Monitoring traffic safety: longer and heavier vehicles

Since 2001 articulated vehicles commonly named as LHVs (Longer Heavier Vehicles) have been permitted on public roads in the Netherlands. An evaluation phase for LHVs has been in effect since 1 November 2007. The Dutch Secretary of State for Transport would like to monitor this, particularly in relation to road traffic safety. Although previous research has given no cause for concern over the traffic safety of these types of vehicles, it is important to eliminate any possible risks accompanying the increase of the number of LHVs. It was investigated whether the current deployment of LHVs on the Dutch road network causes any issues in terms of road traffic safety, traffic flow and road design. Police accident reports and LHV registration records from the Dutch vehicle licensing agency provided the foundation to answer the research questions. Analyses of recorded accidents involving LHVs alone, however, provides insufficient basis to substantiate reliable conclusions in relation to the traffic safety of LHVs nationwide, since the number of LHVs involved in accidents is too limited to allow statistical analysis. Therefore accident reports have been used to design a number of case studies, which, in turn, were tested against the experiences of LHV drivers, some of whom having had one or more accidents with an LHV and others having had no such accidents. Finally, in order to create an exhaustive image of possible risks attached to the use of LHVs, the case studies were tested against the judgement of other important experts by experience, such as people working in highways management and road maintenance.

• Record URL:
  http://www.verkeerenwaterstaat.nl/kennisplein/page_kennisplein.aspx?DossierURI=tcm:195-17870-4&id=399381
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Originally published in December 2009.
• Corporate Authors:

  Netherlands. Ministry of Transport. Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management

  The Hague,    

  Netherlands. Ministry of Transport. Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management

  ,    
• Publication Date: 2010-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Edition: Version 2.0
• Pagination: 71p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Heavy vehicles; Highway safety; Monitoring; Regulations; Risk management; Vehicle length
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• ATRI Terms: Case study; Heavy vehicle; Monitoring; Risk; Road safety; Vehicle length; Vehicle regulations
• Subject Areas: Law;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01382244
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 22 2012 1:08PM