The Traffic Crash Analysis solution delivers a set of capabilities that help you to analyze crash data using methodologies defined by the United States Road Assessment Program (usRAP) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), identify locations where concentrations of serious injury and fatal crashes occur, and share the results with decision makers and the public.
In this topic, you’ll learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the workflows below.
Note:
Use your organization's data or configured apps to follow these workflows.Analyze traffic crashes
The Crash Analysis ArcGIS Pro project helps public works, public safety, and transportation staff analyze crash data along roadways and at intersections. The project provides tasks and tools that allow you to perform this analysis using two methodologies. You will assume the role of transportation analyst responsible for analyzing crash data to identify roadways that have a higher risk of traffic crashes.
United States Road Assessment Program (usRAP) protocol
usRAP uses a risk-mapping protocol to create maps that show variations in the level of crash risk across a road network. These maps can guide the prioritization of highway infrastructure improvements and targeted enforcement strategies. The tasks and tools will guide you through performing the analysis according to the usRAP protocol.
- Create roadway segments.
- Assign crashes.
- Create risk maps.
The advantage of this methodology is that it uses roadway and traffic control feature data to assess risk and can better account for rural areas with lower traffic volumes or limited or unreliable crash data. The usRAP tools use a series of input feature classes and fields on those feature classes to create basic road segments. Confirm that your data meets the tools parameter requirements below before using the usRAP tools.
To analyze crash data using the usRAP protocol, complete the following steps:
- In a browser, sign in to your ArcGIS organization, and then browse to the Traffic Crash Analysis solution.
- Download the Crash Analysis desktop application template and unzip the folder.
- From the unzipped folder, open Crash Analysis.aprx in ArcGIS Pro.
- In ArcGIS Pro, in the Catalog pane, expand Tasks, and then double-click the Crash Analysis task.
Note:
If you do not see the Catalog pane, from the View tab, in the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.
- In the Tasks pane, expand the How to Use Crash Analysis task group to see the collection of tasks.
- Double-click the Analyze crashes with usRAP protocol task and follow the steps provided.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) network screening
Network screening is the process of studying safety conditions on an entire road network or a subset of the network. While there are a variety of methods available to conduct network screening, three are included in the Crash Analysis project:
- Crash Frequency
- Crash Rate
- Equivalent Property Damage Only
The advantage of this tool is that it only requires the location of crashes and streets or intersections to calculate a crash frequency. Optionally, traffic volume expressed as an average daily traffic volume or the severity of the crash can be used to calculate the crash rate and equivalent property damage only, respectively.
To analyze crash data using the FHWA network screening, complete the following steps:
- In a browser, sign in to your ArcGIS organization, and then browse to the Traffic Crash Analysis solution.
- Download the Crash Analysis desktop application template and unzip the folder.
- From the unzipped folder, open Crash Analysis.aprx in ArcGIS Pro.
- In ArcGIS Pro, in the Catalog pane, expand Tasks, and then double-click the Crash Analysis task.
Note:
If you do not see the Catalog pane, from the View tab, in the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.
- In the Tasks pane, expand the How to Use Crash Analysis task group to see the collection of tasks.
- Double-click the Analyze crashes with FHWA network screening task and follow the steps provided.
Visualize fatal and serious injury crashes
Now you will assume the role of a resident who commutes daily to work by bike. You want to see where fatal and severe injury crashes involving cyclists have occurred in the community and the times of day they most often occur.
- In a browser, from the Traffic Crash Analysis solution, view the Fatal and Serious Injury Dashboard app.
The dashboard displays traffic crashes by mode, severity, and date. An accident may involve multiple parties and modes of transportation; in those cases, the most vulnerable mode of transportation is used for the mode. For example, if a motorist and bicyclist are involved in an accident, click the Mode drop-down arrow and choose Bicyclist. Similarly, the highest severity is associated with the accident. For example, if a car accident results in one fatality and three non-incapacitating injuries, click the Severity drop-down arrow and choose Fatality.
- In the left panel, use the filters to refine results by Mode, Severity, and Date Range.
The charts below and to the right of the map are linked, so as you click a bar in one chart, related details are filtered and updated in other charts and in the map. This feature can be helpful in looking for trends in crashes, both spatially and by time of day, week, and year.
- Use the graphs to filter traffic crashes by Hour of Day, Day of Week, and Month of Year.
Locate high-risk streets and intersections
You will continue your role of a resident in the community and want to learn what streets and intersections along your daily commute have a higher risk of traffic crashes.
- In a browser, from the Traffic Crash Analysis solution, view the High Injury Network Locator app.
The app displays the streets and intersections where concentrations of serious and fatal traffic crashes have occurred.
- To set a location to be buffered, type an address in the search bar and press Enter or click a location on the map.
- Optionally, move the slider to increase or decrease the buffer distance.
- Expand Intersections or Streets to see details about the number of crashes per mile and per million vehicle miles.