Transportation

Engineering - III

Road Safety Strategy

 Introduction

• The nature and extent of the road safety problem with

regard to humanitarian, public health or economic aspects
need to be investigated.
• There is a need to respond to this problem scientifically,
not base on the judgment and emotion.
• Trinca et al (1988) summarized road safety strategies in
five categories.
 1. Exposure Control
• Improving the safety by reducing the amount of travel, or
substituting safer forms of transportation.
Some specific program options
 Alternative to road transportation
• e.g. rail, bus, air, tele community
 Vehicle restrictions
 Roadway restrictions
• e.g. truck bans in local streets
 User restrictions
• e.g. driver license age, curfews for novice drivers,
limits on blood alcohol level, graduated licensing.
 2. Accident Prevention
 Accident possibly can be prevented or more likely
reduced by better engineering actions.
Road design
Intersection design and control
Lighting, signaling
Road construction and maintenance
Road side hazard management
Traffic management
Speed and speeds limit
Treatment directed at vulnerable road user
 Continued…
• A modern freeway can be about 10 times safer per vehicle mile
than an undivided 2-lane road.
 Vehicle engineering to improve safety includes:
• Braking
• Lights, reflectors
• Handling
• Driver controls
• Visibility
• Crash worthiness
• Heating and ventilation
• Stability
 3. Behavior Modification

 Typical programs related to behavior modification include:

Pedestrians training (seems to be effective)
Driver training (not highly effective in producing safer
drivers)
Enforcement (most effect on driver’s behavior if they
perceive a probability of being detected).
 4. Injury Control

 Programs relating to vehicle and the road are:

• Cars
• Seat belt restraint
• Anti burst door locks
• Cabin structural integrity
• Laminated glazing (safety glass)
• Energy absorbing steering columns
• Head restraints
• Forgiving interior fittings
 Continued..

• Bicycles and motor cycles

• Helmets
• Buses
• Seat belts
• Forgiving interior fittings
• Road environment
 5. Post injury management
 Programs provided to improve this strategy are:
• Training of the care providers
• Emergency medical personnel
• First aid education for the public
• Training for hospital personnel
• Effective communication to notify location and nature
of the crash
• System to ensure rapid response
• Effective and efficient transportation of injured to
hospitals
• Establishment of specialized units at major hospitals
The Haddon matrix