COMPARING ROAD SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED EU AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES USING A COMPOSITE ROAD SAFETY PERFORMANCE INDEX

Abstract

In recent time, the use of indices in the field of road safety has been growing rapidly in view of the ever complex character of the road safety phenomenon. This study which aims at contributing to the application of the composite road safety index used two approaches to compare the road safety performances of 20 selected EU and African Countries. In the first method a road safety index using simple averaging techniques for cross sectional data for 2006 was developed whilst in the second method, multi regression analysis was used with time-series data for six years (2001-2006). Results of the study revealed different country rankings of the composite road safety index from those produced from the traditional rankings based on fatality rates. The study concluded that the road safety index has the potential to become a major method of making international comparisons of road safety performances.

Keywords: Road Safety, Composite, Performance Indicators, Index, Country Ranking