Citation

Mouratidis A. Int. J. Traffic Transp. Eng. (Rosemead, Calif.) 2023; 12(2): 15-21.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Scientific and Academic Publishing)

DOI

10.5923/j.ijtte.20231202.01

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Multiple-Vehicle Collisions (MVC) are chain-reaction road accidents involving three or more vehicles. They are a rare type of severe traffic incidents and, usually, occur on major roads, such as, motorways and national arteries, under high traffic volume. Successive vehicle crashes, on these major transport links, produce not only road closures, but also, very often, injuries and fatalities. Due to their nature, severity and extent, multiple-vehicle collisions are one of the most disastrous and fatal types of road accidents. The hereby research focuses on the features of severe multiple-vehicle collisions and attempts to identify the most recurring causes of these accidents. Low visibility, pavement slipperiness and inconsiderate driving are recognized as common major causes, while tailgating, high speed and road works are also pointed out as factors susceptible to generate multiple crashes. Based on data available from journal reports, a concise interpretation of the causes of these MVC's was conducted and is hereby presented. Moreover, a statistical analysis on the distribution of multiple vehicle collisions by crash cause and impact has also been carried out, meant to explore and to identify the most adverse conditions for traffic safety. The research concludes with a list of proposed proactive measures, adequate to motorways, which may prove to be beneficial in the case of uncertain safety conditions, as well as, with remedies to be applied after an incident, to alleviate a stressful situation and to mitigate the risk for secondary crashes.

Language: en