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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Crash violence within the traffic system. Risks and their reduction on regional and connecting roads

Liikennejarjestelman kolarivakivalta. Riskit ja niiden vahentaminen seutu- ja yhdysteilla.

The focus of this study was on fatal accidents on Finnish regional and connecting public roads outside built-up areas (other than main roads). The accident data wed was collected by the road accident investigation teams during years 2002-2006. At first stage there is presented an extensive summary of all fatal accidents in which risk behaviour of the motor vehicle driver (illegal presence of alcohol or drugs, failure to use seatbelts or other restraint system, valid right to drive, speeding at least 20 km/h and deaths due to suicide or sickness, e.g. heart attack) was separated. At second stage only the accidents without risk behaviour were included in data. The aim was to identify the main risks of death within the traffic system to which the motor vehicle occupants, bicyclists and pedestrians are exposed. Finally the measures to decrease the number of fatalities were evaluated. On regional and connecting roads outside built-up areas occurred 463 fatal accidents with 5lI fatalities during the years 2002-2006. The most common accident types were single vehicle accidents (47 %), head-on collisions (20 %), pedestrian accidents (6%), bicycle accidents (8 %) and crossing and turning accidents (7 %). The most common accident types without risk behaviour of the driver were head-on collisions, single vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents. Altogether during the period under review 185 road users died in the accidents without risk behaviour. About 50% of the fatalities of motor vehicle occupants and 30o/o of vulnerable road user fatalities occurred on rural areas population density below l5 residents/km). On regional roads the fatal head-on accidents without risk behaviour can be reduced by improving the efficiency of the winter maintenance and by lowering the speed limits. Improving the passive safety of the roadside area is essential in order to reduce the fatalities in single vehicle accidents. The most difficult problem is the fatal accidents at intersections, in which the casualties are very often older persons who come from minor road and collide with vehicles which have right of way. On connecting roads the essential measure to reduce the number of fatalities without risk behaviour is lowering the speed limits. In the pedestrian and bicyclist fatal accidents the common recognised risks were high speed limits on the accident scenes, which caused high crash speeds and exceeded crash violence related to human tolerance. Another recognised risk within the traffic system was lack of separated passages or marked cross-walks for vulnerable road users. Lowering the speed limits would be essential for reducing the risk of death for both motor vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users'. The speed limit system of the regional and connecting road network on non built-up areas should be revisited. In order to improve the safety of the pedestrians and bicyclists also the traffic schemes of road sections on dense populated areas should be developed, as well as new more effective, means, to increase the usage of cycling helmets. This report may be found at http://www.lintu.info/VIOLA_STYT.pdf

Language

  • Finnish

Media Info

  • Pagination: 144p
  • Serial:
    • LINTU REPORTS
    • Issue Number: 4/2009
    • Publisher: MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01146907
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: TRL
  • ISBN: 978-952-243-085-4
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Dec 24 2009 8:28AM