ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING REAR-END CRASH SEVERITY USING STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Road accidents regularly cause a high number of fatalities. Thailand’s road accident fatality rate of 32.7 of every 100,000 people ranks the ninth in the world. Surprisingly, same-direction collisions comprise the highest proportion of crashes leading to fatality. To determine how best to minimize the number of fatalities and injuries, this research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine factors affecting rear-end collisions’ severity. According to SEM results, the driver factor had the greatest effect on collision severity, followed respectively by road and environmental factors. After assessing relevant factors, this study suggested that stakeholder organizations should play an important role in road design and maintenance and in driver training. The study also discussed driving and road policies in Thailand and other developed countries.