Victoria Gitelman

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology | technion · Transportation Research Institute (TRI)

Zigzag road marking near unsignalized pedestrian crosswalks is common in some countries but not yet allowed in Israel. An observational before-after study was conducted to explore its impacts on pedestrian crossing conditions. The measure was applied at three midblock urban crosswalks, on dual-carriageway and two-lane roads. The study examined chan...

Demerit points systems (DPS) have been used in many countries as a means for improving road safety, by monitoring traffic law violations of drivers and applying corrective measures to repeat offenders, while knowledge on their safety impacts is yet incomplete. This study examined the DPS impacts on committing traffic offenses and accident involveme...

Current transport policies promote better use of existing roadways by using traffic management strategies such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. International experience showed positive mobility impacts of HOV lanes, while research evidence on their safety implications is limited. In Israel, the first HOV lanes were introduced in 2019. This st...

One way to promote public transport use in cities lies in establishing bus priority routes (BPRs) on main traffic arterials, to reduce bus travel times. But, BPRs require infrastructure changes in road layouts, creating more complex traffic settings that may have safety implications. Previous research indicated that design features affect BPRs' saf...

The purpose of this paper is to estimate how the new point system is perceived by the Israeli drivers, in consideration of the broader context of the motives and factors that impact behaviors on the road. The study examines differences in attitudes towards the scoring method between various population groups based on group identity, nationality, ag...

Safety barriers provide forgiving roadsides for highways while their test performance should comply with uniform norms, e.g. EN1317. When selecting a barrier type for a median, the dilemma frequently compares between in-situ concrete and other barriers. In-situ concrete barriers require less space for their installation and rare maintenance, while...

E-bicycles (or e-bikes) provide a convenient form of mobility in urban areas, with a potential for improving the sustainability of urban transport. However, there is a growing concern of e-bike injury whilst urban space may not yet be adapted for e-cycling. When cycling infrastructure is absent, e-bikes should travel in mixed vehicle traffic but ma...

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems promote public transport use in big cities, but their implementation requires substantial changes in urban infrastructure, with impacts on road user behaviours and safety. In Israel, recently, a BRT system called "Matronit" was introduced in the Haifa metropolitan area. The extension of the BRT network included a new...

E-bikes provide a potential for improving sustainable urban mobility. However, there are concerns of e-cycling related injury. In this study, observational surveys of e-bikes were conducted in Israeli cities to explore their presence and safety-related behaviours, at typical urban settings. The results showed that e-bike presence in urban traffic w...

While motorcycles or powered two-wheelers (PTWs) provide mobility benefits in dense urban areas, their riders are exposed to a high risk of injury. Bus lane use by PTWs is suggested in international practice as a measure for improving PTW safety and mobility although examinations of its impacts are rare, with results reported mostly in the United K...

Bus priority routes (BPRs) promote public transport use in urban areas; however, their safety impacts are not sufficiently understood. Along with proven positive mobility effects, such systems may lead to crash increases. This study examines the safety impacts of BPRs, which have been introduced on busy urban roads in three major Israeli cities—Tel...

The strategy of sustainable road safety aims to match the road design characteristics to the target travel speeds, on every road type. This study examined the speed perception by drivers on collector urban roads in Israel, as reflected in their actual travel speeds and in the "appropriate" speeds reported by drivers. First, field surveys were condu...

Signalized intersections appear among urban locations with a high frequency of pedestrian injury. Due to the need to move large traffic volumes, a shared vehicle-pedestrian green phase is generally applied for turning vehicles and crossing pedestrians at intersections on busy urban roads. The shared green relies on a driver's ability to yield to cr...

In Israel, a growing use of electric bicycles by youngsters has been noted, with an increase in related injuries. In this study, an observational survey was conducted on typical urban streets, aiming to characterize the riding speeds of young e-cyclists compared to regular cyclists and the associated risk factors in their behaviors. The survey cove...

Alternative transport means (ATMs) such as e-bicycles, electric scooters, mobility scooters (for the elderly) and segways, suggest improved mobility for individual road users, with associated benefits of reduced congestion and energy savings. However, the urban space is not adapted to incorporate these means, while ATMs use the infrastructure built...

Bus priority routes promote public transport use in urban areas while their safety impacts are known insufficiently. This study examined safety impacts of bus priority routes, which were introduced on busy urban roads, in three Israeli cities. Accident changes were estimated using after-before evaluations with comparison-groups. The findings demons...

Objective: Advertisement billboards on roadsides distract drivers from driving tasks and may increase the risk of crashes. Yet, empirical evidence on the direct impact of advertisement signs on crashes is scarce. The Ayalon Highway in Israel is a suburban highway crossing the greater Tel Aviv–Yafo metropolitan area. Following debates in parliament,...

