Research Publications (Engineering and Built Environment)

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The application and benefits of emerging digital technologies for Industry 4.0
(2024-05) Govender, Nevek; Olanrewaju, Oludolapo A.
Industry 4.0 technology advancement in recent years has enabled organizations to capitalize on new processes and tools towards making their businesses more profitable and efficient. 4IR Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Condition Monitoring and Internet of Things have been at the forefront of the digital revolution and have transformed the way organizations do business. However, these complex technologies come with many challenges such as startup costs, lack of knowledge experts as well as the limited technology foundation for both business owners, as well as their employees. Therefore, this study looks at the current knowledge of Industry 4.0 from individuals in the industry, which will provide information on the current trends as well as possible knowledge gaps. The research also explores the benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies by using machine learning technology to elaborate on how we can enhance organizations’ efficiencies. The purpose of this study is to contribute towards the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 and provide encouragement for organizations to start their digital revolution. The research follows both a qualitative and quantitative analysis process. The qualitative data is analyzed from a survey of individuals which enables us to dissect and better identify the current trends, and possible knowledge gaps whilst the quantitative data is analyzed using machine learning software to highlight the potential that can be attained if organizations decide to implement these types of technologies. A content and grounded theory method was used to analyze the qualitative data, as the feedback from the interviewees was constantly reviewed and compared with each other whilst also comparing that to the initial hypothesis statements. It was seen that current trend is that individuals in the industry are excited and are aware of Industry 4.0, but there are still some challenges such as legacy machines, return of investment and knowledge gaps. For the quantitative data, a thematic analysis was used, in the form of machine learning software, to identify patterns in the results and interpret them in a way that can be understood better. From the analysis, it was seen that the machine learning software has a positive impact as the software was able to identify the highest points of failure as well as the type of failure which occurred for a machine. The timeline of failure was also deduced and therefore the organization would be able to put measures in place to restrict these failures from happening. The research provides great benefit for future researchers as well as organizations on topics relating to Industry 4.0 towards connecting the power of the technologies to create a smooth transition within the workplace. The survey analysis offers a better understanding of the current trends in the industry, and the research in general provides a foundation towards the understanding of Industry 4.0, and provides valuable insight on the greater role that new digital technologies play towards creating a better future for organizations.
An appropriate Bus Rapid Transit System
(IJST Publications, 2014-04) Adewumi, Emmanuel Olusegun; Allopi, Dhiren
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been adopted as an improvement on regular bus services through the combination of features like infrastructure changes that resulted in better operation speeds and service reliability. In this regards, it does pose a problem in selecting a BRT that is most suitable for a particular area/region. Hence, this study suggests an appropriate BRT system during in-depth literature review. To be able to select the appropriate vehicle option for a BRT system for a particular area/corridor, the transport demand, coverage/distance to be covered and length of public transport delay due to general traffic condition must be put into proper consideration. In terms of cost implication, median BRT system and kerbside BRT system should be selected over segregated BRT system.
The appropriate material specifications and manual are key for effective gravel roads design, construction and maintenance practice
(Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center, 2012-10) Mwaipungu, Richard R.; Allopi, Dhiren
It is a matter of fact that the gravel road network dominates as the mode of transport infrastructure in most of sub-Sahara Africa. These roads comprise a huge national asset that requires adherence to appropriate locally formulated Pavements and Materials Design Manual (PMDM) and Standard Specification for Road Works (SSRWs) in order for them to give satisfactory performance during their design life. As the length of the engineered gravel road network is steadily growing in Tanzania and elsewhere in sub-Sahara Africa, appropriate PMDM and SSRWs to be employed during design, construction and upkeep of this investment becomes increasingly important for optimal use of locally available gravel materials. In response to the above call, a number of sub-Sahara Africa countries, Tanzania included, has in place PMDM and SSRWs, which are being used during the design and construction of new gravel roads and also during maintenance and rehabilitation of existing gravel roads. These PMDM and SSRWs are used in order not only to standardize design practices and quality control during the design, construction and maintenance period, but also to be able to predict the performance of gravel roads. For these PMDM and SSRWs to be effective and dynamic they have to address local condition and after a certain period of time are to be revised so as to capture changes which are constantly occurring in the gravel road construction industry. The intention is that eventually it should be obligatory to observe the PMDM and SSRWs during design, construction, and maintenance of gravel roads, as they will carry with them the practical experience of over extensive period of time to be questionable. Although it’s always mentioned that engineering practice and judgment have to be observed during the use of any PMDM and SSRWs and under no circumstances shall the PMDM and SSRWs waive professional judgment in applied engineering, it has to be acknowledged that PMDM and SSRWs carry with them some authority in arriving at a final decision during the initial stage of design, preparation of tender documents and whenever an inexperienced engineer is supervising part of the project or a new challenge emerges during the execution of road works. This paper focuses on what is specified in Tanzania PMDM and SSRWs, in particular on gravel roads materials, design, construction and maintenance in one part and what is practiced in the country in another part as it influences the performance of gravel wearing course. It also compares these PMDM and SSRWs with those of developed countries and South Africa. It is expected that by addressing those areas the PMDM and SSRWs have fallen short will make them effective tools in gravel roads design, construction and maintenance works.
