Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Fatal and Injury Severity of Road Traffic Accidents in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Chile´s capital, Santiago, presented over 91,000 traffic accidents between 2015 and 2018, yielding a total of 47,470 fatalities and severe injury outcomes. This study performed a spatial and temporal analysis of fatal and serious injury accidents to identify statistically significant spatial clusters using spatial statistical approaches at the global and local level. The results revealed that globally both fatality hotspots and spatial clusters of severe injury outcomes with high values tend to cluster over the studied period. Locally, the commune of Puente Alto presents the largest number of clusters with high injury severity index values in Santiago, while the commune of Quinta Normal has the largest clustering intensity of this index. Additionally, the communes of Maipú and Estación Central have the largest number of fatality hotspots among all communes in Santiago, and the highest average intensity of these hotspots are located in Puente Alto. Finally, a comparison between the spatial statistical approaches indicate that 85 locations exist in Santiago, in which both spatial clusters of injury severity with high values and fatality hotspots coincide. The results of this study will aid local authorities, transportation professionals, and planners to improve traffic safety in Santiago.