Children are more vulnerable as pedestrians due to their cognitive, physical and behavioral traits. However, walking is one of the main forms of travel for children, particularly during leisure hours. Child pedestrian injury primarily occurs in urban areas, with a significant share at crosswalks. This study observed child pedestrian behaviors at cr...

Constructing proper shoulders may improve road safety on two-lane roads. Previous research reported crash reductions following shoulder widening. This study aimed to examine the relationship between shoulder characteristics and crash occurrences on two-lane rural roads in Israel. The study database combined information on crash numbers, traffic vol...

Electric power-assisted bicycles (e-bicycles) provide a convenient form of mobility in urban areas, being an attractive alternative to private cars, usual cycling and walking. However, there is a growing concern of their associated injuries, resulting from the increasing exposure and apparently higher speeds. Unlike other countries, in Israel, a gr...

Throughout Israel, unlike other countries, a growing use of electric bicycle (EB) by youngsters (below 18) has been observed, accompanied by a drastic increase in the number of related injuries. This phenomenon is widely discussed by various authorities and media in Israel, whilst its characteristics are actually unknown. Existing literature on the...

A synthesis of best practice was done to come up with a "best design" of crosswalks used by children. The analysis is based on studies from three sites in Sweden and three in Israel, research results concerning "ideal" interactions, and a review of additional countermeasures as described in the literature. Our presumption is that actual vehicle spe...

This study compared the safety of road sections with various median barriers, namely: Step-shaped in-situ barriers, precast concrete barriers and steel guardrails, as new barrier types (that satisfy the requirements of EN 1317 in Europe), and old NJ-shaped in-situ barriers. The study included 558 km of non-urban Israeli roads. Negative-binomial reg...

This study explored the relationship between travel speeds and accidents on single-carriageway roads, accounting for traffic exposure and road infrastructure characteristics. The speed data are free-flow travel speeds collected by GPS devices inside the vehicles. The study’s database included 179 sections, in Israel. Negative binomial statistical m...

This study explored the impacts of pedestrian-crossing configurations and other design features, on accident occurrences at signalized junctions situated on central public-transport-routes (PTR) of urban arterials. Statistical tests and step-wise regression models were applied to identify factors affecting accidents and to examine accident numbers...

This article presents a method for investigating the spatial distribution of vehicle and pedestrian traffic crashes relative to the volume of vehicle and pedestrian movement in urban areas. This method consists of two phases. First, vehicle and pedestrian traffic volumes on the street network are modeled using a space syntax configurational analysi...

This article examines the relationship between travel speeds and crashes on two-lane highways, accounting for traffic exposure and road infrastructure characteristics. The study's database included 179 road sections in Israel, which included free-flow travel speeds, 3-year injury crash data, traffic volumes, and road infrastructure characteristics....

This study explored the impacts of pedestrian-crossing configurations and other design features, on accident occurrences at signalized junctions situated on central public transport routes (PTRs) of urban arterials. Statistical tests and negative-binomial regression models were applied to identify factors affecting accidents and to examine accident...

Promoting the use of public transport was stated by the Ministry of Transport in Israel as one of its main policy priorities. Amongst others, a solution allowing bus operations on hard shoulders of existing road sections during congested hours was suggested. A pilot project was undertaken on 12-kms of main road No 2 leading into the Tel-Aviv metrop...

Studies worldwide indicate that an active lifestyle, including mobility, is essential for the quality of life of the elderly. Given the decline in elderly people's ability to serve as vehicle drivers and their physical limitations for long walks or cycling, the possibilities of using alternative transport means, e.g. mobility scooters (MS), are con...

A safety management system was established to provide for continuously improved safety levels of the non-urban roads in Israel. One of the main functions of the system lies in the identification and treatment of HL (hazardous locations) on existing roads. In line with the state-of-the art in road safety, the HL identification is based on an empiric...

Safety barriers are intended to provide forgiving roadsides for vehicles leaving the roadway. However, accident statistics in various countries show that the severity of motorcyclist injury in accidents with safety barriers is high. In Israel, 13.5% fatalities and 53% serious injuries were observed in motorcycle accidents involving safety barriers...

Background An increasing interest in the lifestyle and active mobility of children and continuing concern for their travel safety and secure environment requires detailed information about trip patterns and activities. There is little research on travel patterns of children, in particular during leisure hours. This study was designed to demonstrate...

In this study, raised pedestrian crosswalks were installed at non-signalized mid-block crosswalks situated on urban arterial and collector roads. A raised crosswalk is built by installing a trapezoidal speed hump on the crosswalk area, building a preceding circular speed hump, in each travel direction, and adding traffic signs. A controlled field-s...

Recognizing the decline in the ability of older people to serve as vehicle drivers and their physical limitations for long walks, mobility scooters are considered as an alternative mobility means for older people. An increasing popularity of scooters is recently being observed in Israel, raising safety concerns. This study explored the characterist...

