Spatial Analysis of Traffic Accidents in the City of Medina Using GIS

Abstract

The general objective of this research is to determine how to use the spatial analysis of traffic accidents in Medina Menorah City through geographic information systems. This research aimed to identify, locate and define the sites where traffic accidents are concentrated and determine the need to apply specific safety standards to reduce accidents and identify their causes thereof. This current research applied the analytical descriptive approach for its relevance with this specific research. This research collected traffic accidents data from the Ministry of the Interior, Department of General Traffic. That data captured the hotspots accidents in Medina Menorah City. Some of the most important results of the study are as follows: many roads were selected as High Accident Location HAL, such as Central Ring Roads, King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Road, Prince Abdul Majid bin Abdul-Aziz Road, and King Abdulla bin Abdel-Aziz Road. The high-speed roads are heavily linked to the massive increase of traffic accident rates, and the increase in the street section length led to the soaring number of total accidents. The study recommended performing more studies and different highway safety studies to identify and locate accident patterns on road networks. Due to the fact that the accidents concentration is intensely focused on Medina City center and Prophet’s Mosque, it is a must to increase the number of public transportations to and from Prophet’s Mosque, particularly during the Hajj period, because of the fact that the visitors of Prophet’s Mosque is on the increase during the said period. This study can be applied in other cities because knowing the locations of traffic crash hotspots can provide us with valuable insights into the causes of accidents and this knowledge helps decision-makers to better assess the risk associated with accidents.