Identification of Factors in Road Accidents through In-Depth Accident Analysis

The rising trend of motorization and improving socio-economic status of Thai people directly influences the aggravating road safety situation with fatalities and permanently disabled injuries of about 130,000 and 500,000 respectively over the past decades. An estimated annual cost from road crashes amounts to about US$2,500 million, 3.4 percent of Gross National Product (GNP), undoubtedly inflicts Thailand with a burning public health concern in the South East Asian region. This paper addresses an in-depth study through crash investigation and reconstruction which has not yet been practiced in Thailand to identify the contributory factors in road crashes by the concerned authorities. This research attempts to establish the linkage between the causes and consequences with event classification of an investigated case by highlighting the dynamic driving situation with initial traveling speed, pre-impact and post-impact speed of the involved vehicles to describe the crash scenario. Moreover, inaccurate risk assessment and late evasive action, absence of street-light facilities, inadequate lane marking and visibility were also outlined as major risk factors increasing the severity of crash and injury in this investigated case.