Date of Award

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Member

Dr. Wayne Sarasua

Committee Member

Dr. Jennifer H. Ogle

Committee Member

Dr. Mashrur Chowdhury

Abstract

According to the 2012 South Carolina Traffic Collison Fact Book, a fatality occurs in South Carolina every 10.9 hours and an injury every 16.3 minutes. These rates rank among the highest in the country. Furthermore, South Carolina incurs over two billion dollars in economic loss annually due to road traffic crashes. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), has undertaken a series of initiatives in an effort to reduce the number of vehicle crashes, especially injury and fatal crashes that occur every year in South Carolina. One of these initiatives is the deployment of a map-based crash geocoding system that has greatly improved the quality of the location data. My thesis examines the progression in crash location data quality in South Carolina by reviewing improvements made to crash data collection methods over recent years and analyzing subsequent benefits of having higher quality crash data from a spatial analysis standpoint. Geographic Information System (GIS) analytical tools are used to help assess improvements in geocoding accuracy. A case study evaluation of driveway related crashes, occurring in close proximity to intersections is presented as one of the many benefits of having more spatially accurate crash data.

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