Number of accidents investigated to date by Number of accidents investigated to date by JP Research India JP Research India as part of ouras part of our India traffic studies : 914India traffic studies : 914

SafetySpeak! SafetySpeak! is a publication of JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.is a publication of JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.

From the Editor’s Desk…From the Editor’s Desk…From the Editor’s Desk…

JP Research India has just successfully completed a full year of crash investigations on the Mumbai - Pune

Expressway. The annual report was submitted to the Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), Maharashtra,

and JPRI and the police held a press-conference to share the findings with the media. It is gratifying that the report

has been so well received, but it is equally exciting to be able to share our findings with our readership, whose

members cover a broad spectrum of the disciplines that comprise India’s road safety community. The study provides

solid data on the types of vehicles involved in accidents and injury on the expressway, the accident types seen, and

the contributing factors. Suggested approaches for reducing accidents and injury severity are also provided.

This edition of the newsletter provides a summary of the report and an article on a single road safety issue from

the study — the need to protect drivers through infrastructure design. Problems and solutions are examined from

several approaches. We also highlight some of the exciting projects and events that JP Research India has had the

privilege to be a part of over the past year. As always, if you want more information on any of our projects, contact

us through the newsletter or visit our website.

We have big plans for 2014, and I hope you will be reading along as we travel India’s highways and byways,

looking for ways to make your travels safer.

Jeya

SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak!

In the High Beams — Shining a light on a key traffic issue and some solutions 3

Road and Traffic Safety NewsletterRoad and Traffic Safety Newsletter Volume 9, No. 1 January 2014Volume 9, No. 1 January 2014

Expressly for our readers: A summary of the first year’s Expressway findings 2

Year in the rear view mirror — A look at 2013’s key crash investigation projects and papers 4

In July 2012, JP Research India (JPRI) approached the Maharashtra State Highway Police with a proposal to conduct on-site crash investigation and accident data collection on the Mumbai – Pune Expressway (MPEW). The proposal was accepted, and since 7 October 2012, JPRI researchers have been examining accidents on-site as soon as they are informed of a crash by the police.

What We Found on the Expressway A key finding based on one year of accident investigation data is that trucks are highly involved in accidents on the expressway. The data shows that, of all the vehicles/road users involved in expressway accidents, 63% are trucks. In addition, 30% of vehicles with at least one fatal occupant, and 37% of vehicles with at least one seriously injured occupant are trucks.

Cars, however, are the most affected road user types in accidents on the expressway, constituting 58% of vehicles with at least one fatal occupant, and 45% of vehicles with at least one seriously injured occupant.

The accident type most frequently seen on the expressway during the study period (accounting for 55% of all the accidents examined) was a vehicle running off the road; that is, leaving the carriageway to the left or right side. Another 33% of examined crashes involved collisions between vehicles travelling in the same direction.

So, what causes Expressway accidents? The study looked at contributing factors, alone and in combination, for crash occurrence and injury. Human factors alone (57%) had the highest influence on the occurrence of accidents, followed by the combination of human and infrastructure factors (22.5%) and vehicle factors alone (16.5%). Vehicle factors alone (28%) had the greatest influence on a fatal/serious injury outcome, followed by a combination of human and vehicle factors (21%) and combination of vehicle and infrastructure factors (19%).

Based on the data, actions likely to reduce the number of accidents on the expressway were identified. In brief, these include: Install continuous rumble strips on the road margins to help prevent run-off-road accidents caused due to driver sleep/fatigue. Implement a speed management program to control speeding. Improve road markings and signage, and provide advance warning before sharp curves. Provide a brake check area or a truck lay-by for truckers. For more on expressway crashes, read on.

MPEW Report Makes Study Data Available

to Police and Public

The MPEW study is an ongoing project being conducted at NO COST to the Indian government.

