Measuring the Road Safety Performance of Iranian Provinces: An Application of Double Frontier DEA-Based Malmquist Indices

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Mohammadi 1
Vahideh Shahin 2
1 Professor, Department of Management-Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 Ph.D., Student, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
10.22034/road.2024.450939.2270
Abstract
Abstract: In recent years, unfortunately, the number of road accidents and the resulting fatalities have shown a growing trend in many countries, especially in non-developed countries. In Iran, during the recent decade from March 20th, 2012, to March 20th, 2022, a total of 110,110 fatalities caused by road accidents have been reported. Regardless of any kind of justification or comparison, it is a very alarming figure for this country. Considering the need to address this issue, our study aims to assess the relative efficiency and road safety productivity in each province during the past two years (2020–2022) and prioritize the provinces. To these ends, we applied the DEA-based Malmquist indices with a double frontier approach. Based on the results, the provinces of Qom, Lorestan, Kermanshah, Qazvin, and Ardabil were respectively the top five provinces in terms of road safety efficiency, while Alborz, Semnan, Golestan, West Azerbaijan, and North Khorasan had the lowest efficiency. Besides, aggregating the results of both pessimistic and optimistic approaches indicated that the provinces of Kurdistan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Qazvin, Ardabil and Bushehr had the highest increase in the Pure Technical Efficiency (PTE) in 2022 compared to 2021, and the provinces of Golestan, East Azerbaijan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Sistan and Baluchistan, and North Khorasan had the highest decrease. Such results can be used by relevant managers/policymakers for optimal resource allocation toward preventing deaths caused by road accidents.
Keywords
Road Safety
Iranian Provinces
Data Envelopment Analysis
Malmquist
Double Frontier
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