Road design characteristics should deliver a clear message to drivers on the appropriate speeds. This approach is known in the literature as “self-explaining roads” (SER). In Israel, new guidelines for setting speeds on the road network were introduced aiming at a balance between the target and actual travel speeds on various road types and, thus,...

This chapter presents the analysis of a road safety management framework in European countries and the identification of “good practice” for the optimization of road safety management processes, carried out within the DaCoTA research project. It then discusses the road safety management investigation model, and describes the data collection and han...

Vol 17 No 2 June 2008 Road & Transport Research ... Multiple voices, perceptions and futures: Five lessons from community responses to road development proposals Dr KT Ludvigson Bitumen emulsions in road construction – A review JL Gorman, RJ Crawford and IH Harding Methods for evaluation the effectiveness of road intersection treatments SA Abo-Q...

Older people are involved in 23% of all pedestrian accidents in Israeli towns (in 2006-2010). The severity of elderly pedestrian injury is higher compared to general pedestrian injury: 6% fatal + 25% serious accidents versus 3% + 19%, respectively. The majority of elderly pedestrian accidents occurred during the day - mostly between 8 AM and 1 PM,...

Bicycle use has doubled over the last decade in Israel, raising the possibility of increased injury among cyclists in the near future. The Ministry of Transport published guidelines for planning bicycle traffic in the cities (Guidelines, 2009). Some cities encourage the use of bicycles for transportation, by developing paths and trails for biking....

Promoting the use of public transport was stated by the Ministry of Transport in Israel as one of its main policy priorities. Amongst others, a solution allowing bus operations on hard shoulders of existing road sections during congested hours was suggested. A pilot project was undertaken on 12-kms of main road No 2 leading into the Tel-Aviv metrop...

Road design characteristics should deliver a clear message to drivers on the appropriate speeds. This approach is known in the literature as "self-explaining roads" (SER). In Israel, new guidelines for setting speeds on the road network were introduced aiming at a balance between the target and actual travel speeds on various road types and, thus,...

Studies worldwide indicate that an active lifestyle, including mobility, is essential for the quality of life of the elderly. Given the decline in elderly people's ability to serve as vehicle drivers and their physical limitations for long walks or cycling, the possibilities of using alternative transport means, e.g. mobility scooters (MS), are con...

A road safety management (RSM) system can be defined as “a complex institutional structure that involves cooperating and interacting bodies which support the tasks and processes necessary for the prevention and reduction of road traffic injuries”. RSM should promote the road safety progress of the country. However, the details of this relationship...

International research shows that the elderly are more vulnerable to road trauma than younger age groups, due to deterioration in their physical and mental abilities. However, an active lifestyle, including mobility options, is essential for the quality of life of the elderly, improving their health and longevity. Admitting the decline in the abili...

The National Transport Infrastructure Company (NTIC) is in charge of the construction and maintenance of non-urban roads, in Israel. The NTIC stated its goal as providing for continuously improved safety levels of the road network. To support the implementation of this policy, a safety management system (SMS) was established. The main functions of...

Involvement in car crashes is higher among Israeli Arabs compared to Jews. This study characterized Perceived Descriptive Driving Norms (PDDN) within and outside Arab towns/villages and estimated their association with involvement in car crashes. Arab drivers (594) living in 19 towns and villages were interviewed in a face-to-face interview. The qu...

Objective This study examined the safety efficiency of infrastructure improvements applied on the non-urban roads in Israel. The improvements considered were implemented by the National Transport Infrastructure Company in the framework of a black-spots’ treatment project, over the years 2007–2009. Methods In the study, information on about two hund...

Purpose Safety performance indicators (SPIs) are measures reflecting the operational conditions of the road traffic system that influence the system’s safety performance. Within the EU funded SafetyNet project, SPIs were developed for seven road safety-related areas: alcohol and drugs; speed; protective systems; daytime running lights; vehicles (...

Among the main factors affecting road crash injuries, speed is considered as a leading cause and contributing factor. There are numerous studies linking travel speeds and road crashes. Hence, an essential part of road safety plans and interventions is devoted to speed management. However, to manage speed, actual travel speeds have to be systematica...

Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of injury-related death and disability in children in Israel. The use of safety performance indicators (SPIs) is common today for benchmarking road safety performance and monitoring of trends. This study aimed to develop a set of indicators which would assist in diagnosis and promotion of child road safety...

The objective of this research is the assessment of current needs for evidence-based road safety decision making in Europe, through the consultation of a panel of road safety experts. The members of this Experts Panel have extensive knowledge of road safety management processes and needs in their country, being either directly involved in decision...

