Safety Strategies for Rural Roads
By: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Series: Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages Research Programme
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Paris
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 142
ISBN-13: 9789264172913
Subjects: Transportation
Description: More than 75 000 people are killed each year on rural roads in OECD countries; this represents about 60% of fatal road crashes. This loss of lives has an economic cost of around US$135 billion per year. The relative share of rural road fatalities in total road fatalities has risen from less than 55% in 1980 to more than 60% in 1996. While there has been a reduction in the total number of road fatalities in OECD countries during the past 20 years, it is clear that safety improvements on motorways and urban roads have been more successful than those on rural roads. Following an in-depth review of the characteristics of road crashes in rural areas, the book proposes a series of safety measures, focusing on infrastructure management, enforcement, innovative tools, such as intelligent transport systems, and trauma management. The book strives to raise the awareness of road users, decision makers and politicians of the importance of road safety in rural areas. It is a very useful handbook for local, regional or national authorities seeking to improve -- sometimes at very low cost -- safety on rural roads.
Table of contents: title: Executive Summary; title: Chapter I. Introduction; title: Chapter II. Genreal Characteristics of Rural Road Safety; title: Chapter III. Factors Contributing to Rural Road Accidents; title: Chapter IV. Network Planning and Road Infrastructure; title: Chapter V. Enforcement; title: Chapter VI. Potential Solutions from Intelligent Transport Systems; title: Chapter VII. Trauma Management in Rural Areas; title: Chapter VIII. Stretegic Framework; title: Chapter IX. Conclusion and Recommendations; title: Annex A. List of Expert Group Members