Article citation information:
Gorzelanczyk,
P., Huk, A. Road traffic safety: a case study of the
Pila poviat in Poland. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series
Transport. 2022, 114, 31-42.
ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2022.114.3.
Piotr GORZELANCZYK[1], Aleksander HUK[2]
ROAD TRAFFIC SAFETY: A CASE STUDY OF THE PILA POVIAT
IN POLAND
Summary. Every year,
many road accidents occur on Polish roads, in which many people lose their
lives and health. Therefore, an attempt was made to analyze
road accidents in the Piła poviat.
The source of the analysis were the authors' observations and statistical data.
This study was conducted on a sample of 250 inhabitants. Hence, a questionnaire
was used. Most people, more than half, about 56%, travel by car because it is a
more convenient and faster means of transport. While 35% of respondents stated that
they feel relatively safe on the roads. A majority, 65%, of the respondents did
not participate in a road accident. Further, 60% of the respondents replied
that there were many accidents in the Piła poviat, and only 11% answered that there were not many
accidents. According to the respondents, the biggest cause of the accidents is
alcohol, inattention of drivers and haste. Despite the information,
advertisements, scale of these accidents, and opinions of family and friends,
people still drive under the influence of alcohol. Year by year, the number of
accidents on the roads of the Piła poviat is low, but still considerably high. There is no
best way to stop this from happening. In Piła
itself, circular intersections have been introduced to improve safety, such an
operation is one of the methods for smoother traffic. Additionally, in
residential areas, there are more speed bumps to reduce the speed of vehicles.
The conclusions obtained in this article can be successfully implemented, not
only in other cities in Poland but also in Europe as well.
Keywords: road
accident, road collision, road traffic safety
1. INTRODUCTION
Road safety depends on many factors
[1]. It is determined by the documentation of students' behavior,
including the experience of vehicle drivers. Based on these skills, critical
road solutions, as well as the design of vehicles can help drivers make
decisions in critical situations on the road and reduce the severity of errors.
Unfortunately, the life or health of other road users often depends on the
decision to become addicted. The development of technology with the language of
the road is increasingly aimed not only at mitigating the effects of accidents,
but also at avoiding them. Despite modern vehicle control systems that
facilitate travel, drivers do not slow down to warnings during transport
control. It should be noted that the driver is responsible for the speed at
which the vehicle he/she is driving is traveling.
There is a paramount need to
consider elements and factors beyond the operator's control, such as weather
and other road users, and adjust speed and maneuvers
to reduce the likelihood of causing or being involved in an accident or
collision.
Organizations such as the National
Road Safety Council at the governmental level, the inter-ministerial advisory
and the auxiliary body of the Council of Ministers on road safety are
responsible for both the observance of policies in this area and the monitoring
of road safety conditions [2].
Countries with the highest number of
accidents in the world are those where, on average, per 100 000 inhabitants,
the most people die each year. These are countries like Namibia (45 people),
Thailand (44 people) and Iran (38 people) [3]. This may be due to poor funding
for road infrastructure and a very low number of road checks.
The countries with the highest
number of accidents in Europe are those where per 100 000 inhabitants per year,
the most people are killed in accidents per year. In this category are Romania
(10 people), Croatia, Poland and Luxembourg (9 people). The data show that in
Europe some of the Balkan and Baltic countries as well as Luxembourg and
Belgium have the lowest road safety levels [3]. The reason may be inadequate
financing of road infrastructure.
The countries with the lowest number
of accidents in the world are the countries with the lowest death toll per 100
000 inhabitants per year. These countries are Maldives (2 people), Tajikistan
and Malta (3 people). Based on these data, it can be deduced that the safest
roads in the world are in island countries with fewer vehicles. The safest
roads in Europe are Germany and Switzerland [3]. This may be due to fewer
settlements and vehicles in island cities, while in other countries, it may be
better co-financing of road infrastructure.
Annually, the European Union spends
around EUR 45 billion on eliminating the effects of road accidents each year.
Together with the psychological and health effects as well as compensation for
families following the death of a loved one, this sum amounts to EUR 160
billion [4].
When moving along the road, certain
rules and regulations must be followed [5]. Many elements contribute to the
improvement of road traffic safety related not only to the promotion of the
proper behavior of drivers [6-8], but also to the
proper organization of traffic, and proper technical condition of
roads and vehicles [9-12]. Training and examinations for future drivers should
also be considered. Road safety is a scientific field, which covers the
above-mentioned aspects, and issues related to traffic supervision, medical
rescue and transport psychology [13]. The problem of using the road as a means
of transport as related to safety is discussed in
[14-16].
