Spatiotemporal Analysis of Traffic Accidents Hotspots Based on Geospatial Techniques

Road Accident Hotspots on Jordan’s Highway Based on Geometric Designs Using Structural Equation Modeling

One of the primary objectives of transportation engineering is to increase the safety of road infrastructure. This study seeks to determine the relationship between geometric design parameters in relation to road accident criteria based on accident hotspots on Jordan’s Desert Highway. The road accident data (from 2016 to 2019) were collected from the Jordan Traffic Department. The spatial pattern of hotspots was identified using a GIS tool named Getis-Ord Gi* based on the severity index of road accidents. A topographic survey was conducted to investigate the road alignment and intersections at hotspot locations. The study utilized the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique via SmartPLS to highlight the correlation between geometric designs in relation to road accidents. The hotspot analysis (Gits-Ord Gi) discovered 80 road accident hotspots along the highway. The study found that horizontal alignment and road intersections significantly impact road accidents in hotspot locations. Furthermore, vertical alignment has no effect on road accidents in hotspot areas. The study enhanced the comprehension of the factors associated with road geometrics and intersections that affect the occurrence of road accidents.

Helmet Use and Jaw and Tooth Injuries in Motorcyclists Admitted to a Referral Hospital

Background and Aim

The use of helmets has been reported to reduce the incidence and severity of head injuries in motorcyclists. However, there remains a significant gap in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of helmets, especially in preventing jaw and tooth injuries.

Patients and Methods

In this retrospective analytical study record, all traffic accidents that occurred continuously from 2017 to 2019 in which the motorcyclists were on at least one side of the collision based on inclusion criteria. Data from injury variables in medical records were merged with data related to helmet use in the trauma registration system in Excel software. Then, the final analysis was performed with STATA software version 14 at a significance level of < 0.05.

Results

In total, 1807 people participated in the study, and 160 (9.37) people used helmets. The incidence rate of jaw and tooth injuries was 86 (5.04%). Logistic regression implied that the odds ratio for helmet use was 0.7, which considering the p value of 0.419, shows no significant relationship between wearing helmets and jaw and tooth injuries.

Conclusion

Helmets alone cannot prevent jaw and tooth injuries, and designers should design helmets that protect the head and the jaw and tooth. In prevention programs and campaigns for motorcyclists, every age, gender, job, grade group and marital status are target groups.

Investigation of land cover (LC)/land use (LU) change affecting forest and seminatural ecosystems in Istanbul (Turkey) metropolitan area between 1990 and 2018

This study was conducted to examine the land cover (LC)/land use (LU) change affecting forest and seminatural ecosystems and the spatio-temporal development of urban expansion between 1990 and 2018 in the city of Istanbul, where urbanization is the most intense in Turkey. For this purpose, using Corine Land Cover (1990, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018) dataset, the land cover of the area was determined in 5 different classes (artificial surface, agriculture, forest, water bodies, water), maps were produced, and tabular data were created. The changes in LC/LU between 1990 and 2018 were determined according to the Puyravaud land cover change rate and hot spot analysis methods. According to our findings, we determined that urbanization in Istanbul expanded the most in the east-west direction, and the agricultural and forest areas gradually decreased by 3.02% and 6.66% respectively; urban areas increased at the same rate of 9.69%. It is predicted that this change will continue increasing until 2030 when the forecasting method is applied in the field. It has been determined that the most important reasons for this situation are local government policies, population growth, and economic development initiatives applied in the area. As a result, it has emerged that measures should be taken based on sustainability and naturalness approaches to design urban development plans and to protect natural areas on a large scale, in order to limit possible LC/LU conversion from natural structure to urbanization in the area.