Identifying the Main Factors in Traffic Crashes: A Bibliometric Review of the Literature

What are the primary contributors to traffic crashes? Numerous studies have categorized these factors into three main groups: human, vehicle, and environmental. However, as vehicle technology advances and stringent standards for road infrastructure are established, there arises a necessity to redefine the elements influencing traffic crashes. Therefore, this study seeks to identify and categorize the factors contributing to traffic crashes. A bibliometric search was undertaken to gather pertinent literature, resulting in the selection of 95 relevant studies. Subsequently, factors significantly linked to traffic crashes in these studies were compiled, totaling 78 distinct contributors. These factors were then classified based on their characteristics through a two-step grouping process, culminating in the development of a taxonomy delineating the factors underlying traffic crashes. Following classification, the factors were sorted into six categories: general information and demographics, human factors, vehicle factors, environmental factors, road environment factors (time static), and road environment factors (time dynamic). Notably, weather conditions, road type/shape, and traffic volume emerged as the most frequently cited factors. Among them, road type/shape, weather conditions, and traffic volume demonstrated the highest number of significant relationships with traffic crashes, whereas driving skills, speed, and speeding exhibited the highest number of significant relationships relative to their frequency of occurrence. These findings are anticipated to enhance our understanding of the primary determinants of traffic crashes and aid in devising strategies to mitigate such incidents in the future.