An assessment of environmental RF noise due to IoT deployment
(MDPI AG, 2023-09) Ingala, Dominique G.K.; Pillay, Nelendran; Pillay, Aritha
The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has contributed to an increase in the production volume of RF-featured equipment. According to statistics from the literature, the IoT industry will soon deploy billions of products. While the concept behind these applications seems exciting, this paper sought to assess the effects the radio emissions produced by IoT products would have on the ambient radio noise levels within the unlicensed frequency bands of 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 2.4 GHz. The study extended to three environments: industrial, urban, and suburban. This study developed an IoT noise generator (ING) device to emulate RF noise signals in the desired IoT radio transmission band. The paper presents a simplified radio noise surveying system (RNSS) for data collection of ambient radio noise from five South African candidate sites. The statistical and empirical analysis agree that the level of ambient radio noise was directly proportional to the rate of IoT radio activities. The slopes of the regression lines demonstrate that 80% of the analyzed data developed augmenting trends. Approximately 20% of the data show declining trends.
The challenges of implementing gravel road management system in Sub-Sahara Africa: Tanzania case study
(Delhi : IJARES, 2014) Mwaipungu, Richard R.; Allopi, Dhiren
The study examined the working environment of road organizations in Tanzania mainland implementing gravel road management system. These road organizations falls into two categories, namely those managing district roads networks and those managing national and regional road networks. The former are managed by building and civil works departments under local government and headed by district council or municipal council engineers under the Prime Minister Office of Regional and Local Government (PRO-RALG). National and regional road networks are managed by road agency known as TANROADS under the umbrella of the Ministry of Works. TANROADS have offices in each regional headquarter and headed by regional manager. A qualitative survey design was used to study the working environment of these organs in managing the gravel roads networks under their judiciary. Data were collected through questionnaire. Randomly selected TANROADS regional offices and district/municipal/city councils engineers’ offices were recipient of these questionnaires. All together 30 out of 70, that is 42.86% of the randomly selected road organization offices responded. The study found out these road organizations are shortage of human resources, lack formalized in-service training system, and facilities for effective implementation of gravel road management system (GRMS). Recommendations are thus mainly focused on ways of mitigating these challenges so as to enable these road organizations to run the GRMS effectively.
Cleaner technology systems for surface ﬁnishing : evaporative coolers for close circuiting low temperature plating process
(Elsevier, 2013-12-10) Munsamy, Megashnee; Telukdarie, Arnesh; Zhang, W.
