Determining the Most Important Factor Affecting Taxi-related Crashes of Urban Roads Using the Friedman Test and Factor Analysis

Modeling the crash severity based on the influential variables makes it feasible to predict the occurrence of crashes that requires safety solutions. In addition, the influence of each factor in the crashes can be examined. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the severity of the injury/fatal and property damage only (PDO) crashes of taxi vehicles in Rasht city, Iran, by collecting crash data from March 2015 to March 2021. In this regard, the Friedman test was used to determine the priority of factors, and the factor analysis was applied to specify the most effective factors on the severity of taxi-related crashes in Rasht city. According to the Friedman test, weather conditions were the most significant factor affecting the crashes. Based on the factor analysis, five factors were specified as the principal factors contributing to crashes that the environmental factor was the first factor involved in crashes, which includes weather conditions, road surface conditions, and daylight conditions. So weather conditions as the environmental factor was determined the main influential factor on the taxi-related crashes of urban roads.