JPRI accident research teams conduct in-depth crash investigations that include making detailed examinations and records of the crash scene, crash-involved vehicles and any injuries sustained by victims of each accident. Accident victims are interviewed, and measurements and notes are taken on accident data forms, which are used to build a scientific database in a format that allows for detailed analysis of accidents.

In return for the cooperation provided by the police and other agencies for our various India crash investigation studies, JPRI provides such agencies with reports based on the collected data that give scientific, detailed and unbiased insights regarding road safety issues in India, as well as possible solutions.

RASSI Database

Much of the data collected under this study is part of the JPRI-developed “Road Accident Sampling System – India”, or RASSI, database. This data is shared by a consortium of automotive manufacturers who use it for improving vehicle design and developing India-specific safety technologies. This research consortium provides financial and technical support to JPRI under the RASSI initiative for obtaining this scientific data.

Year One of the Expressway StudyYear One of the Expressway Study

Page 2 SafetySpeak! Volume 9, No. 1

The ‘Impact’ of Concrete Median BarriersThe ‘Impact’ of Concrete Median Barriers JPRI’s Mumbai-Pune Expressway study has revealed that 28% of fatal/serious injuries sustained on the expressway were influenced by man–made structures along the roadside or median. To begin to understand just what this means, consider the following crash examples pulled from the study. In the four cases analyzed here, the question of “what went wrong” is focused on what these single-vehicle accidents have in common: The crashes all involved impacts in which the crash vehicles left the roadway and impacted head-on with concrete barrier walls.

In three of these cases, occupants suffered fatal injuries, and in the fourth, serious injuries.

Every accident has three phases: pre-crash, crash and post-crash, a breakdown most commonly presented as a Haddon matrix. The more data that is available on crashes, particularly when there is information on pre-crash, the easier it is for researchers to identify recurrent factors that can either trigger an accident or affect the risk of survival in any of the three phases. In the following simplified Haddon matrix consolidating all four cases, it is clear that human (drivers sleeping or speeding) or vehicle (tire failure) factors created the initial problem. But in each case, there were infrastructure factors that might have prevented (during pre-crash) or lessened the impact (during crash) of a vehicle

plowing directly into a concrete barrier.

The matrix shows several things that could have significantly affected the outcome of these crashes, but only one is within the power of the government to easily control: the design of the roadway itself. Despite the best efforts of government to control behavior through laws and regulations, drivers still fall asleep, over speed, drive under influence, and fail to fasten

seatbelts. The road infrastructure, however, can be controlled, with designs to mitigate the occurrence and severity of accidents due to commonplace driver errors and vehicle failures. In the above cases, fairly simple, effective interventions that could have helped to prevent crashes in the first place, or mitigate their severity, were not available. Such design-level mitigation / intervention is particularly important on expressways, given the speeds driven.

Two simple infrastructure elements, if present, would likely have changed the injury outcomes in the above crashes: delineators and impact attenuators, as shown in the table below.

To err is human, but erring on a public road could be fatal! Fortunately, there are proven ways to keep the errors highlighted here from being so deadly. If the road / infrastructure design cannot avoid placement of immoveable masses on roadsides or in the median, it could make reasonable accommodation for errant vehicle movements. Proper placement of rumble strips / lane delineators can direct vehicles back into their travel lanes, and if there is a crash, impact attenuators can absorb the majority of crash force, mitigating damage to both vehicle and occupants and increasing the safety of the road for all users.

Page 3 SafetySpeak! Volume 9, No. 1

- M Bhuvanesh Bharath Alwar

Recommended InfrastructureRecommended Infrastructure ResultResult

1. Longitudinal rumble strips or other flexible/ low impact delineators to alert/dissuade drivers from entering the median space. Rumble strips also provide effective warning in times of low visibility due to fog, smoke, or torrential rain.

Alerts sleepy driver to roadway departures.

2. Impact attenuators before concrete median walls to cushion the impact.

Reduces severity of crashes in terms of injuries sustained.