In the electroplating process, the rinse system generates large quantities of wastewater requiring treatment prior to disposal to municipal systems. The use of conventional water treatment systems is a challenge due to the presence of hazardous components. In addition, this does not solve the problem of the generation of rinse wastewater, but only treats it. Thus the focus was on point-source reduction technologies, speciﬁcally the application of a three-stage low ﬂow counter current rinse for recovery of the rinse water in the plating bath, enabling close circuiting of the plating bath rinse system. However, recovery of the rinse water into the plating bath is impeded by the low rates of evaporation, especially in the low temperature plating baths. Alternative methodologies to heating were investigated to facilitate evaporation, with evaporative cooling being identiﬁed as the most feasible option. Evaporative cooling facilitates evaporation, whilst maintaining the plating bath temperature within the operational limits. For the recovery of the rinse water in the plating bath, the rate of evaporation in the plating bath must be equivalent to the fresh make-up water requirements of the rinse tanks. The Closed Circuit Plating System (CCPS) model was developed to enable the proper design and/or implementation of an evapo-rative cooler; whereby the user speciﬁed inputs are evaluated in achieving the required evaporation rates for the recovery of the rinse water in the plating bath. The key characteristic of the CCPS model is the minimum requirement of proprietary plating solution speciﬁc information. The inputs for the model are chemical composition of the plating solution, ﬂowrates, temperature and height of the cooling tower. The outputs from the model are evaporation rates and equilibrium temperatures of the plating bath and cooling tower. The primary limitation of the CCPS model is that it is based on an airewater system. Single and multiple variable sensitivity analyses were performed on the plating plant operational pa-rameters to determine their inﬂuence on close circuiting of the rinse plating system: plating solution composition and operational temperature; ambient air temperature; air ﬂow rate and the surface area of the packing in the cooling tower. The results from the model indicated the upper limit plating solution opera-tional temperature, high air ﬂow rates, low ambient air temperature and large surface area of packing facilitated water evaporation rates and lower equilibrium temperatures in the plating bath and cooling tower. The sensitivity analyses will allow the electroplater to optimise the operating conditions to achieve the required evaporation rates for recovery of the rinse water into the plating bath, while simultaneously maintaining the outputs of the electroplating plant and reducing the rinse wastewater generation to almost zero.
Comparative analysis and case study to evaluate conventional designs and environmentally sensitive infrastructure design solutions
(SAICE, 2016-08) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
Globally the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming and other negative consequences. In the area of sustainability there is an urgent need to apply technologies and methods which deliver more sustainable performance in a way that is cost-effective. Sustainable, adaptive and mitigating approaches to climate change in the design of infrastructure are therefore important steering elements (FIDIC 2009)
Consideration of pavement type service life capacity for sustainable infrastructure development in Nigeria
(2019) Abejide, Samuel Olugbenga; Adedeji, Jacob Adedayo; Mostafa, Mohamed
The opposition over the use of concrete pavement against the conventional flexible pavement in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized; nevertheless, the question of interest should be: is concrete pavement now a way out of Nigeria road network? Certainly, the success of any road pavement design practice is a function of various factors put together. Yet, the pros and cons of concrete pavement should not be seen from the perspective of a political drive but rather seen on the feasibility of achieving a reliable and sustainable pavement during the intended service life. The necessary factors to be considered in the success of pavement design will depend on; the environmental condition, geotechnical properties of the concrete pavement materials, the mix design of the concrete, the construction practice/workmanship, the expected load cycles and social acceptability. Furthermore, the emphasis on concrete pavement should be as a result of positive success already in use and the viability of the use of concrete pavement over flexible pavement will rely on successes and failures in design and construction which will depend on laboratory testing data so as to generate a code of practice manual which is suitable for a particular geographic location; since soil properties and environmental condition lies in its abundant complexity over a given location. This paper focuses on providing a guide to the use of concrete pavement design in Nigeria and how success in transforming Nigerian roads to rigid pavement can be achieved especially in failed road sections within the southern region and other regions prone to excessive rainfall precipitation.
Cops, drugs and interloping academics : an ethnographic exploration of the possibility of policing drugs differently in South Africa
(Routledge, 2016-04-20) Marks, Monique Michal; Howell, Simon
This article presents an ethnographic exploration of the policing of illegal substances in a city in South Africa. Situated contextually, we show how specific illegal drug policing practices are reinforced both institutionally and in the daily practices and activities of law enforcement officials. We explore the tension resulting from the demand for police officers to enforce punitive forms of regulation, despite their own awareness of the ineffectiveness of such strategies. Drawing on the experiences of the officers we engaged with, we show that policing aimed more at harm reduction than tough enforcement is possible. This, we argue, is the result of shifts in the structural field of policing (particularly at the policy level) and contradictions in the basic assumptions that police officers have about drug users, drug markets and what constitutes ‘real’ police work.
