Speed Limit Reduction Enhances Urban Worker Safety: Evidence from a Decade of Traffic Incidents in Santiago, Chile

Work-related traffic incidents significantly impact urban mobility and productivity. This study analyzes a decade of work-related traffic incident data (2012--2021) in Santiago, Chile, using records from a major social insurance company. We explore temporal, spatial, and demographic patterns in these incidents in urban and rural areas. We also evaluate the impact of a 2018 urban speed limit reduction law on incident injury severity. Using negative binomial regression, we assess how various factors, including the speed limit change, affect injury severity measured by prescribed medical leave days. Our analysis reveals distinct incident occurrence and severity patterns across different times, locations, and demographic groups. We find that motorcycles and cycles are associated with more severe injuries, with marginal effects of 26.94 and 13.06 additional days of medical leave, respectively, compared to motorized vehicles. Female 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 each year associated with 0.57 additional days of leave. Notably, 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 in work-related traffic incidents. Our results provide insights for urban planning, transportation policy, and workplace safety initiatives, highlighting the potential benefits of speed management in urban areas for improving road safety and minimizing the economic impact of work-related incidents.
Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures