Influence of road investment and maintenance expenses on injured traffic crashes in European roads

Abstract

This study analyses the influence of economic resources invested in road infrastructures, both in construction and maintenance, upon injured traffic crashes. Furthermore, a set of control variables related to diverse factors was added: infrastructure, socioeconomics, meteorology and legislation. Consistent with this, a panel data model for the interurban network of twenty European countries was built, thus contributing to the literature with a study covering different countries and taking into account the possible effect of traffic regulation changes and alcohol consumption. As significant results, an inverse relationship with the injured traffic crashes has been obtained for the variables of maintenance expenditure, unemployment rate, per capita income and demerit point system, and a direct relationship for investment in construction and alcohol consumption. All things considered, allocating economic resources to road maintenance may be an effective tool to develop of a more sustainable and safer road transport system.