ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the parameters governing the risk and the consequences of vessel collision in inland waterways in North America in contrast to strait or bay crossings. It proposes the modifications to the commonly used vessel collision models to better adapt the models to the special conditions that occur in riverine and other inland waterways. The chapter discusses the impact of the factors on the probability of vessel aberrancy, the geometric probability, the overall risk of collision and the expected consequences. There are three main aspects that affect the vulnerability of a bridge to vessel collision, waterway characteristics, vessel traffic characteristics and bridge characteristics. The chapter identifies special conditions that occur in inland waterways in North America and their impact on the design and evaluation criteria, the risk of collision and the expected consequences. The risk of vessel collision is affected by factors related to the waterway, vessel traffic and bridge characteristics.
