Application of the Pareto Principle in the Analysis of Causes of Road Accidents in Poland

Authors

  • Piotr Gorzelanczyk *

    Transport Department, Stanislaw Staszic State University of Applied Sciences in Piła, 64-920 Pila, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55121/tdr.v4i1.988

Keywords:

Road Safety (RS), Road Accidents, Pareto Analysis, Causes of Accidents

Abstract

The article aims to apply the Pareto principle in the analysis of the causes of road accidents in Poland in 2018–2024. Analysis of data from the National Road Safety Council showed a clear decrease in the number of accidents and related fatalities and injuries during the period under review, with particular emphasis on the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when traffic restrictions contributed to a significant reduction in the number of incidents. Despite the improvement in overall road safety, accidents are still concentrated on certain days of the week, in favorable weather conditions, and in certain types of incidents. The application of Pareto analysis made it possible to identify the most important factors determining accidents: days of the week (Friday, Monday, Wednesday—46.35% of accidents), weather conditions (good conditions—66.31%), type of incident (side collisions and pedestrian collisions—53.61%), and driver causes (failure to give way and inappropriate speed—44.88%). The analysis shows that road safety measures do not have to be applied uniformly. Better results can be achieved when attention is paid to particular days of the week, dominant accident types, and the causes most often linked to driver behaviour. In this context, the Pareto principle proved useful, as it helped to distinguish a limited set of factors that account for a large share of road incidents and therefore deserve priority in prevention strategies. The study adopts a system-based perspective and integrates Pareto analysis to identify key factors influencing road accidents.

References

[1] Havaj, P., 2018. The Quality and the Complete Evidence Securing During the Traffic Crime Scene Investigation and Its Relevance for Evidence Completion during the Traffic Accidents. Communications—Scientific Letters of the University of Zilina. 20(4), 76–81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26552/com.C.2018.4.76-81

[2] Zou, X., Yue, W., Vu, H., 2018. Visualization and Analysis of Mapping Knowledge Domain of Road Safety Studies. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 118, 131–145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.06.010

[3] Jing, L., Shan, W., Zhang, Y., 2021. A Bibliometric Analysis of Road Traffic Injury Research Themes, 1928–2018. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 28(2), 266–275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2021.1881558

[4] Sohail, A., Cheema, M.A., Ali, M.E., et al., 2023. Data-Driven Approaches for Road Safety: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review. Safety Science. 158, 105949. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105949

[5] Azami-Aghdash, S., 2020. Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence in Road Traffic Injury Prevention: A Scoping Review of Qualitative Studies (2000 to 2019). Archives of Public Health. 78, 110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-020-00493-0

[6] Kumar, P., Tiwari, G., Paul, S.B., 2025. Road Safety Studies at Micro, Meso, and Macroscopic Levels: A Systematic Review. IATSS Research. 49(1), 10–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2024.12.001

[7] Pereira, V., Bamel, U., Paul, H., et al., 2022. Personality and Safety Behavior: An Analysis of Worldwide Research on Road and Traffic Safety Leading to Organizational and Policy Implications. Journal of Business Research. 151, 185–196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.06.057

[8] Van Haperen, W., Riaz, M.S., Daniels, S., et al., 2019. Observing the Observation of (Vulnerable) Road User Behaviour and Traffic Safety: A Scoping Review. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 123, 211–221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.11.021

[9] Papadimitriou, E., Afghari, A., Tselentis, D., et al., 2022. Road-Safety-II: Opportunities and Barriers for an Enhanced Road Safety Vision. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 174, 106723. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2022.106723

[10] Bąk-Gajda, D., Bąk, J., 2010. Psychology of Transport and Road Traffic Safety. Difin: Warsaw, Poland. (in Polish)

[11] Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 2023. Road Accidents in India. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: New Delhi, India. Available from: https://morth.nic.in/road-accident-in-india (cited 10 May 2025).

[12] European Transport Safety Council, 2025. Ranking EU Progress on Road Safety: 19th Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Report. European Transport Safety Council: Brussels, Belgium. Available from: https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/ETSC-2025-Annual-PIN-Report-DIGITAL-V3.pdf

[13] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2016. Road Safety Annual Report 2016. OECD: Paris, France. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/road-safety-annual-report-2016_irtad-2016-en.html

[14] Topolšek, D., Cvahte Ojsteršek, T., 2017. Do Drivers Behave Differently When Driving a Car or Riding a Motorbike? European Transport/Trasporti Europei. 66, 7. Available from: https://www.istiee.unict.it/europeantransport/papers/N66/P07_66_12_2017.pdf

[15] Golakiya, H.D., Chauhan, R., Dhamaniya, A., 2020. Evaluating Safe Distance for Pedestrians on Urban Midblock Sections Using Trajectory Plots. European Transport/Trasporti Europei. 75, 2.

[16] Mohanty, M., Samal, S.R., 2019. Role of Young Drivers in Road Crashes: A Case Study in India. European Transport/Trasporti Europei. 74, 1.

[17] Prentkovskis, O., Prentkovskiene, R., Lukoseviciene, O., 2007. Investigation of Potential Deformations Developed by Elements of Transport and Pedestrian Traffic Restricting Gates During Motor Vehicle–Gate Interaction. Transport. 22(3), 229–235.

[18] Lipovetsky, S., 2009. Pareto 80/20 Law: Derivation via Random Partitioning. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. 40, 271–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207390802213609

[19] SEWIK search engine. Available from: http://sewik.pl/szukaj (cited 10 May 2025). (in Polish)

[20] Dunford, R., Su, Q., Tamang, E., et al., 2021. The Pareto Principle. The Plymouth Student Scientist. 7(1), 140–148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24382/swfr-wr17

[21] Górny, A., 2015. Application of the Pareto Principle to Accident Analysis to Improve Working Environment. In Proceedings of the 19th Triennial Congress of the IEA, Melbourne, Australia, 9–14 August 2015; pp. 133–134.

[22] Górny, A., 2017. Identification of Occupational Accident Causes by Use the Ishikawa Diagram and Pareto Principles. Economics & Management Innovations (ICEMI). 1(1), 384–388.

[23] Hoła, A., Sawicki, M., Szóstak, M., 2018. Methodology of Classifying the Causes of Occupational Accidents Involving Construction Scaffolding Using Pareto–Lorenz Analysis. Applied Sciences. 8(1), 48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app8010048

[24] Chi, D.T.L., 2025. Applying Pareto Analysis to Workplace Fatalities in Vietnam. Sustainability in Environment. 10(2), 12–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22158/se.v10n2p12

[25] Kumar, P., Yadav, S., Kushwaha, N., 2025. Health and Safety Assessment in Cement Industry: A Pareto-Based Approach. International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management. 9(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsrem49794

[26] Mathis, T.L., Galloway, S.M., 2013. Appendix B: Pareto Analysis Worksheet and Instructions. In Steps to Safety Culture Excellence. pp. 133–134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118530276.app2

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (May 2026): In Progress

Section

Article