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
This article aims to analyze the state of road safety in the Piła
poviat. For this purpose, the first part describes
the Piła poviat,
analysis of accidents in Poland and Piła poviat, and presents their causes. The source of the
analysis were the authors’ observations and statistical data. The identification
of the main problem was caused by the number of road accidents occurring in the
analyzed poviat. This
article presents the views of the inhabitants on road safety in the Piła poviat and their
approach to this issue. The study was conducted on a sample of 250 inhabitants.
Hence, a questionnaire was used. The questions concern the residents' feelings
about safety in the poviat, as well as whether they
have been involved in a road accident, if so, what caused it, what are the
dangerous places in Piła and whether they have
ever driven a car under the influence of alcohol. The survey was conducted
openly while maintaining the anonymity of the respondents. It was preceded by a
preliminary survey to fully understand the questions asked by the respondents.
Among the methods of scientific
research applied were the observational method, examination of documents and
individual cases, as well as the monographic method. In addition, it was
decided to choose the method of diagnostic survey, that is, questionnaire, as
it allows people who had contact with the topic to comment.
The survey was conducted among the
inhabitants of the Piła poviat
to collect information about road incidents in the region and learn about the
respondents' opinions on road safety in the poviat.
3. ANALYSIS OF ACCIDENTS IN POLAND
AND THE PIŁA POVIAT
The Piła
poviat is located in the northern part of the Greater
Poland Voivodeship (formerly in the Piła Voivodeship), on an
area of 1 268 km2, inhabited by approx.
406 147 inhabitants (data from the end of 2020). The Piła
poviat is one of the five land poviats,
which were established on the territory of the former Piła
voivodeship, and currently belongs to the Wielkopolskie voivodeship with
the capital in Poznań. Figure 1 shows the
location of the Piła poviat
in Greater Poland.
The Piła
poviat is located on route No. 10, connecting
Szczecin with Warsaw, and on route No. 11, connecting Kołobrzeg
with Bytom. The poviat has a well-developed railway
infrastructure and a network of railway connections with major cities in
Poland. The road network in the district consists of generally accessible
public roads, which are divided into the following categories:
- national roads with a total length of 92 km,
- voivodeship roads with a total length of 88,5 km,
- poviat roads with
a total length of 428,8 km,
- commune roadswith a total length of 512,2 km.
Fig. 1.
Location of the Piła poviat
in Greater Poland [17]
Based on the police data (Table 1),
it can be concluded that in the years 2006-2020, there were 5 867 367
collisions in Poland, 561 315 accidents, 56 118 people died, and 690 648 were
injured. In the same period, there were 19 098 collisions in the Piła poviat, 1 511
accidents, 219 people were killed and 1 983 were injured. Compared to Poland,
the Piła poviat is at
the level of 0,33% of road accidents occurring in
Poland. The number of fatalities at the level of 0,38%
in Poland is significantly different from this value.
Tab. 1
Number of road incidents and
accidents in Poland and the Piła poviat in 2006-2020 [18]
According to the data of the Statistical Office in Poznań,
the number of vehicles in the Piła poviat increased by 33% from 2010-2019. In 2010, the number
of registered vehicles was approximately 83 711, while in 2019 it was 111 964.
Detailed data are presented in Table 2.
In Table 2, it can be seen that an average 1% of vehicles registered in
the poviat are annually involved in road incidents in
the Piła poviat.
Tab. 2
Number of registered vehicles in the Piła
poviat, number of road incidents in
the Piła poviat,
percentage of vehicles involved in road incidents [19, 20]
|
Year |
Number of registered vehicles: |
Number of road incidents: |
Percentage of registered vehicles
that were involved in road incidents: |
|
2010 |
83 711 |
1 372 |
1,64% |
|
2011 |
87 243 |
1 253 |
1,44% |
|
2012 |
91 299 |
1 122 |
1,23% |
|
2013 |
93 060 |
1 110 |
1,19% |
|
2014 |
95 537 |
1 017 |
1,06% |
|
2015 |
97 979 |
1 114 |
1,14% |
|
2016 |
101 153 |
1 235 |
1,22% |
|
2017 |
105 053 |
1 337 |
1,27% |
|
2019 |
108 386 |
1 335 |
1,23% |
|
2019 |
111 964 |
1 416 |
1,26% |
|
Average: |
97 539 |
1 231 |
1,27% |
4. RESULTS
A total of 48% of men and 42% of
women participated in this study. The highest percentage of respondents, 40%,
comes from the age group of 21-30 and over 51, which is 20%. People aged up to
20 and 41-50 are the least numerous. The above data are presented in Figure 2.
