Road traffic fatalities in Qatar, Jordan and the UAE: estimates using regression analysis and the relationship with economic growth

Smeed's equation is a widely used model for prediction of traffic fatalities but has been found inadequate for use in developing countries. We applied regression analysis to time-series data on vehicles, population and traffic fatalities in the United Arab Emirates [UAE], Jordan and Qatar. The data were fitted to exponential models for fatality prediction, producing an average absolute error of 20.9% for Qatar, 10.9% for Jordan and 5.5% for the UAE. We found a strong linear relationship between gross domestic product and fatality rate