Angel V. Martínez & Antonio Amengual
This research is part of an EU-funded project called: Roadside Infrastructure for Safer European Roads Included inside the 5th Framework Programme
INTRODUCTION ROADSIDE ACCIDENT = SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT = RUN-OFF ACCIDENT ACCIDENT INVOLVING AN ERRANT VEHICLE LEAVING UNCONTROLLED THE CARRIAGEWAY AND ENCROACHING ROADSIDE INFRASTRUCTURE, INTERACTING EITHER * ANY ROADSIDE HAZARD (A FIXED OBJECT, A SLOPE DOWN, ROLLING or INVADING OTHER WAY (ROAD, RAIL, WATER) OR * ANY ROADSIDE SAFETY FEATURE (e.g. SAFETY BARRIERS) EUROPE (Fatalities per year, aprox) 30 % SINGLE VEHICLE ACC.
INTRODUCTION ROADSIDE SAFETY RESEARCH DEALS BASICALLY WITH: Estimation of the Risks of the several Roadside Hazards, Identification & ranking of Roadside Safety Action/Measures, Evaluation of Performance of Roadside Safety Features, mainly Road Restraint Systems: Safety Barriers, Crash Cushions, Terminals and Transitions, Motorcyclists Protecting Devices, Arrester Beds,... The most probable interaction with Roadside Infrastructure is stricking Safety Barriers, because the implementation of guidelines in front of any Roadside Hazard a safety barrier should be standing
INTRODUCTION Most of Road Safety Researches start from OFFICIAL STATISTICS OF ACCIDENTS = Police Records A frequent rule: If the motorist is able to run away from the roadside incident scenario before the police arrival, he does This behaviour generates a NON POLICE REPORTED ROADSIDE INCIDENT These NON REPORTED ROADSIDE INCIDENTS are recorded by the ROAD OPERATOR because the repair and maintenance works
INTRODUCTION Accidented car Police Collision Collision Police Recorded Roadside Accident (PRRA) Non-Recorded Roadside Accident (NRRA)
SCOPE ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE NON- REPORTED ACCIDENTS ON THE ROADSIDE SEVERITY (AS A FACT OF ROADSISE SAFETY) BY COMPARING ACCIDENT DATA FROM THE TWO SOURCES: POLICE DATA (DGT) OPERATOR DATA, Accident Assistance Repair Works
DEFINITION OF SEVERITY DEFINITION OF SEVERITY SEVERITY of an ACCIDENT-TYPE is defined as the PROBABILITY OF A PERSON BEING KILLED in such a ACCIDENT-TYPE S = F RI = PRRA F + NRRA S = Severity of Roadside Accidents F = Number of Fatalities in Roadside Accidents RI = Roadside Incidents = PRRA + NRRA PRRA = Police Reported Roadside Accidents NRRA = Non-Reported Roadside Accidents
LOCATION OF THE ROAD SECTION LOCATION OF THE ROAD SECTION La Coruña ATLANTIC OCEAN Lisbon PORTUGAL Avilés Gijón Oviedo ASTURIAS Madrid S P A I N Bilbao SPAIN Valencia FRANCE Barcelona Palma de Mallorca Sevilla Málaga MEDITERRANEAN SEA
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROAD SECTION DESCRIPTION OF THE ROAD SECTION ROAD SECTIONS OPERATED BY ROAD OPERATOR (dealing with road conservation of a road section under Contract with the National Road Administration) 139 KM of ROADS LOCATED IN ASTURIAS (NORTH-SPAIN REGION) 69,5 KM DUAL CARRIAGEWAY HIGHWAYS Asturian Y ( A-8, A-66) Oviedo Ring Road (A-66) Gijón Ring Road ( N 632 ) 69,5 KM SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY NATIONAL ROADS N-630, N-632, N-633, N-642, N-643
A-8 Highway (Dual Carriageway) A-8 Highway (Dual Carriageway) * Dual Carriageway, 2 + 2 (3) lanes * ADT=33.000 69.000 veh/day * 12 % Heavy Vehicles * Central Reservation 6 m wide, Divided by two Steel Guardrail Alignements * Shoulders 1 m wide, protected 60 % with Safety Barriers
A-8 Highway (Dual Carriageway) A-8 Highway (Dual Carriageway) * Dual Carriageway, 2 + 2 (3) lanes * ADT=33.000 69.000 veh/day * 12 % Heavy Vehicles * Central Reservation 6 m wide, Divided by two Steel Guardrail Alignements * Shoulders 1 m wide, protected 60 % with Safety Barriers
N-632 National Road (Single Carriageway) N-632 National Road (Single Carriageway) * Single Carriageway, 1 + 1 (2) lanes * ADT=20.000 30.000 veh/day * Shoulders 1 m wide, protected less than 50 % with Safety Barriers
N-632 National Road (Single Carriageway) N-632 National Road (Single Carriageway) * Single Carriageway, 1 + 1 (2) lanes * ADT=20.000 30.000 veh/day * Shoulders 1 m wide, protected less than 50 % with Safety Barriers
THE TWO SOURCES OF OF DATA COLLECTION: POLICE RECORDS REPORT of TRAFFIC POLICE (Guardia Civil - DGT) GENERAL DATA Date, Time, Location Injuries (Fatalities, Heavy injuried, Light Injuried) Nº Vehicles Involved ROAD CHARACTERISTICS Road Type ( Dual Carriageway, single carriageway, national Road, Local Road, etc) Road Description ( Nº lanes, carriageway width, lane width) Intersection or No-Intersection Road Surface Conditions. CLIMATE CONDITIONS Lightness/Darkness Weather ( dry and sunny, rain, snow,...)
