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more likely to be involved in fatalities compared to passenger vehicle occupants in crashes

involving heavy vehicles.

In terms of the injury severity of occupants, Pahukula et al. (2015) examined the effect of
different times of day on the injury severity of drivers in crashes involving large trucks on

urban freeways in Texas. They found that rain and darkness were more likely to contribute to
serious injuries in crashes occurring in the afternoon, while a higher percentage of truck

traffic contributed to more severe injuries in the evening. Another study in Texas found that

collisions which occurred in rural areas, between midnight and 6 am, and with lighting,
tended to increase the fatality risk (Islam and Hernadez, 2013).

Chang and Chien (2013) found that drivers not wearing seatbelts and drivers under the
influence of alcohol were more likely to suffer severe injuries in heavy vehicle crashes on

national freeways in Taiwan. Cerwick et al. (2014) investigated heavy-truck crash severity on
public roadways in Iowa, U.S.A. and found that three or more vehicles involved in a crash, a

dry road surface, and heavy-vehicle drivers who were speeding were more likely to
contribute to a severe outcome.

In single-vehicle crashes involving a heavy vehicle, the factors contributing to injury severity
of drivers were associated with excessive speed, being ejected from the vehicle, hitting fixed

objects (Lee and Li, 2014), older drivers (age ≥50) and gender (female drivers) (Chen and
Chen, 2011). In another study, heavy-vehicle drivers were more likely to be involved in

severe injuries in single-vehicle crashes due to involving in hiting fix object collisions in
rural areas, while run-off road collisions were more likely to result in severe injuries in urban

areas (Islam et al., 2014).

2.4 Intersection and Mid-block Crashes

Since intersections can be considered as hazardous locations on the road, many studies have

been conducted to examine the factors contributing to crashes at intersections (Tay and
Rifaat, 2007; Barua et al., 2010; Anowar et al., 2014; Tay, 2015). A wide range of variables

has been used in existing studies which compare crashes at intersections and mid-blocks,

including gender (Lightstone et al., 2001; Moore et al., 2011), safety restraints (Roudsari et

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