TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND ROAD LIGHTING DURING THE OIL CRISIS

FAERDSELSUHELD OG VEJBELYSNING UNDER OLIEKRISEN

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not the reduced road lighting during the oil crisis in the winter 1973/74 had any influence on road accidents. The data consist of police reports on personal injury accidents for the years 1968-74 for nearly all major cities and suburban areas in Denmark. The primary study concerns a comparison of the months January-April in 1974 to the months January-April in the years 1968-73. The first analysis is concerned with the distribution of accidents on daylight and darkness and on dry roads and wet, not slippery, roads. Under wet, not slippery, conditions 1974 differs significantly from the average of 1968-73 with relatively more darkness accidents. This difference could be due to the reduced road lighting but could also conceivably be due to the weather. Therefore a number of supplementary analyses were made. These analyses showed changed accident patterns which might well be due to the reduced road lighting, since the tendencies were all as expected. The study concludes that it is highly likely that the increased risk in 1974 was caused by the reduced road lighting but also by other factors, particularly weather conditions. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Danish Council of Road Safety Research

  1 Anker Engelundsvej, Building 117
  DK-2808 Lyngby,   Denmark 
• Authors:
  • Friis, A
  • JOERGENSEN, N O
  • Schioetz, I
• Publication Date: 1976-3-25

Language

• Danish

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Crash analysis; Crash rates; Crashes; Darkness; Days; Energy resources; Moisture content; Night; Pavements; Street lighting; Surface course (Pavements); Traffic crashes; Travelers; Wet weather
• Uncontrolled Terms: Energy crisis; Wet conditions; Wet pavements
• Geographic Terms: Denmark
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 9148: Before and after study; 8028: Denmark; 545: Lighting (street); 9052: Night; 1755: Road user; 3015: Wet road
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00157347
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Report No. 129 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 13 1977 12:00AM