Among the surveyed women, women aged 21–30 and over 51 were the largest
groups, while women aged 31-40 were the smallest. The most numerous group of
respondents were men aged 21-30, and the least numerous were aged 41-50. These
data are included in Table 3. Majority of the respondents, 67%, live in Piła and 33% in the surrounding towns.
Fig. 2. Age of respondents
Tab. 3
Age of respondents by gender
|
Age |
Woman |
Man |
|
up to 20 years |
17,02% |
9,09% |
|
21-30 years |
27,66% |
52,27% |
|
31-40 years |
12,77% |
15,91% |
|
41-50 years |
19,15% |
6,82% |
|
51 years and older |
23,40% |
15,91% |
Most people, more than half, travel
by car, 56%, as it is a more convenient and faster means of transport. While
29% move on foot. Only 15% of respondents choose public transport. Considering
age and gender, men most often choose the car as their main means of transport.
The exception is men up to the age of 20, who mainly use public transport.
Similarly, women, like men, mainly choose the car as a means to their
destination, however, women under 20, choose the foot as a means to their
destination, as opposed to men who choose public transport. The above data is
presented in Figure 3.
Fig. 3. Age of respondents depending
on the chosen mode of movement
To the next question: How do you
feel on the roads? Most of the respondents declared that they feel relatively
safe on the roads of the Piła poviat; they constitute 35%. A little less, 30% said they
felt relatively safe. However, 12% feel unsafe and 4% very dangerous. While 3%
of the respondents move safely. People who do not have an opinion or are
indecisive are 3%. Analyzing the data presented in
Figure 4, it can be concluded that men aged up to 20 (50%) and 21-30 (44%) and
women over 51 (45%) feel relatively safe on the roads. Among men, the level of
safety decreased with age. Men aged 31-40 (29%) and women aged 41-50 (11%) feel
the least safe. It is worth noting that none of the respondents feels safe on
the roads. The situation is similar for women over 31 (Figure 5).
Fig. 4. Security level of
respondents
Fig. 5. The feelings of the
respondents depending on gender and age
In the next question, the respondents answered whether
they had been involved in road accidents. Most of the respondents, 65%, have
not been involved in a road accident in the Piła
poviat. On the other hand, 37% of the respondents
have been involved in a road accident. The data shows that most of the
respondents have not been involved in a road accident, this may be because
almost half of the respondents are 18-30 years old who have recently obtained a
driving license, and according to police data, the number of accidents in the Piła poviat is progressively
lower from one year to another. Most of the men aged 31-40 (71%) and 41-50
(67%) have been involved in road accidents. In women, these values are much
lower and constitute 37% for women aged 41-50 and 33% for women over 51 years
of age. These are disturbing numbers. The data is presented in Figure 6. People
who answered yes to this question stated that nearly 55% of them have been
involved in a road accident with another vehicle. Cyclists were responsible for
25% of accidents and pedestrians 17%. The surveys took place in different
years; most of them took place in 2011-2020, largely in Piła.
Fig. 6. Share of respondents in road
accidents by gender and age
To the
next question: Are there many accidents in the Piła
poviat? More than half, as many as 60% of the
respondents replied that there have been many accidents in the Piła poviat, and only 11%
answered that there were not many accidents. However, 22% did not have an
opinion on the subject. This question was answered in the affirmative by most
of the men aged 41–50 (67%) and women aged 21-30 (73%). Those with no
opinions on the subject were mostly men aged up to 20 (67%) and women aged
41-50 (38%). This may indicate that they have not had contact with such a
situation before. The above data is presented in Figure 7. According to 60% of
the respondents, most accidents occurred in recent years, that is, 2016-2020.
The farther away, the lesser the accidents. In 2011-2015 - 30%, in 2006-2010 -
7%, in 2000-2005 - 3%.
