SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT HOT SPOTS ALONG KADUNA-ABUJA HIGHWAY.

Lawal, A.M.*, Akpu, B. and Adefila, J.O.

The prime goal of highway safety managers is to limit the number as well as severity of traffic accidents by identifying and evaluating measures to improve hazardous locations or accident hot spots. The aim of the paper is to analyze road accident hot spots along Kaduna-Abuja highway using Road Traffic Accident Record, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) were used to derive the density results of hot spot along Kaduna-Abuja highway which covers an approximate distance of 138km from Goningora in Kaduna to Tafa a border town with Niger state. The result identified 222 accidents on the route and eight (8) different hot spots along the route between the year 2010 to 2014, among which are Gonigora, Toll Gate, Sabon Gaya, NYSC, Konar Bature, Akilibu, Gidan Busa and Katari of which Toll gate was the most dangerous location on the route which accounted for 20.7% of the total road traffic accident cases. It is recommended that there is the need for regular maintenance of the highway, construction of road traffic signs along the highway especially at the hot spot locations and education of the drivers on meaning of such signs. Finally, the use of speed limit devices inside vehicles by drivers should be encouraged and police check on drunk-driving must be intensified on the highway to stem the high incidence of road traffic fatalities and injuries.

Key words: Accidents, Hot Spots, Kernel Density, Spatial Variation, Traffic.