PhasePhase Human FactorsHuman Factors Infrastructure FactorsInfrastructure Factors Vehicle FactorsVehicle Factors

Pre-Crash

Fell asleep

Over speeding

Absence of rumble strips along the length

Tire failure

Crash Unbelted

- Absence of delineators

- Lack of impact attenuators

- No airbags

- Structural integrity

There are few options and no good outcomes when a driver is suddenly faced with a solid barrier. As the pictures attest, the impact is abrupt and the damage is extensive.

Determining What Could Have HelpedDetermining What Could Have Helped

Determining What Went WrongDetermining What Went Wrong

2013: JPR India’s Year in Review2013: JPR India’s Year in Review

Page 4 SafetySpeak! Volume 9, No. 1

JPRI presents and exhibits at SIAT 2013, Pune

The year began with a showcase of JPRI’s technical

expertise at the SIAT 2013 Conference and Expo in Pune,

India. JPRI’s President and Founder, Ms. Jeya

Padmanaban, presented a paper on “RASSI: A

systematic approach for onsite crash investigation

and in-depth accident data collection in India”.

JPRI also presented findings from its accident research

through a stall hosted in the SIAT Expo.

JPRI in China for the INFATS 2013

JPRI researcher Bhuvanesh and JPRI consultant

Dr. Ahamedali Hassan presented a paper on

“Characteristics of fatal accidents in India” at the

INFATS Conference in Shenzhen, China.

JPRI branches out !

A Pune Office! Until April 2013, JPRI researchers

working on the expressway project were located in

Lonavala, Pune. With the completion of 6 months of

the pilot study, and the approval of the Maharashtra

State Highway Police to expand the study area

inside the Pune district, JPRI’s 2nd India office began

operations in Hinjewadi, Pune.

Expressway project kick starts . . .

A team of JPRI researchers began crash investigations on

the 94 km Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This is the first

expressway project undertaken by JPRI, and in prepara-

tion, JPRI researchers had specialized training on accident

scene management and traffic control. Project findings for

Year 1 were presented to the police in December 2013.

3rd Annual RASSI Consortium

Meeting 2013, Pune

Mr. Nitin Dossa, Executive

Chairman, WIAA, joined the annual

consortium meeting for a special

presentation by JPRI researchers on

their initial analysis of expressway

accidents. The meeting marked 3

successful years of RASSI studies.

JPRI makes a mark at the EMBARQ Conference & the SIAM-Safe Convention

Ravishankar, Manager – Safety Group, was invited to make a presentation at EMBARQ on

“Road Safety in Indian Cities – In-depth Accident Data Collection”.

Meanwhile, CT Arjun, JPRI researcher in Coimbatore,

made a presentation on “Scientific analysis of road

traffic accidents: requirements and training

needs” at the SIAM-Safe Convention held in Shimla.

Page 5 SafetySpeak! Volume 9, No. 1

JPRI shares its findings at the GRSF Conference, Bangalore

In June 2013, Muddassar Patel and Ravishankar Rajaraman

attended the GRSF Conference in Bangalore to present the baseline

data collection study conducted by JPRI, as part of the iRAP Four

States Project, on state highways of Karnataka and Gujarat. The

work was funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies under the

“Road Safety in 10 Countries” program. JPRI shared their findings

and raised concerns on narrow shoulder widths (1.5 m) and gaps-

in-median.

Human Functional Failure Analysis Training

— A Renault - JPRI initiative

Mr. Yves Page, Road Safety Expert from Renault

(also a RASSI Consortium Member), volunteered and

conducted training on Human Functional Failure

Analysis at JPRI offices in Coimbatore and Pune. The

training focused on conducting interviews with

accident victims and coding behavioral factors

influencing the crashes. JPRI researchers also brought

Mr. Page along as they conducted on-site interviews

with accident victims on the Mumbai-Pune

Expressway.

