Traffic Crash Location System Feature: Network Screening

Thursday, July 8, 2021

enter image description here


MS2 has enhanced the Network Screening functionality of our Traffic Crash Location System (TCLS).

Network screening is a process for reviewing a transportation network to identify and
rank sites from most likely to least likely to realize a reduction in crash frequency with
implementation of countermeasures. Those sites identified as most likely to realize a
reduction in crash frequency are studied in more detail to identify crash patterns,
contributing factors, and appropriate countermeasures.
Highway Safety Manual, page 4-1

This feature calculates crash predictions based on the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Safety Performance Functions (SPF). The Empirical Bayes (EB) estimation method is recommended by the FHWA since it accounts for Regression-to-the-Mean (RTM) bias, differences in traffic volume among sites, and the nonlinear relationship between crash frequency and traffic volume. MS2 used this methodology to incorporate Network Screening into TCLS. The Network Screening enhancement includes four new features:

  1. Network Screening - Top 10 Intersections Report
  2. Network Screening - Ranked Search Report
  3. User Pop-up Utility for Network Screening
  4. Simulator for Network Screening Validation

Network Screening - Top 10 Intersections Report
This is a ranked list (top-10) of the intersections for the entire agency’s network as calculated by the EB estimation method. These are the intersections that are most likely to experience a decrease in crashes based on the installations of countermeasures.

enter image description here

Network Screening- Ranked Search Report
This is a ranked list (top-10) of the worst performing intersections for just the locations within the search results. These are the intersections that are most likely to experience a decrease in crashes based on the installation of countermeasures. This could be used to look at just one community within the network or just locations along a corridor.

enter image description here

User Pop-up Utility for Network Screening

enter image description here

The enhancement needed some additional attributes in the software to help generate the reports. We added a utility to make it easier for users to update this information as needed. This user-friendly utility can quickly update the specific information for the reports. If you need a large update for multiple locations, MS2 can help with this, and it is included in your Annual Support.


Simulator for Network Screening Validation
This utility allows users to simulate the calculation crash predictions based on the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Safety Performance Functions (SPF). By applying different values, you can review existing locations and simply just validate reports.

enter image description here

If you’re an MS2 client and would like to give the Network Screening functionality a try, let us know. If you’re not yet an MS2 client and are interested in learning more about our Traffic Crash Location System and the other solutions we provide, please contact us.