Corruption, construction industry and gravel roads in Tanzania
(SA ePublications, 2014-09) Allopi, Dhiren; Mwaipungu, Richard Robert
This paper discusses corruption in the construction industry to delineate its effects on gravel roads, drawing from Tanzanian experiences. To attain this aim, the paper analyses the following aspects: cooperation between legal entities providing services to the community and the road authorities managing road networks during execution of road works; selection of subcontractors by the main contractor, and the relationship between materials, laboratory personnel responsible for checking the quality and quantity of road works and the contractor, client and consultant; the relationship between client representatives, contractors and project engineer; and, the relationship between contractors and their employees in terms of salary, accommodation and working conditions. As a result of these relationships, gravel roads are affected negatively in terms of their quality. The paper argues that corruption in the Tanzanian construction industry is condoned by government ministry officials who are responsible for overseeing the performance of respective agencies. The paper recommends several measures that could be adopted to curb the corruption in Tanzania's construction industry.
Creating eco efficient township infrastructure projects with the use of green engineering solutions and sustainability criteria
(Institute of Municipal Enginering of South Africa, 2015) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
Globally, the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming, and other negative consequences (Harvey and Wayne, 20084). As we face significant planetary issues such as global warming, it is clear that the engineering profession has a significant part to play in affecting the future of our planet. In order to stay competitive and to meet upcoming stricter environmental regulations and customer requirements, designers have a key role in designing civil infrastructure so that it is environmentally sustainable. These and other factors have compelled the engineer to design with greater care and in more detail. The changing roles of engineers will be highlighted, in order to react to changes in climate. Mainstreaming environmental aspects and incorporating the eco-efficiency concept into various stages of infrastructure development have not been considered as much as they should have been. Engineers need to look at greener technologies rather than just using traditional engineering solutions. This paper looks at the effects of climate change on infrastructure and the changing role of engineers. It aims to demonstrate the use of sustainability criteria on infrastructure projects. The use of the proposed criteria would ensure a sustainable design for township infrastructure services through the consideration of scare resources, ecological sensitivity in the design and planning of infrastructure projects. This paper focuses on the concept of eco-efficiency in infrastructure design that promotes the use of the greener engineering options, enabling him/her to choose the one likely to yield the best performance with the least environmental impact. It looks at a number of recommended green practices on infrastructure services design, that are environmentally sound placing, fewer burdens on the environment.
Determining the best BRT for eThekwini
(3S Media, 2014-06) Adewumi, Emmanuel Olusegun; Allopi, Dhiren
BRT systems are fast becoming part of the South African urban landscape. In the first part of this two-part article, the authors set about defining BRT systems, looking at their history and examining configurations, factors and options.
eMatsheni: The central beer hall as social and municipal infrastructure in twentieth century Pietermaritzburg
(SciELO South Africa, 2015-05) Whelan, Debbie
Southern African cities have quietly developed by plugging new civic infrastructure that supported their operations into the urban environment, often with ad hoc decisions eliciting public outcry. Occasionally, legislative imperatives led to active protest, particularly the implementation of early versions of Group Area legislation. In the early twentieth century, the Pietermaritzburg corporation was torn between the need to accommodate Africans within the city for labour purposes and simultaneously, the need to follow legislations which restricted exactly this. Accommodating labour was the key component of the Durban System allowing for the control of African beer consumption while providing vital municipal revenue. The requisite buildings thus formed a vital part of city infrastructure. The original central beer hall was located close to the city hall and other important centres of civic society. It was marked for closure in the early 1930s, and reconstructed in a part of the city populated largely by mixed race and Indian people who protested vociferously at its development. This article discusses the public consultation process and the formation of the beer hall as a core of African-centred development on the periphery of the city. It concludes by commenting on the structures in contemporary Pietermaritzburg and their potential for future, meaningful development.
Experimental investigations on the effect of concrete quality, exposure conditions and duration of initial moist curing on carbonation rate in concretes exposed to urban, inland environment
(Elsevier, 2020-02-12) Otieno, Mike; Ikotun, Jacob; Ballim, Yunus
This paper reports an investigation on the influence of inland exposure conditions, concrete quality and cover depth on carbonation-induced corrosion initiation of steel in concretes exposed to urban, inland environment. 100 mm concrete cube specimens of were prepared using five types of binder namely plain Portland cement (CEM I 52.5 N, PC), 70/30 PC/FA (fly ash), 50/50 PC/BS (blast furnace slag), 90/10 PC/SF (silica fume) and 60/30/10 PC/BS/SF at three w/b ratios of 0.40, 0.60 and 0.95. For all the concretes, two companion sets of specimens were cast and cured for 7 and 28 days before being exposed to natural indoor, outdoor-sheltered and outdoor-unsheltered environments. Concrete quality was characterized using water sorptivity and oxygen permeability. Carbonation depths were measured at 6-month intervals up to 2 years. The results show that as the quality of the concrete increases the rate of carbonation rate decreases. The results also show that carbonation rate is more sensitive to concrete quality (binder type and w/b ratio) than duration of curing. The indoor-exposed specimens exhibited higher carbonation rates than the corresponding outdoor-exposed concretes. Blended cement concretes showed higher carbonation rate than to the plain PC concretes. An empirical carbonation rate prediction model incorporating both gas permeability and water sorptivity as input parameters is proposed.