JPRI Guru, Dr. Ahamedali Hassan, checks on JPRI’s activities

Dr. Ahamedali Hassan, a former Birmingham accident research analyst and

JPRI’s key database consultant, made quarterly visits to the JPRI offices,

checked the status of data collection, conducted training for new recruits, and

audited existing research work being performed by JPRI.

JPRI CEO, Mr. Ajit Dandapani, inspects the offices’ setup & operations

Mr. Ajit Dandapani, CEO, JP Research India Pvt. Ltd., visited the JPRI offices in

Pune and Coimbatore. His visit included meetings with the Coimbatore Chamber

of Commerce, various educational institutions, the transport commissioner of

Gujarat and various OEMs. Being a computer scientist himself, Ajit also assessed

JPRI’s preparedness in IT and related infrastructure.

JPRI at IRCOBI, Chalmers University, Sweden

Mr. Rameshkrishnan, researcher from JPRI’s Coimbatore office, made a

presentation on “The new in-depth, at-the-scene, accident investigation

database in India” at the IRCOBI Conference, Sweden at Chalmers

University. The highlight of the trip was an evening dinner with Dr. Murray

Mackay and Ms. Elaine Mackay, well-known experts in the road traffic

accident investigation and injury biomechanics arenas.

JPRI joins iGLAD initiative

JPRI joins the iGLAD (initiative for Global Accident Data harmonization)

project by contributing 100 cases from the RASSI database.

More More 20132013 Contributions and AccomplishmentsContributions and Accomplishments

ENDNOTEENDNOTE

A WakeA Wake--Up Call for Sleepy DriversUp Call for Sleepy Drivers

A head-on crash into a concrete barrier is quite similar to the rigid wall frontal crash tests used to test vehicle designs. As discussed earlier (page 3), there are many a factors influencing such accidents. JPRI’s studies on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway reveal that a whopping 29% of accidents are influenced by sleepy drivers, and sleepy drivers are the single highest contributing factor for an accident occurrence on that expressway.

Given the monotony of driving on a wide open highway, such as an express-way, it is understandable that drivers tend to sleep behind the wheel. Sleeping drivers invariably drift from their lane, and usually from the roadway, either to the left or the right. This dangerous maneuver could result in consequences ranging from a simple run-off road event to a rollover or a fatal collision.

One simple way to help avoid this scenario is to install roadside longitudinal rumble strips, which are often no more than deep cuts in the pavement.

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has determined that, on US highways, shoulder rumble strips are effective in reducing 36% of run-off-road fatal and injury crashes. Another (and related) solution is to add clear zones.

Clear zones are open areas that are created in the median spaces and beyond the paved shoulders. These clear zones do not have any obstructions / objects and are essentially barren open spaces. By creating clear zones, roadway

agencies can increase the likelihood that a roadway departure results in a safe recovery rather than a crash, and can mitigate the severity of crashes that do occur by giving the driver enough time and space for corrective measures.

SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak!

____________________

Editor in Chief:

Jeya Padmanaban,

President, JP Research Inc.

JP Research Editors / Writers:

M. Bhuvanesh Bharath Alwar (India)

Sheryl Siebenborn (USA)

Ravishankar Rajaraman (India)

____________________

MISSION STATEMENT

To mitigate accidents and injuries to

road users in India by helping local

automotive safety organizations,

government agencies, and

manufacturers through accident and

safety research and training, and

creating public awareness of traffic

safety issues.

____________________

CONTACT US

JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.

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Civil Aerodrome Post, Avinashi Road

Coimbatore 641 014, Tamil Nadu, India

Phone: +91-422-440-0100

reachus@jpresearchindia.com

www.jpresearchindia.com

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© JP Research India Pvt. Ltd. 2014

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Page 6 SafetySpeak! Volume 9, No. 1

Centerline rumble strips (above) for undivided roadways. Shoulder rumble strips (left) for curved roadways and sleep-prone long stretches.

Shoulder clear zone (above). Median clear zone (right). Clear zones allow enough time and space for drivers to take corrective action.