CivE 616
Traffic Safety
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles, methods, and practical applications of road traffic safety analysis. Students will explore the global and Canadian context of road safety, the evolution of traffic safety paradigms, and the safety management process. The curriculum is structured around the core stages of infrastructure safety management: network screening, diagnosis, countermeasure selection, economic appraisal, project prioritization, and the evaluation of implemented safety improvements.Through this framework, students will learn how transportation professionals identify high-risk locations, diagnose contributing factors, and assess the safety and economic efficacy of interventions. The course balances traditional methodologies with cutting-edge innovations, covering conventional and Bayesian analysis techniques, safety performance functions, crash modification factors, and regression-to-the-mean bias. Additionally, students will be introduced to emerging data-driven approaches, including GIS-based safety analysis, machine learning applications, video analytics, and automated safety assessment tools.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain key traffic safety concepts, including crash frequency, severity, exposure, risk, safety performance, and the evolution of safety thinking.- Describe the global, Canadian, and local context of road safety and explain the role of institutional capacity in improving safety outcomes.
- Apply the traffic safety management process to identify, diagnose, and prioritize safety problems.
- Use conventional and Bayesian safety analysis methods to interpret crash data and evaluate roadway safety performance.
- Develop, interpret, or critically assess safety performance functions, crash modification factors, and countermeasure evaluation results.
- Conduct economic evaluation of safety countermeasures using concepts such as present worth, equivalent annual worth, benefit-cost ratio, and cost-effectiveness.
- Conduct a safety review of a selected site or corridor and propose evidence-based countermeasures supported by data analysis and engineering judgment.
- Communicate traffic safety findings through technical writing, numerical analysis, and professional presentations.
| Lecture | Seminar | Lab | Credits | Total AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 3 | 37.8 |
| M % | NS % | CS % | ES % | ED % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
None defined
None defined
Undergraduate Program(s)
Sections & Respective Instructors
| A1 - 2026/2027 - Winter - Lubna Obaid |
| A1 - 2023/2024 - Fall - Karim El-Basyouny |
| A1 - 2022/2023 - Winter - Maged Abdelkader |
| A1 - 2020/2021 - Fall - Karim El-Basyouny |