Risk Factors Contributing to Taxi Involved Crashes: A Case Study in Xi’an, China

Using the 612 valid samples deriving from the original 6259 crash reports in Xi’an from 2006 to 2011, comparative statistics and systematic analysis are employed to describe the features of taxi crashes. It is found that the middle-aged male drivers with lower education background are much more likely to be involved in a crash and it indicates that 438 cases or approximate 72% of all crashes are related to those aged 26~40 years, and the taxi drivers with 3~5 years experience are at greater risk for crashes than other groups. Additionally, the statistics also presents that a big proportion among occurred with the most frequent type of sideswipe collisions (44.77%), on major segments or intersections, in two most dangerous periods (8:00~10:00 & 16:00~18:00), at weekends, and during November, December and January, but night records more fatal and serious crashes due to fatigue and poor lighting. Similarly with the motor vehicle accidents, nearly 89% are associated with drivers’ over speeding, unbelted and other types of improper or illegal behaviors. Meanwhile, the average 9.72 working hours also performs significant contribution to the frequency of crashes.