Space-time analysis of accident frequency and the role of built environment in mitigation.

The focus of this paper is to analyze the trends and locations of accidents in the Greater Melbourne Area (GMA) during a 15-year period (2006–2020). The places where accidents were most prevalent were discovered and the reasons which are contributing to the high accident rates in those areas are determined. Analyzing the patterns over time and variations in the frequency of accidents helped to identify areas that have improved or deteriorated in terms of road safety. A Tweedie model was developed to examine the intricate interaction between the accident frequency and its potential contributing factors such as socio-demographics, road transport infrastructure, and built environment. Ultimately, a clustering analysis was performed to elucidate the dispersion of road accident risk ratings among different local government areas (LGAs), offering useful insights into road safety initiatives and prioritization. • The study linked built environment to accidents with Twidee and Space-time Cube. • Accidents down overall (20 yrs), but hotspots move outward. • Melbourne suburbs form five risk clusters based on accident frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]