THE TWO SOURCES OF OF DATA COLLECTION: POLICE RECORDS ROADSIDE FEATURES Hazards Signalling Pavements Trees VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS ACCIDENT TYPE Collision Vehicle-Vehicle Collision Vehicle-Obstacle on Carriageway Knock Down (Pedestrian, animals) Roll-Over on Carriageway Roadside Accident: With / Without Collision Tree or Pole, Wall or Building, Ditch or Curb Fall Down, Rolling
THE TWO SOURCES OF OF DATA COLLECTION: OPERATOR RECORDS ROAD DATA WEATHER CONDITIONS SURFACE CONDITIONS DAMAGES (Injuries and Material) CAUSES OF THE ACCIDENT: Right/Left Hand Run-Off Knock Down Pedestrian/Animal Real Collision Others
RESULTS Year 2002 RESULTS Year 2002 ACCIDENT DATA YEAR 2002 Nº ACCIDENTS POLICE RECORDS 383 OPERATOR RECORDS 668 Nº Roadside Accidents 99 26 % of accidents 532 80 % of accidents Roadside Injuries Injured Fatalities 154 3 56 3 Roadside Severity 3,03 % 0,56 % (18 % of reported)
RESULTS Year 2003 RESULTS Year 2003 ACCIDENT DATA YEAR 2003 Nº ACCIDENTS POLICE RECORDS 221 OPERATOR RECORDS 652 Nº Roadside Accidents 75 34 % of accidents 526 81 % of accidents Roadside Injuries Injured Fatalities 89 7 56 7 Roadside Severity 9,33 % 1,33 % (14 % of reported)
RESULTS TOTAL ACCIDENTS : POLICE REPORTED ACCIDENTS REPRESENTS 57 % - 2002 (34 % - 2003) OF TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS : POLICE REPORTED ACCIDENTS ONLY REPRESENTS 19 % - 2002 (14 % - 2003) OF TOTAL NUMBER OF ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS REPRESENTS 80 % - 2002 (81 % - 2003) OF TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS BUT ACCORDING TO POLICE RECORDS THEY WOULD REPRESENT ONLY 26 % - 2002 (34 % - 2003) THE SEVERITY OF ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS IS IN REALLITY 18 % - 2002 (14 % - 2003) OF THE SEVERITY AS REPORTED BY POLICE (OFFICIAL DATA) THE SEVERITY OF ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS HAS INCREASED FROM 2002 (0.55 %) TO 2003 (1.33 %)
CONCLUSIONS ONLY A FEW OF ROADSIDE INCIDENTS (14 % - 18 %) WERE RECORDED BY POLICE AND, FOR THIS REASON, ARE FEEDING OFFICIAL STATISTICS SEVERITY BY POLICE IS MUCH HIGHER THAN REAL SEVERITY. ROADSIDE RESEARCH CANNOT BE BASED ONLY ON POLICE RECORDS BUT ALSO ON OPERATORS RECORDS ROADSIDE ACCIDENTS SHARE IN TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS IS MUCH HIGHER THAN REPORTED BY POLICE (REPRESENTS 80 % - 81 % FRONT OF 26 % - 34 %). THE ROLE OF ROADSIDE SAFETY FEATURES IN ROAD SAFETY IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN OFFICIALLY REPORTED THE FACT OF NON-INJURING INCIDENTS BEING NOT REPORTED IS PENALIZING THE GOOD PERFORMING SAFETY FEATURES OR ACTIONS
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