Fig. 7. Respondents' opinions on
road accidents by gender and age
Almost 51% of respondents indicated
the answer "haste, inattention, overzealous drivers" as the cause of
the high number of road accidents. Thus, the drivers themselves are mostly to
be blamed because they are in a hurry, distracted, unthoughtful and feeling
very unwell. The next positions are bad road surface (20%), alcohol (14.7%) and
bad signage (2.7%). It was difficult for 12% of respondents to answer this
question. Men indicated haste, inattention and overzealous drivers as the most
important reasons. This is especially true for men aged 51 and over (67%) and
21-30 (56%). According to women, as in the case of men, the main causes of road
accidents were "haste, inattention, overzealous drivers", especially
in the group over 51 years of age, where this choice was chosen by nearly 78%
of the respondents. Surprisingly, nearly 30% of men aged 31-40 and 50% of women
under 20 do not know the answer to the question about the cause of road
accidents. The above data is presented in Figure 8.
Fig. 8. Accident reasons by gender
and age of respondents
In the next
question, the respondents had the opportunity to indicate dangerous streets in
the analyzed city. Mainly two-lane streets in the city were indicated. Police
data are similar to the answers given by the respondents [18].
The respondents
then identified how often they use their mobile phones while driving. Most
people said they did not use the phone while driving, 39% and 22% said they do
not use it "hardly at all". Worryingly, however, 14% use the phone
frequently and 25% occasionally while driving, which makes driving more dangerous.
Given the detailed data, it can be concluded that 43% of men aged 21-30 and 25%
of men aged 31-40 and 50% of women under the age of 20 frequently use their
phones while driving. Particularly, this group should be focused on preventive
actions in this regard. The above data is presented in Figure 9.
Fig. 9. People
using the phone while driving a car
Road accidents and road collisions
are serious problems. Despite the passage of time and the improvement of the
quality of roads, as well as modern vehicles, they occur relatively often.
However, the greatest fault lies with man, because even with the perfect car
and the best road a 100% road safety is not guaranteed. According to the
respondents, the biggest cause of accidents is alcohol, inattention of drivers
and haste. Despite the information, advertisements, scale of these accidents,
and the opinions of family and friends, people still drive under the influence
of alcohol. Year by year, the number of accidents on the roads of the Piła poviat is low, but
still considerably high. There is no best way to stop this from happening. In Piła itself, circular intersections have been
introduced to improve safety, such an operation is one of the methods for
smoother traffic. Additionally, in residential areas, there are more speed
bumps to reduce the speed of vehicles. Nevertheless, the Piła
poviat itself does not rank well in comparison with
other poviats in Poland when compared to the Śląskie and Białystok
voivodeships, especially the first with the highest
number of road accidents, collisions and incidents in Poland. The respondents
also focused on drivers who drive on the so-called Memory, which means that
they are used to what will happen to them on a given route and what signs
appear on it. The bypass running east of Piła is
considered a great convenience, thanks to which drivers do not have to pass
through Piła while on the road. Despite the
passage of time, the inhabitants of the Piła poviat complain about the DK10
and DK11 roads and the intersection of these roads.
This is a problem that the services and the rulers are working on. It is
possible to predict the site of an accident in the future, although these
methods are not foolproof or reliable. Based on where
many road accidents have occurred in the past, at what times, and at what
seasons of the year, it can be determined whether an accident will occur under
these conditions. Modernization and reconstruction of these roads reduce the
number of road collisions. The average number of incidents shows that the most
frequent accidents occur in the afternoon and evening hours, at the end of the
week, in winter months, with good weather conditions.
In 2022, the European Union law on
modern safety systems, which every car should have, would become effective. Due
to these systems, not only the driver but also the vehicle, will observe road situations,
road signs and even monitor the driver's driving behavior.
The number of vehicles on the road
is increasing yearly, which results in less smooth journeys, traffic jams and a
greater chance of a road accident. More people are choosing to travel by car
using public transport. Access by public transport is economical, ecological,
and also limits traffic on the roads, as well as reduce the risk of road
accidents.
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Received 02.10.2021; accepted in
revised form 05.12.2021
Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series
Transport is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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[1]
Stanislaw Staszic State School of Higher Vocational
Education in Pila, Podchorazych 10 Street, 64-920
Pila. Poland. Email: piotr.gorzelanczyk@puss.pila.pl. ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9662-400X
[2]
Stanislaw Staszic State School of Higher Vocational
Education in Pila, Podchorazych 10 Street, 64-920
Pila. Poland. Email: aleksanderhuk44@gmail.com.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4677-1612