Roadway departure crashes in Vietnam: identifying the sequence of events, causes, and countermeasures by applying the crash reconstruction technique

The horizontal curve segment is where traffic crashes often occur in rural areas of Vietnam. Although many safety countermeasures have been implemented, their effectiveness still needs to improve. The main reason is that the implemented countermeasures are unfit for the crash causes. More specifically, determining crash causes and contributory factors to the severity of crashes needs to be more accurate because of the need for more critical data and specialized analytical tools. This study applies the crash reconstruction technique to simulate, reconstruct, and analyze crashes that occurred at horizontal curve segments to address the abovementioned issues. The study results have reproduced the sequence of events, crash causes, and contributory factors to the severity of roadway departure crashes of four-wheeled vehicles in rural areas. This research is a scientific foundation to help researchers choose the suitable technique to reconstruct traffic crashes and identify the appropriate solutions for enhancing traffic safety at horizontal curve segments in Vietnam.