. The primary factors involved in the increased incidence of fatal accidents were structural
collisions, speed limit violations, inattention to the vehicle ahead, and improper driving. There has been an increase in the number
of fatal accidents per hour occurring during the period from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. The primary factors involved in the increase
of these accidents were head-on collision, collision with structures, speeding, and inattentive driving. There has also been an increase in the number of fatal accidents involving pedestrians who are not within intersection pedestrian crossing zones. To reduce the incidence of fatal accidents during rainfall, it is important to focus on the reasons for fatal accidents at different time periods, create corresponding safety measures, and increase general awareness about safety procedures to prevent traffic accidents during rainfall. We hope that these findings will prove useful in your efforts to educate the public and reduce traffic accidents. *1. Ref. "Survey on Traffic Safety Measures for Different Hourly Periods", Director General for Policy Planning and Coordination, Cabinet Office Policy Control *2. 1998 AMEDAS Annual Report, edited by the Meteorological Agency *3. The more culpable party to an accident is referred to as the "party of the 1st part" and the less culplable as the "party of the 2nd part". |
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Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA) |
