ENGINEERING SAFER ROADS: STAR RATING ROADS FOR IN-BUILT SAFETY
ROAD SAFETY FOUNDATION FOCUS ON TWO KEY ROUTES
- A404, Buckinghamshire, named Britain’s most improved road:
- Improved overall from 2-star to 3-star
- An improvement of a star typically halves the cost and number of serious crashes
- Safety measures on A404 cut crashes by 90% over the survey period
- A285, West Sussex, named Britain’s persistently highest risk road:
- 85% of 12 mile route rates 1-star or 2-star for motorcyclists and vehicle occupants
- Simple safety measures costing £3 million might return a £11 million saving over their economic life and 45 deaths and serious injuries on A285 alone
Cash-strapped local authorities facing the challenge of reducing road deaths and serious injuries on their network now have access to a list of initiatives they can take to target risk points, along with the cost and value of the benefits each initiative brings. In a report out today from the Road Safety Foundation “Engineering Safer Roads: Star Rating Roads for in-built safety” the costs and benefits are listed, supported by two real examples: where the road has been improved and is now saving lives and money (A404); and where improvements are needed on the UK’s persistently highest risk road (A285).
With half of road deaths concentrated on just 10 per cent of the busy main road network outside major towns and cities, targeting can pay substantial dividends, the report says. Risks on different sections of road vary tenfold as the same drivers in the same vehicles turn from one road section into another. Risks also vary according to the type of road user, but the majority of road deaths remain to car occupants. Road deaths are concentrated on country roads outside major towns and cities at speeds where the vehicle’s protection alone is not enough to safeguard against brutal impacts at junctions, with roadside objects and in head-on crashes.
Case study: A404 Buckinghamshire – the UK’s most improved road
Between 2007-09, the 6 mile (9 km) stretch of the A404 between the M25 and Amersham suffered 2 deaths and serious injuries every mile and was rated medium-high risk. Two-thirds of the 12 crashes involved vehicle occupants; for these road users the majority of the route scored 2-star.
Discussions with Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire County Councils revealed the authorities had carried out a programme of low cost and straightforward measures that included re-surfacing, improved road markings, lowering the speed limit and improving pedestrian crossings on a stretch where pedestrians were especially vulnerable. Together with improvements from behaviour and vehicles, fatal and serious crashes involving vehicle occupants were cut by 88 per cent; while deaths and injuries to pedestrians fell from four to zero in the 2010-12 period. The road now has an overall 3-star score for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians and has a low risk rating.
Case study: A285 West Sussex – the UK’s persistently higher risk road
The A285 is a challenge for the road authority, West Sussex County Council. In 2014, Road Safety Foundation reported that the risk increased by 17% between 2007-09 and 2010-12 – against a background of a national reduction in crashes.
The road, between Chichester and Petworth, is 12 miles (19 km) long and 47 people were killed or seriously injured on it in during the two periods analysed in the 2014 report (2007-12). 96% of the deaths and serious injuries were to vehicle occupants and motorcyclists.
Just 15 per cent of the road achieves a desired 3-star minimum rating for vehicle occupants and motorcyclists. 25% of the route scores 1-star for vehicle occupants; 35% for motorcyclists.
Interventions proposed by the Road Safety Foundation for detailed investigation include rumble strips along roadside edges, central lane hatching, clearance of roadside hazards, street lighting, and marking improvements.
Most safety engineering infrastructure improvements would deliver savings in road trauma for many years after installation, with a spend of £3m giving an economic return of £11m over the economic life of the investment; while some proposed interventions at specific points that might repay costs four times over. 45 deaths and serious injuries might be expected to be saved over the next 20 years on this small route, and if implemented, 100% of the route would score 3-star minimum for vehicle occupants.
“Getting the most out of existing budgets is an imperative,” says Caroline Moore, author of the Road Safety Foundation Report. “Serious road crashes are expensive and this report shows that interventions are often simple and cost effective. As central government increasingly devolves responsibility for the costs of health and long term care, there are now new reasons for local authorities to study the cost of road crashes on their road network and why bringing ‘A’ roads up to a minimum 3-star standard for in-built safety in the period to 2030 makes sense.”