Exploring the informal communication of driver-to-driver on roads : a case study of Durban city, South Africa
(The Road Association of Serbia Via-vita, 2021-12-17) Adedayo Adedeji, Jacob; Feikie, Xoliswa
Road traffic fatality is rated as one of the ten causes of death in the world and with various preventive measures on a global level, this prediction is only placed on flat terrain and didn’t reduce. Nevertheless, road users’ communication is an essential key to traffic safety. This communication, be it formal or informal between the road users is an important factor for smooth traffic flow and safety. Communication language on roads can be categorized into; formal device-based signal (formal signal), formal hand signal (formal signal), informal device-based signal (informal signal), and informal gesture-based signal (everyday signal). However, if the intent of the message conveys is not properly understood by the other road user, mistakes and errors may set in. Overall, the formal signal is based on explicit learning which occurs during the driving training and the license testing process and the informal, implicit learning occur during the actual driving process on the road unintentionally. Furthermore, since the informal signal is not a prerequisite to driving or taught in driving schools, novice drivers are clueless and thus, might have contributed to errors and mistakes which leads to traffic fatalities. Therefore, this study seeks to document the informal means of communication between drivers on South African roads. Consequently, a qualitative semi-structured interview questionnaire would be used in the collection of informal signals, which were predominantly used on South African roads from driving instructors and thereafter, a focus group of passengers’ car, commercial and truck drivers will be used to validate the availability and their understanding of these informal signals using a Likert-type scale for the confidence level. In conclusion, the information gathered from this study will help improve road safety and understanding of road users especially drivers on the necessity of communication and possible adaptation for other developing countries.
Exploring the mechanics of city-to-city learning in urban strategic planning: insights from southern Africa
(Elsevier BV, 2020) Moodley, Sogen
The importance of city-to-city learning processes in urban development has been gaining traction over the last two decades, particularly in the global North. Little empirical work has been done however, to critically analyse exactly how knowledge is transferred and the conditions under which these happen in order to facilitate better policy transfer between southern cities and regions. This paper focuses on the experiences of urban planning practitioners and key stakeholders from cities in South Africa, Malawi and Namibia that participated in a mentorship program coordinated by the international United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). Using this case study, it develops a staged learning model that unpacks in detail, the mechanics of how the learning occurs during the program. In order to inform good practice, key ingredients that contribute to knowledge transfer – in this instance around urban strategic planning – is distilled. The study employed a qualitative approach combining observation, focus group and in-depth interviews with 18 practitioners directly involved in the program. The study shows that effective knowledge transfer requires inter-alia an expertly-facilitated and highly structured program of mutual learning. Most importantly however, the paper argues that the building of trust between the practitioners involved in city-to-city learning is critical for transformative action in cities of the global South.
Green roofs and stormwater runoff quality in the urban landscape in South Africa
(National Research Council Canada, 2021-06-20) Sucheran, Arisha; Sucheran, Reshma
A number of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), such as green roofs, are being developed and implemented in cities around the world to help reduce stormwater runoff and improve stormwater runoff quality. This study compares the water quality of green roofs with that of conventional roofs in the eThekwini region, South Africa. Samples of stormwater runoff from the different green roof systems on the eThekwini Green Roof Pilot Project were collected to test their level of contaminants and pollutants. The tests focused on all physical, aesthetic, chemical, and microbiological determinants pertaining to stormwater runoff. For all tests, the level of contaminants and pollutants were measured against the South African Water Quality Guidelines Volume 7 for Aquatic Ecosystems. The data revealed significant variations in pollutant concentrations between the green roofs and the conventional roof. Moreover, runoff water quality varied across the various roof types, which may indicate that the substrate composition has the greatest impact on green roof performance regarding rainwater quality. Overall, the results suggest that these green roof systems do not have the ability to filter pollutants out of stormwater runoff, but rather increase their levels of concentration.
