Rural road safety will only move forward if traditional policy is replaced by four major themes, including defining a network of high-speed major roads, according to a government-commissioned report.
The TRL study found that continuation of current policies might only yield up to a 5% saving in the national killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualty total.
Instead, to make ‘substantive savings in rural road casualties’, it calls for a network of high-speed major roads with more limited access.
These roads would be upgraded to largely eliminate junction, head-on and run-off fatalities, and by introducing and enforcing close following restrictions. The injury-protection criteria would apply to all drivers, except those who failed to use seatbelts or drive at excessive speeds.
Meanwhile, on major roads which do not become part of this network, funding should be increased for low-cost measures, focusing on similar accident types, but also on improving pedestrian and cycling facilities.
Finally, a network of minor road zones should be defined, supported by extensive publicity to promote a 40mph speed limit over much of the network.
The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport, says changes can only be made with strong national political support, and the networks could be included in a rural road demonstration project. It found that engineering measures on local authority dual carriageways are likely to be cost effective, but for minor roads engineering and enforcement programmes are expensive.
Future ITS measures can contribute to safer driver behaviour, particularly through seat-belt and alcohol interlocks.
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