Investigation of ring road safety and geometric standards in Kirkuk provincial center

Highways are the most popular mode of transportation in our country. High road preference causes an increase in the number of vehicles and thus an increase in traffic density. The increase in traffic density causes traffic accidents. Improvement in road safety will reduce traffic accidents and casualties. According to the Iraqi Bureau of Statistics, the road factor is almost non-existent among the factors that cause traffic accidents. However, when we look at developed countries, we see that accident rates due to road factors are high. Detection of road-related defects in the accidents that occur will also reduce other factors reflected in the statistics. This study investigates the road geometry standards and road safety in the center of Kirkuk and identifies the two sections with the lowest geometric standards on the roads with opposite horizontal curves. The materials were obtained from the relevant institutions of the road section. Road section data (engineering speed, horizontal curve radius, transition curve, horizontal curve length, bulge, slope, vertical curve length) determined by the project are obtained. Field studies were also carried out to determine whether the values in the project differ from the values in practice. In the sections determined during the field trip an up-to-date road map was provided. The current map and the values in the project were compared. If the data were different, the current value was accepted. The obtained values were compared with the geometric standard table. Straight sections were taken into account in the geometric standard table. After the geometric criteria were determined for the determination of road sections Four-year traffic accident data related to these road sections were obtained from the relevant institutions.The relationship between traffic accident formation patterns and geometric criteria was examined and the results were presented.