ASSIGNMENT
In the last homework we learned about the FARS database, and actually USED it!
While it might seem like a nice dataset to have (and it is), researchers have been using it for years to study transportation issues in this country, with the hopes of using the outcomes of these analyses for safety policy decisions.
You will get a little more cozy with such research by reading the paper:
- Roy, “Comparative Analysis of Fatal Pedestrian Crashes between Kansas and USA,” JTTs, vol. 09, no. 03, pp. 381–396, 2019, doi: 10.4236/jtts.2019.93024.
- What time of day is most common for pedestrian fatalities in Kansas (over all years)?
- How does this compare with the most common time of day for the US overall?
- Looking at figure 11, would you say poor atmospheric conditions have a significant impact on pedestrial fatalities?
- On page 392, the author states “For Kansas, speed limits between 30 mph and 40 mph account for 52% of total crashes (26% crashes for 30 mph and 26% for 35 mph or 40mph), …”. Why is this statement as written incorrect?
- The authors go on to explain the abnormally high number of fatalities at higher speeds with “… Kansas has lot of rural roads, where the speed limit is high and in rural roads, laws are not strictly enforced, all of which might lead to a larger number of fatal pedestrian crashes.”. Which of the suggested countermeasures would you think might successfully address this issue? If you do not find anything sufficient, what might you recommend instead?
