title: A study on crashes related to visibility obstruction due to fog and smoke.
abstract: Research on weather effects has focused on snow- or rain-related crashes. However, there is a lack of understanding of crashes that occur during fog or smoke (FS). This study presents a comprehensive examination of FS-related crashes using crash data from Florida between 2003 and 2007. A two-stage research strategy was implemented (1) to examine FS-related crash characteristics with respect to temporal distribution, influential factors and crash types and (2) to estimate the effects of various factors on injury severity given that a FS-related crash has occurred. The morning hours from December to February are the prevalent times for FS-related crashes. Compared to crashes under clear-visibility conditions, FS-related crashes tend to result in more severe injuries and involve more vehicles. Head-on and rear-end crashes are the two most common crash types in terms of crash risk and severity. These crashes were more prevalent on high-speed roads, undivided roads, roads with no sidewalks and two-lane rural roads. Moreover, FS-related crashes were more likely to occur at night without street lighting, leading to more severe injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Environmental & Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-2450, United States. M.Aty@ucf.edu
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel-Aty
authors.forename: Al-Ahad
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ekram
authors.forename: Helai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Keechoo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D012906:Smoke; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014887:Weather; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke