Reducing Urban Speed Limits Decreases Work-Related Traffic Injury Severity: Evidence from Santiago, Chile

TL;DR

This study shows that reducing urban speed limits in Santiago, Chile, leads to less severe work-related traffic injuries, with additional insights into demographic and spatial injury patterns over a decade.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that lowering urban speed limits decreases injury severity and analyzes demographic, spatial, and temporal patterns in work-related traffic incidents.

Findings

Lower speed limits reduced injury severity by 4.26 days of medical leave.

Motorcycle and bicycle injuries are more severe, with 26.94 and 13.06 extra days of leave.

Women and older workers tend to have less and more severe injuries, respectively.

Abstract

Work-related transportation incidents significantly impact urban mobility and productivity. These incidents include traffic crashes, collisions between vehicles, and falls that occurred during commuting or work-related transportation (e.g., falling while getting off a bus during the morning commute or while riding a bicycle for work). This study analyzes a decade of work-related transportation incident data (2012--2021) in Santiago, Chile, using records from a major worker's insurance company. Using negative binomial regression, we assess the impact of a 2018 urban speed limit reduction law on incident injury severity. We also explore broader temporal, spatial, and demographic patterns in these incidents in urban and rural areas. The urban speed limit reduction is associated with a decrease of 4.26 days in prescribed medical leave for incidents in urban areas, suggesting that lower speed limits contribute to reduced injury severity. Our broader analysis reveals distinct incident patterns across different groups. Workers traveling by motorcycle and bicycle experience more severe injuries when involved in traffic incidents, with marginal effects of 26.94 and 13.06 additional days of medical leave, respectively, compared to motorized vehicles. Women workers tend to have less severe injuries, with an average of 7.57 fewer days of medical leave. Age is also a significant factor, with older workers experiencing more severe injuries -- each additional year of age is associated with 0.57 more days of medical leave. Our results provide insights for urban planning, transportation policy, and workplace safety initiatives.