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Most sports fans enjoy watching their favorite teams play at their home venues. But how do these events affect traffic and safety on the roads nearby?
Photo from Unsplash
March 28, 2023
by Ye Lei
Most sports fans enjoy watching their favorite teams play at their home venues. But how do these events affect traffic and safety on the roads nearby?
Road safety is a major public health concern worldwide, and car crashes have become a common occurrence in modern life.
Dr. Gidon Jakar and his colleagues recently conducted a study exploring the relationship between sports venues, events, and vehicular crashes in Cleveland, Ohio.
The researchers used data from 2017 to 2019 to investigate how car crashes varied before, during, and after sport events involving Cleveland's three major professional sports leagues: NFL, NBA, and MLB. They also examined how the location of the sport venues influenced the number of crashes across different distances.
The study found that the relationship between increased car crashes and sports events is apparent in certain circumstances when looking at the time and space distributions of car crashes, sporting events, and venues. For example, car crashes with damage significantly increased after highly attended NFL games. In addition, where the sports venue is located can affect the number of crashes in the surrounding area, although the strength of the connection differs depending on how far away the place is from the venue.
There are various elements that relate to the car crashes, such as weather conditions and alcohol consumption. This study highlights the potential negative impacts of sporting events and venue locations on road safety when considering certain locations and periods of time.
The study offers novel insights into how sport event planning could contribute to safer roads in urban communities. Practitioners can use these findings to develop strategies to reduce car crashes and achieve the goal of Vision Zero.
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Read the full article here:
Jakar, G., Gordon, K. & He, Q. (2023). The temporal and spatial relationships between professional sport events and reported vehicular crashes: an analysis of Cleveland, Ohio. Sport Management Review. DOI: 10.1080/14413523.2022.2163074
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