PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to estimate the minimum required separation distance (MRSD) between a vehicle and a bicycle when overtaking.METHODS: Three steps have been conducted to develop a methodology to estimate MSRD. First, a literature review has been conducted on the measurement of MSRD, and how it may be applied in Korea. Second, two assumptions have been made to develop a methodology to estimate the MSRD. The first assumption is that the maximum separation distance between a vehicle and a bicycle can be observed when they are at the same location longitudinally. In addition, it is assumed that the separation distance is invalid when the contra-flow exists. Finally, three cameras were installed at a height of 10 m to record the vehicle-bicycle interaction. Moreover, the vehicle trajectories as well as the separation distance were coded and analyzed. Through the hypothesis test and the interval estimation, the sample mean was tested and the confidence interval was estimated.RESULTS : 141 records of separation distance data were collected, and the hypothesis test demonstrated that the MSRD in Korea is significantly higher than other countries. In addition, the confidence interval of the population mean of MSRD is from 1.51 m to 1.65 m with 95% level of confidence.CONCLUSIONS: It is expected that the proposed methodology to estimate MSRD would be beneficial in studying road safety of vehicles and bicycles. Also, the proposed MSRD is expected to be designated in the act of road and transportation.
PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics affecting traffic accidents that have occurred in 564 industrial complexes nationwide from 2011 to 2015.METHODS : The traffic accidents were specified using various factors such as industrial complex type (national VS. general), industrial complex degradation (old VS. non-old), location of complex (capital VS. non-capital), and traffic law violation (speeding, signal violation, and median invasion). The average number of crashes and accident ratio (fatal, severe, and both) in terms of characteristics of industrial complexes were calculated. With a sample of crashes of the industrial complexes for 5 years, statistical significances were tested to analyze and compare the differences based on industrial complex and traffic law characteristics using parametric and non-parametric methods.RESULTS: From statistical results, it is observed that the crash frequency occurring in old industrial complexes is three times higher than that in non-old industrial complexes. Old industrial complexes located in a capital area, old national industrial complexes, and old general industrial complexes are considerably related to higher crash frequency, but the fatal accident ratio appeared to have no statistical difference across industrial complex characteristics. Severe crashes are more likely to occur in non-old industrial complexes on an average.CONCLUSIONS : It is necessary to eliminate potential threats to roads and traffic in the same manner as illegal parking in industrial complexes through the restoration of old industrial complexes. To improve the efficiency of road infrastructure, efforts should be made to improve traffic safety in accordance with industrial characteristics such as planning and operation of relevant local government programs.