Copyright © IFAC Transportation Systems Chania, Greece, 1997 DESIGN OF A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TAMS), FOR THE GREEK NATIONAL IDGHW AY SYSTEM, USING GIS TECHNOLOGY Dr Panagiotis Papaioannou 1, Socrates Basbas 1, Dr Alexandros Kokkalis 3 1 Assistant Professor, 2 Transportation Researcher, Transport Section, Department of Civil Engineering University ofThessaloniki, Thessaioniki, 540 06, GR Tel: 031 995775 Fax: 031 995789 E-mail: papa@vergina.eng.auth. gr 3 Assistant Professor, Section of Highways and Transportation Engineering Department of Civil Engineering, Democritus University ofThrace, Xanthi, 671 00, GR, Tel & Fax: 054123145 Abstract: A GIS based Management System for Traffic Accidents, is being presented, with the main emphasis on the Data Base Design. The System functions and the overall Architecture have been approached at a first stage, providing an indication of what such a system might be. The system is appropriate for the General Secretariat of Public Works, its Regional Branches and other Authorities which have to do with road networks. The benefits of such a system extend on operations, management, planning and monitoring. What is really needed is maturation and determination from the decision makers to employ a GIS base Traffic Accident Management System. A system that will also be quite useful for other functions of the same MinistIy as well .. Keywords: GIS, accident, safety, management 1. INTRODUCTION Road safety has become a major problem during the last decades in most of the developed countries all over the world. Traffic accidents have vast social and economic impacts every year, and public authorities seem sometimes unable to tackle effectively this problem. In other cases things are improving slowly but consistently due to the systematic, continuous and combined efforts of many organisations, public and private, involved in the fight for safer roads. It is certainly wise to benefit from the experience of those who succeeded in this 279 respect and avoid the experience of those who didn't. 2. ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT ANDGIS Road safety, needs to be managed, and good management of road safety requires a lot of information. The latter can be obtained only by gathering systematically and continuously proper data from the field or from other sources. This data is needed both for studying road safety and for measuring the effectiveness of any interventions chosen and implemented on