ABSTRACT
GRETTIA, in Components and Systems at IFSTTAR, the French institute of science and
technology for transport, spatial planning, development and networks, France
Risk can be defined, following the reliability and epidemiology literature, as a probability of sustaining an injury more or less severe in a road accident. The main risk indicators used in public health and transportation, such as the mortality and fatality rates, are described with their theoretical background from the survival theory, and their common estimates based on accident, injury, and mobility data. The factors affecting the risk indicators: demographic, geographical, mobility, and economic, are reviewed with their main effects, especially on the mortality rate with the relevant statistical risk models, including some advanced statistical models useful to tackle some deficiencies of the classical models such as Smeed’s law or Kopits World Bank model.
We live in a risky society. What does it imply? It implies that as a road user we are subject to a potential adversity or threat, the vectors of which are the moving vehicles on the road. The accident can occur as an unwanted and unexpected event, such as a collision or a crash, which has consequences such as injuries because of the release of mechanical energy.
