This study deals with an analysis of the tram accident occurrences in Dresden
in 1995 and 1996. The total length of the tram network is about 129 km. More
than 70% are road-level tracks, almost 20% are separate tracks and nearly 10%
are independent tracks. More than 1000 tram accidents happened in each
examined year. About 25% were accidents with personal injury. More than 90%
were not caused by tram drivers but by drivers of other vehicles involved.
About 80% of the accidents happened on road-level tracks. Within the tram
network more than 70 accident black spots were found. For each of them at
least five accidents in tram traffic per year are recorded. An evaluation of
these accident black spots has shown different typical track-road
combinations with increased risk of accidents. Different measures to improve
safety in tram traffic are recommended.