Assessment and Mapping of Vulnerable Roads to Accidents Through Geospatial Techniques

Abstract

In Pakistan, about 36000 people were killed in road accidents in the year 2019. This study focuses on hazard assessment through geo-spatial techniques using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. An attempt was made to demarcate the most vulnerable roads to accidents for the years 2015 to 2019 through geospatial techniques. The data used in this research was collected through real time field observation using questionnaire-based survey. The results show that the ratio of reported accidents was higher in 2019 which was 53,979, in comparison to the number of accidents occurred in 2015 which were 19,073. It caused 478 casualities in 2019 in comparison to 308 in 2015. We found various reasons behind these accidents at both administration and individual levels e.g., about 67% increase was observed in number of vehicles from 2015 to 2019 whereas only 14% driving licenses were issues against this number. The most vulnerable roads where most of accidents occurred were Ferozepur Road, Ring Road, Mall Road and Jail Road whereas, in Iqbal Town, the roads were Canal Road, Multan Road, College Road and Raiwind Road. Geospatial techniques proved efficient for mapping the vulnerable roads to accidents.