The work package 1 of the EC FP7 project DaCoTA investigates road safety management processes in Europe. It has drafted a model to investigate the state of the art of road safety policy-making and management at the national level and to define "good practice". The DaCoTA "good practice" investigation model recommends no "one-best-way" solutions, ei...

Purpose This study examined the national road safety programs carried out by the ten world’s leading countries in road safety, aiming to identify the most effective interventions that contributed to safety progress in those countries and to consider the possibilities of their application in Israel. Method The best-performing countries were selecte...

This research focused on examining the over-time developments of road safety in Israel, in order to identify the time points at which positive changes occurred, i.e. a decrease in the number of road accident fatalities, injuries or accidents, taking into account the changes observed in exposure. The time points found with a positive change - a decr...

Pedestrian injury is internationally recognized as one of the major road safety problems. Typically, most pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas. However, recent estimates demonstrated that both in Israel and in many developed countries, a significant share of the phenomenon and, especially, at a high level of severity, is observed on rural road...

This study intends to provide insight into pedestrian accidents by uncovering their patterns in order to design preventive measures and to allocate resources for identified problems. Kohonen neural networks are applied to a database of pedestrian fatal accidents occurred during the four-year period between 2003 and 2006. Results show the existence...

The high share of pedestrian fatalities in Israel provided the impetus for this study which looked for infrastructure solutions to improve pedestrian safety. First, a detailed analysis of pedestrian accidents in 2006-2007, with an emphasis on the infrastructure characteristics involved, was performed; it found that 75% of the fatalities and 95% of...

This paper provides a broad picture of fatal traffic accidents in Israel in order to answer an increasing need of addressing compelling problems, designing preventive measures, and targeting specific population groups with the objective of reducing the number of traffic fatalities. The analysis focuses on 1,793 fatal traffic accidents occurred duri...

The aim of the DaCoTA Work Package 1 is to investigate road safety policy-making and management processes in Europe. In the Deliverables released previously, the Work Package 1 assessed the experts' needs in terms of road safety knowledge, data and decision support tools (Deliverable 1.1/4.1), as well as the road safety stakeholders' views (Deliver...

The aim of DaCoTA's Work Package 1 is to shed light on road safety policy-making and management processes in Europe and to explore how these can be better supported by data and knowledge. This was done by assessing demands and views of stakeholders as well as by building a good practice model for road safety management investigation. Future version...

This study set out to develop a composite road safety indicator for benchmarking countries’ road safety performance, which would combine the main layers of the road safety pyramid which describes the complex nature of road safety activities, performance and outcomes. Four groups of basic safety indicators were considered, which refer to: policy per...

Background In Israel similar to the European region road traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury-related death and disability in children age 1–17. Children are vulnerable road users in the community travelling to school, parks and other neighbourhood destinations. Limited cognitive, behavioural and physical abilities make children more su...

THIS PAPER SHOWS HOW THE AUTHORS DEVELOPED A KNOWLEDGE-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR COMPREHENSIVE BENCHMARKING OF ROAD SAFETY PERFORMANCES OF COUNTRIES OR OTHER JURISDICTIONS USING READILY AVAILABLE DATA WITHIN A RECENT STUDY. THE RESULT WAS A FIRST PROPOSAL FOR RANKING COUNTRIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR SAFETY PERFORMANCE.

The objective of this research is to develop and test a framework for efficiency assessment of road safety measures and evaluate its use in decision‐making. An exhaustive review of standard methodologies and practices related to cost‐effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses is carried out for that purpose. Moreover, a number of case studies are perf...

Since the 1990s significant progress can be observed in the application of roadside safety devices – barriers, crash cushions, in many countries. To a great extent this occurred due to the introduction of uniform rules for testing and qualification of the devices’ performance, which are given, in Europe, by the European Norms EN-1317 and in the Uni...

At-grade rail-highway crossings lead to economic losses due to vehicle delays and train-vehicle collisions. To consider the need and priorities for grade separation at crossings, screening tools are required. Such tools were developed in the study based on detailed field measurements at 20 representative sites and following the analysis of all cros...

This is a report Work Package 3 of SafetyNet deals with Safety Performance Indicators. They measure the operational conditions of the road traffic system. Work Package 3 deals with seven topics: alcohol and drug use; speeds; protective systems; daytime running lights; vehicles; road; trauma management. This deliverable concerns the contribution of...

Red light running is a significant cause of accidents at signalised intersections. A primary countermeasure for red light running accidents is automatic enforcement with the aid of red-light cameras. Over the years, many evaluations of cameras’ effectiveness were published as well as numerous anecdotal reports, however there is a lack of summary va...

In the European Union, in the year 2000, some 40,000 people died as a result of road accidents. Since 2004, after the enlargement of the EU this number is likely to increase considerably. As will be discussed in this paper, some 60 percent of the fatalities occur on non-urban roads. If motorway fatalities are added, this percentage reaches an avera...