--- title: "Accident study objectives, causes, preventive measures" subject: "Transportation Engineering II" chapter: 1 key: "semester_7/transportation_engineering_ii:accident-study-objectives-causes-prevention" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/transportation_engineering_ii/accident-study-objectives-causes-prevention site: BCT Engineering --- # Accident study objectives, causes, preventive measures Transportation Engineering II · Chapter 1: Traffic Engineering - Asked in: 2070 Chaitra, 8 marks - Video: [Transportation engg..10 marks Q&A ROADACCIDENTS..RULES ..CAUSES...PREVENTIVE MEASURES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkKxcmCUmEM) — OCTAGON - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/transportation_engineering_ii/accident-study-objectives-causes-prevention - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/transportation_engineering_ii/chapter-1 ## Question List the objectives of accident study. Explain briefly causes and preventive measures of accident. ## Short answer Objectives: find crash numbers, severity, types, causes, black spots; guide safety measures, policy and cost-benefit. Causes include human factors (speeding, drunk driving, 80-90%), vehicle defects, road geometry, missing controls, weather. Prevention follows the five E’s: engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, emergency services. ## Answer #### Objectives of crash (accident) study - To find the **number, severity, types and causes** of crashes. - To identify **hazardous locations (black spots)** and the accident-prone times and vehicle types. - To study the **factors** (human, vehicle, road) that contribute. - To **design remedial measures** (engineering, education, enforcement) and to rank them by priority and cost-benefit. - To **evaluate** the effect of safety measures by before-and-after comparison. - To support **policy, planning, traffic law and insurance** decisions and to give a base for safety audits. - To compute **crash rates and costs**. #### Causes of accidents and preventive measures 1. **Road user (human) factors:** over-speeding, drunk or drowsy driving, overtaking in unsafe places, ignoring signals, jaywalking, lack of experience or training, fatigue, using mobile phones. These account for about 80-90 percent of crashes. 2. **Vehicle factors:** brake failure, tyre burst, steering defects, overloading, defective lights, poor maintenance and lack of fitness tests. 3. **Road and geometric factors:** sharp curves, poor sight distance, narrow carriageways and bridges, insufficient superelevation, slippery or damaged pavement, absence of shoulders, poor intersection design. 4. **Traffic control factors:** missing or confusing signs, signals and markings, absent or poor lighting. 5. **Environmental factors:** rain, fog, snow, landslides and flooding (especially important in Nepal's hilly roads); night-time. 6. **Other causes:** animals on the road, poor enforcement of law and lack of emergency services. **Preventive measures — the 5 E's** - **Engineering:** safe geometric design, adequate sight distance, proper superelevation, signs, markings, guard rails, crash barriers, street lighting, speed humps, pedestrian crossings and bridges, black-spot treatment, road safety audit. - **Education:** driver training and licensing, school programmes, public awareness campaigns and media. - **Enforcement:** speed and drunk-driving checks, helmet and seat-belt laws, vehicle fitness inspection, penalty and demerit points under the Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act 2049. - **Encouragement:** reward safe drivers; promote safety culture and use of protective equipment. - **Emergency services:** quick ambulance and first aid, trauma care and a good crash reporting system (IRC:53 forms A-1 and A-4). ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What is identifying black spots in an accident study meant to achieve? A. Finding roads to be widened for capacity B. Locating hazardous, accident-prone places so remedies can be targeted C. Counting only fatal crashes D. Deciding vehicle tax rates Answer: B. Black spots are hazardous locations; finding them lets remedial measures be designed and ranked. (Key point: Black spots) 2. Which group of causes accounts for about 80-90 percent of crashes? A. Road and geometric factors B. Vehicle defects C. Road user (human) factors D. Weather and environment Answer: C. Over-speeding, drunk or drowsy driving, unsafe overtaking and similar human factors dominate. (Key point: Main cause of crashes) 3. Which of these is one of the 5 E's of accident prevention? A. Emergency services B. Estimation C. Excavation D. Economy Answer: A. The 5 E's are Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement and Emergency services. (Key point: The 5 E's) 4. How is the effect of a safety measure evaluated, according to the objectives? A. By the cost of the measure alone B. By before-and-after comparison of crash data C. By counting vehicles after construction D. By driver opinion only Answer: B. Before-and-after comparison of crashes shows whether a measure worked. 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