A road accidents reporting system for enhancing mobility safety decision-making in Poznan
About this good practice
The system aims to improve road user safety by providing a data-driven tool that supports informed decision-making in mobility planning. It enables both general analyses of safety trends and detailed assessments of specific locations reported by residents as dangerous. At its core, the system is a database of accidents and collisions maintained by the Police Headquarters in Warsaw. The system allows for a spatial analyses that considers type of road accident participant, kind of road accident, number of people and vehicle types involved. By analysing incident location and type, it helps identify infrastructure issues or speed problems. Embedding the data in GIS enables a full spatial understanding of patterns in the urban context. Being able to visualise the frequency and severity of incidents guides road managers when planning and prioritizing interventions. This supports targeted improvements like better lighting, signage, or redesigned crossings. Annual comparisons show links between lower accident rates and changes in traffic laws or infrastructure. The project led to the creation of the study ‘Global report: road incidents in Poznań 2018–2023’ and a geoportal showing incidents involving animals. The City of Poznań and the Polish Police are key partners. Beneficiaries include the City which benefits from improved mobility planning and all transport users, who benefit from safer, more efficient, and more sustainable urban mobility.
Resources needed
Software: Windows 10/11, QGIS, PostgreSQL, MS Office,
A two-person team working on road accident data for an average of 16 hours a week.
People conducting the project that have education and experience in the spatial data analysis field.
Evidence of success
The system has been used in at least 10 projects connected to traffic engineering in recent years. Actions taken include setting speed limits around pedestrian crossings, improving safety in the vicinity of cyclist crossings, new horizontal markings improving traffic flow and safety at road intersections, testing and implementing longer tram stops in a place that was found to be dangerous for pedestrians. Annual statistics of people killed on roads show a decrease of about 50% from 2022 to 2023.
Potential for learning or transfer
The technical and analytical solutions developed for the project can be implemented in any local authority in Europe. The project is needed to guide decision-making in the field of road safety. It allows decision-makers to focus their attention on the most dangerous areas of the city where there is a high risk to the health and life of residents. The system makes it possible to introduce road safety infrastructure in places where there are high risks of accidents and traffic collisions.
The construction of the system requires operators to have specialized knowledge of GIS and databases (in this case, police records of accidents and collisions) this represents a huge potential for the development of the data and stakeholders involved in the program. The system and the spatial database being created also become the foundation for research indicating a direct link between the activities carried out in the city, and the provisions of traffic law and the road safety of residents.
Good practice owner
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