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On the relationship between congestion and road safety in cities

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  • Albalate, Daniel
  • Fageda, Xavier

Abstract

We empirically examine the relationship between traffic congestion and deaths in road accidents at the city level. We use panel data from 129 large cities in Europe for the period 2008–2017. We find strong evidence of a quadratic relationship between congestion and deaths in accidents, using both parametric and non-parametric econometric techniques. The threshold point at which the relationship between congestion and deaths in accidents is reversed and becomes positive occurs when congestion results in about a 30 per cent increase in travel time compared to a free flow situation. For most congested cities, any effective measure to contain congestion may also lead to better safety outcomes.

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  • Albalate, Daniel & Fageda, Xavier, 2021. "On the relationship between congestion and road safety in cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 145-152.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:105:y:2021:i:c:p:145-152
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.03.011
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Daniel Albalate & Xavier Fageda, 2022. ""Have Low Emission Zones slowed urban traffic recovery after Covid-19?"," IREA Working Papers 202222, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Dec 2022.
    3. Duc C. Phan & Long T. Truong, 2024. "Traffic Congestion and Safety: Mixed Effects on Total and Fatal Crashes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-11, October.
    4. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Lopez-Valpuesta, Lourdes, 2024. "Planning traffic surveillance in Spain: How to optimize the management of police resources to reduce road fatalities," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Xavier Fageda, 2021. "Measuring the impact of ride‐hailing firms on urban congestion: The case of Uber in Europe," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(5), pages 1230-1253, October.
    6. Ahmed, Kashif & Kamihigashi, Takashi & Matsuo, Miwa, 2023. "Positive fuel price elasticities of expressway traffic flows: Insights for policymakers and management strategists," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 99-114.

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