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Our results also show that highways/freeways and main roads are more associated with single
heavy-vehicle crashes at intersections rather than at mid-blocks. In terms of odds ratios,
single-vehicle crashes on highways are 3.056 times more likely to occur at intersections,
while these crashes on main roads are 2.533 times more likely to occur at intersections
relative to mid-blocks. These results are consistent with our previous results that vehicle
overturn and angle crashes are more likely occurred at intersections than at mid-blocks. Note
that most main roads with posted speed limits higher than 70km/h are considered as
highways/freeways in Melbourne and intersection crashes include changes at interchanges.
The result that heavy vehicle crashes mostly occur in 60 km/h and higher posted speed zones
is consistent with previous findings on truck crashes in Australia (Tziotis, 2011; BTRE,
2016).
As expected, special road facilities, such as tunnels and bridges, are significantly associated
with single-vehicle crashes in mid-block. This result is consistent with our previous result
that single heavy-vehicle crashes are more likley to involve run-off road crashes, which also
increases the likelihood of hitting special road facilities. This result differs from that of Tay
(2015), who found that special road facilities were more likely to be associated with crashes
at intersections in rural areas compared to urban areas. The difference in the results may be
due to the focus on heavy-vehicle crashes at intersections and mid-blocks in our study instead
of a comparison between urban and rural crashes.
On the other hand, single heavy-vehicle crashes on roads with divided double lines are more
likely to occur in mid-blocks than at intersections. This result is somewhat surprising,
because the majority of crashes on roads with divided double lines occur on
freeways/highways and main roads. When interpreted with the above results on main roads
and freeway/highways, this result may imply that crashes on main roads and highways with
road medians or median barriers are likely to occur at intersections, while crashes on main
roads and highways with road division markings are likely to occur at mid-blocks. Further
examination of the data reveals that a relatively larger proportion of crashes on roads with
double lines crashes involving pedestrians. These results suggest that trucks are likely to hit
pedestrians at mid-blocks along main roads and highways with divided double lines. This
finding is similar to the result of Abdelgawad et al. (2014), that pedestrians are likely to be hit
by vehicles at mid-blocks due to jaywalking.
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