Submitted by Cedric Hughes on Wed, 05/11/2005 - 08:28
Every report of a motor vehicle accident makes us question why it happened. Was it avoidable? Whose fault was it? Of the four possible contributing factors: equipment failure, road design, road maintenance and driver behaviour, driver behaviour is most commonly (some statistics say in 95% of cases) the primary cause. Speeding, changing lanes frequently or unsafely, not signaling, tailgating, not yielding the right of way, disregarding traffic controls, and impaired driving are some of the highest risk behaviours involving various degrees of carelessness and disregard for the safety of others. But other driver behaviours — failing to react quickly enough, or failing to check carefully enough, or being ever so momentarily distracted from focusing 100% on the road are less reprehensible and may at the same time be connected to a problem with road design.
Every city has them: the top-10 list of most accident-prone intersections (or bridges or exit ramps). For example, ICBC accident records identify Knight Street and Marine Drive as the most dangerous intersection in Vancouver, with 2,300 collisions between 1998 and the end of 2003. Two other intersections on Knight and the 900 block of the street also made the top 10 list for the highest crash rate. Such statistics support the significance of road design factors in accident causation.
Road design is an ever-evolving science with many disciplines and agencies—engineering, urban planning, government and law enforcement—contributing to the guidelines and standards that govern new construction and upgrades. Road design encompasses a host of features and considerations: road surfaces, road identification signs, hazard visibility, traffic flow design, traffic control devices, behavioural control devices, and weather.
In a recent publication of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals, Professors Said Easa of Ryerson University and Tarek Sayed of the University of British Columbia addressed the critical role in traffic safety played by signage integrated with road shape and design. Signage needs to inform quickly and with a minimum of distraction. Road shape and design need to permit maximum visibility and consistency.
Consistency is an important consideration in road design. Drivers interpret and react to roadway features or situations as if those situations were similar to what they have experienced previously, whether or not they actually are similar. Because of this, when faced with features that violate their inclination, drivers are more likely to become confused and possibly commit errors. This issue offers a partial explanation concerning terrible accidents caused by drivers proceeding onto a freeway in the wrong direction.
According to a recent (February 2005) survey by Veraxis Research & Communications conducted for the Canadian Automobile Association as reported in the National Post, the need for “better” roads is not lost on Canadians. This need ranks behind only health care, education and child poverty in importance to Canadians. Almost half of the respondents said road and highway conditions in their province were worsening. “No other area of public infrastructure is seen as being as urgent as roads and highways,” said the survey report.
Please drive safely.
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