Inclusivity of ICT based solutions to public transportation problems : challenges and opportunities for Bloemfontein
(The Road Association of Serbia Via-vita, 2023-09-22) Bashingi, Ndakhona; Adedeji, Jacob Adedayo; Kumar Das, Dillip; Mostafa Hassan Mostafa, Mohammed
Promoting information and communication technologies as mobility and transportation accessibility solutions in efforts to achieve sustainable transportation excludes socioeconomic vulnerability. ICT-related efforts do not meet the mobility and accessibility needs of every single group in society, resulting in socioeconomic exclusion for specific groups of people. Social exclusion disadvantages vulnerable social groups in society's mobility, while limited mobility reduces access to activities for disadvantaged groups; travel for job hunting, education, work, and health facilities further increases these groups' physical isolation. The need to travel for activities, services, and basic goods for human consumption such as food, water, and medication must be addressed by developing inclusive transportation systems. Through tele-activities, e-payments, security and surveillance, among other components adaptable to travel and mobility, technological solutions have been at the forefront of prescriptions to transportation problems. However, they remain inaccessible to some of society. The study investigates whether inclusive, sustainable public transportation can be fully realized in developing countries by utilizing technology-based travel behavior solutions. It also investigates the effectiveness of ICT solutions to travel, mobility, and accessibility issues in a South African city with a relatively traditional public transportation system. The study considers socioeconomic travel processes as well as travel behavior constructs to inclusivity in order to weigh the prospects of equitable provision of ICT-enabled public transportation services in the developing world. This study discovered that travelers have smartphone access; however, the purposes of smartphones are not directly related to travel and transportation. Furthermore, public transportation service providers do not have an online presence. Overall, for ICT-enabled public transportation to thrive in developing countries, accessible technologies such as calls and SMS that do not require internet access must be considered.
Influence of high content fly ash on concrete durability
(IJEIT, 2014-01) Allopi, Dhiren; Zulu, Sabelo
Abstract - The use of fly ash products by the South African cement and construction industries has saved the country over 6 million tons of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Fly ash is an industrial by-product that is normally consigned to landfills and the re-use of it as cement extenders provides an immediate benefit for the environment while still improving the quality of concrete. Fly ash blended cements in concrete perform better than pure cement in providing better concrete properties. Current specifications limit the use of fly ash in concrete to 30%, although an increase of this amount can be very beneficial in concrete structures, economically and environmentally. In South Africa the durability index of concrete is commonly determined by performing the Oxygen Permeability test, Water Sorptivity test and Chloride Conductivity test, developed by the Universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand. Performing these tests in this study, the results obtained showed that concrete mixes with fly ash content that is higher than the specification limit can result in concrete with acceptable good durability qualities, and with age, the durability qualities are improved due to pozzolanic reactions. Substituting high volumes of cement with fly ash in concrete can provide high quality concrete and a relief in the environment without compromising the quality of concrete.
Machine learning for road traffic accident improvement and environmental resource management in the transportation sector
(MDPI AG, 2023-02) Megnidio-Tchoukouegno, Mireille; Adedeji, Jacob Adedayo
Despite the measures put in place in different countries, road traffic fatalities are still considered one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Thus, the reduction of traffic fatalities or accidents is one of the contributing factors to attaining sustainability goals. Different factors such as the geometric structure of the road, a non-signalized road network, the mechanical failure of vehicles, inexperienced drivers, a lack of communication skills, distraction and the visual or cognitive impairment of road users have led to this increase in traffic accidents. These factors can be categorized under four headings that are: human, road, vehicle factors and environmental road conditions. The advent of machine learning algorithms is of great importance in analysing the data, extracting hidden patterns, predicting the severity level of accidents and summarizing the information in a useful format. In this study, three machine learning algorithms for classification, such as Decision Tree, LightGBM and XGBoost, were used to model the accuracy of road traffic accidents in the UK for the year 2020 using their default and hyper-tuning parameters. The results show that the high performance of the Decision Tree algorithm with default parameters can predict traffic accident severity and provide reference to the critical variables that need to be monitored to reduce accidents on the roads. This study suggests that preventative strategies such as regular vehicle technical inspection, traffic policy strengthening and the redesign of vehicle protective equipment be implemented to reduce the severity of road accidents caused by vehicle characteristics.