The report is sponsored by Ageas, whose chief executive, Andy Watson says: “Ageas is committed to influencing the public debate and encouraging action on improving the safety of our roads. We are long-term sponsors of the RSF’s road assessment programme and I am pleased to see this new report which expands on its findings. It provides further evidence and information about what measures can reduce the suffering associated with road deaths and injuries, and will be an important resource for local and national bodies.”
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Notes to editors
Safe Road Design – the costs and the casualty reductions they can offer:
Countermeasure
Casualty reduction
Cost
Delineation
10-25%
Low
Central hatching
10-25%
Low
Rumble strips
10-25%
Low
Skid resistance
25-40%
Low
Roadside hazard removal
25-40%
Low
Side slope improvement
10-25%
Medium
Roadside barriers
40-60%
Medium
Speed management
25-40%
Medium
Shoulder sealing
25-40%
Medium
Lane widening
25-40%
Medium-high
Median barrier
>60%
Medium-high
Additional lane
25-40%
High
Realignment
10-40%
High
Dualling
25-40%
High
Reducing head-on crashes
Head-on crashes are generally the most severe of all vehicle crash types. The combined mass and speed of vehicles often result in serious or fatal consequences for vehicle occupants.
Even in the most modern cars, the chances of surviving a head-on crash at speeds above 40mph are greatly reduced. For older vehicles, or in crashes involving vehicles of different size, surviving such a crash is less likely at far lower speeds.
This crash type occurs when one vehicle leaves its path and comes into the path of the oncoming vehicle.
Often this type of crash results from a steering wheel overcorrection, eg a driver veers to the roadside, instinctively turns the steering wheel to return to the road and travels across the carriageway.
Reducing junction crashes
Countermeasure
Casualty reduction
Cost
Delineation
10-25%
Low
Turn lane
10-25%
Low-medium
Skid resistance
25-40%
Low-medium
Signalisation
25-40%
Medium
Speed management
25-40%
Medium
Roundabout
>60%
Medium-high
Grade separation
25-40%
High
Junction crashes are one of the most common types of crash problem in Britain. In rural areas, or where vehicle speeds are high, the consequences of crashes involving brutal side impacts at junctions are frequently severe.
The chances of avoiding serious injury or death reduce dramatically above 30mph for side impacts for the most modern types of cars, and is far less than this for older vehicles, and particularly for vulnerable road users.
Countermeasure
Casualty reduction
Cost
Delineation
10-25%
Low
Rumble strips
10-25%
Low
Skid resistance
25-40%
Low
Roadside hazard removal
25-40%
Low
Side slope improvement
10-25%
Medium
Roadside barriers
40-60%
Medium
Shoulder sealing
25-40%
Medium
Speed management
25-40%
Medium
Lane widening
25-40%
Medium to high
Median barrier
Medium-high
Realignment
10-40%
High
Reducing run-off crashes
Run-off-road crashes are common, especially in high speed areas. They occur at bends and on straight sections of road. In high speed environments they can have severe outcomes, particularly if an object is hit (for example trees, poles, pedestrians) or there is a steep embankment or cliff.
Research shows that the survival rate for hitting an object head-on reduces significantly above 40mph, while a side impact into a pole or tree is greatly reduced at speeds above 25mph. Therefore, the consequences of running off the road above this speed will often be severe.
Countermeasure
Casualty reduction
Cost
Fencing
25-40%
Low
Improve visibility (obstruction removal)
25-40%
Low-medium
Parking improvements
10-25%
Low-medium
Refuge island
25-40%
Low-medium
Installing crossing
25-40%
Low-medium
Shoulder sealing
25-40%
Medium
Speed management
25-40%
Medium
Street lighting
10-25%
Medium
Traffic calming
25-40%
Medium-high
Grade separation crossing
>60%
High
Reducing crashes with pedestrians and cyclists
Just under a quarter of all road deaths in Britain are pedestrians and 6 per cent are cyclists.
The severity of crashes with these vulnerable road users is strongly dependent on the speed of traffic. Research shows that the chances of a vulnerable road user surviving an impact with a motorised vehicle reduces significantly above 20mph, and even at lower speeds than this, serious harm can be caused, especially to older people or children.
Full report at http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/