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Cost-Efficiency Engineering Measures of Low Cost in Spain

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency and economic profitability, attending exclusively to criteria of road safety, of the low cost performances of the programs of road safety that are being developing annually by the General Directorate of Roads. For it, more than 3.800 works have been studied, quantifying the reduction of accidents rate reached after its getting into force, its relation cost - benefit and its time of amortization. The methodology used for its determination has taken into account the variation of the traffic experienced after the above mentioned accomplishments as well as that not any other performance had been carried out at least during a period of time of one year, so that in this way to attribute the reduction of accidents rate to a sole work. Also, the statistical importance of the results has been analyzed by means of the test of the chisquared (χ2). As for the obtained results, it is necessary to highlight that in the sections affected by the set of performances developed into the programs of road safety, the risk of accidents rate has diminished in 38 % and fatal accident in 34 %, recovering the investment realized in 2,5 years. Within these programs, the improvements of vertical-horizontal signings are the most efficient measures since they reduce the risk of fatality in 39 % and are amortized in less than 2,5 months (relation benefit - cost 6,5). The treatments of margins reduce the risk of fatality 84 %. The lighting, external borders, the local improvements of tracing and the treatments of road safety of the road surface diminish the index of dangerousness and fatality more than 50 % and 62 %, respectively. Finally, the treatments of ditches have reduced the fatality risk 31 % More prominent conclusions are: 1) to reduce the accidents rate it is necessary to invest in roads. But the levels can be improved without carrying out very expensive performances. 2) The development of specific programs of road safety, independent from those of maintenance and construction, it is highly effective and profitable. These programs, which include performances of low cost, constitute a very good strategy to follow concerning the road safety relative to the infrastructure. The success rests on the measures adopted are very located and designed after a detailed study on the safety lacks in the road.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: CD-ROM
  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: 9p
  • Monograph Title: The Choice for Sustainable Development. Pre-Proceedings of the 23rd PIARC World Road Congress

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01080958
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Nov 26 2007 9:54AM