Road Designs That Contributes To Road Accidents
Road Designs That Contributes To Road Accidents
201700207
DRIVING – PE5DRIV B
In this research the main objective is to identify what are some road designs that
may contribute to accidents and put the life of drivers or passengers in danger. It also
includes a brief history about roads and its origins and innovations. Aside from the
driver itself there are also some factors that causes accident such as animals,
recklessness of others, man, weather, road, and etc. But in this topic we will focus
mainly on the road factors or designs that may lead to road accidents which may
causes damage of life and property. While most car accidents seem to be caused by
the usual factors such as alcohol and drugs, speeding, fatigue and general
inattentiveness, a fair number are caused by poor road design. Car accidents do
occasionally occur from a poorly placed sign or inadequately maintained roadway,
among other roadway flaws. Often Car Accidents can lead to legal malpractice cases.
We work with victims of car accidents and legal malpractice cases.
Most roadways are designed and maintained by the states or the government or
local municipalities that may put up signs or fix potholes or remedy other hazards. A
poorly designed ramp or misplaced sign, however, along with other flawed design
features, can lead to devastating injuries to unwary motorists.
For me road should be user-friendly from any time of the day because some road
designs may put the driver’s safety in danger especially during night times. Road should
be tested safe for driving even at what weather it is because some roads are not safe
depending on the weather.
At this modern time, we have countless road innovations that’s why we study
road safety designs to avoid accidents.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
(Main Body)
II. Discussion and Conclusion
III. References
INTRODUCTION
Roads
The most ancient name for these arteries of travel seems to be the antecedent of
the modern way. Way stems from the Middle English wey, which in turn branches from
the Latin veho (“I carry”), derived from the Sanskrit vah (“carry,” “go,” or “move”). The
word highway goes back to the elevated Roman roads that had a mound or hill formed
by earth from the side ditches thrown toward the centre, thus high way. The
word street originates with the Latin strata (initially, “paved”) and later strata via (“a way
paved with stones”). Street was used by the Anglo-Saxons for all the roads that they
inherited from the Romans. By the Middle Ages, constructed roads were to be found
only in the towns, and so street took on its modern limited application to town roads.
The more recent word road, derived from the Old English word rád (“to ride”) and the
Middle English rode or rade (“a mounted journey”), is now used to indicate all vehicular
ways.
Modern roads can be classified by type or function. The basic type is the
conventional undivided two-way road. Beyond this are divided roads, expressways
(divided roads with most side access controlled and some minor at-grade intersections),
and freeways (expressways with side access fully controlled and no at-grade
intersections). An access-controlled road with direct user charges is known as a tollway.
In the United Kingdom freeways and expressways are referred to as motorways.
Functional road types are local streets, which serve only adjacent properties and
do not carry through traffic; collector, distributor, and feeder roads, which carry only
through traffic from their own area; arterial roads, which carry through traffic from
adjacent areas and are the major roads within a region or population centre; and
highways, which are the major roads between regions or population centres.
The first half of this article traces the history of roads from earliest times to the
present, exploring the factors that have influenced their development and suggesting
that in many ways roads have directly reflected the conditions and attitudes of their
times. The road is thus one of the oldest continuous and traceable metaphors for
civilization and society. The second half of the article explains the factors behind the
design, construction, and operation of a modern road. It is shown that a road must
interact closely and carefully with the terrain and community through which it passes,
with changing vehicle technology, with information technologies, and with the various
abilities, deficiencies, and frailties of the individual driver.
Road crashes have been in on an increasing trend in the last decade or so. This
has led the researchers to think of this problem and find possible causes and
precautionary measures to prevent crashes from happening. This field of transportation
engineering is more commonly recognized as traffic safety and management. These
researches have led to development and discovery of new models predicting road
crashes accurately. This paper combines many important models and discusses the
theory involving the discovery to that model. It also compares and contradicts the
models developed by different researchers. Road accidents are very common all over
the world and annual global road crash statistics (Association for Safe International
Road Travel, 2013) states that, nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year,
on average 3,287 deaths a day with an additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled.
More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adult ages between 15 to 44
years. Road traffic crashes rank as the 9th leading cause of death and account for 2.2%
of all deaths globally. Road crashes are the leading cause of death among young
people ages between 15 to 29, and the second leading cause of death worldwide
among young people ages between 5 to 14 years. Unless action is taken, road traffic
injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.
Signage
Signs warn motorist of existing road conditions, speed limits, rules of the road,
irregularities in the road or of other hazards. Signs that are old or damaged are
sometimes not replaced or new hazards may appear that a sign may not address. A
poorly situated sign may not be seen or overgrown foliage can obscure a sign from
view.
Shoulder Design
A significant shoulder drop-off can create a danger for motorists who may lose control of
their car and cross over the median and into oncoming traffic.
Ramps that are too short or do not allow motorists to exit or enter highways safely can
create a dangerous situation for motorists who are not used to the ramp or fail to
compensate for its flaws.
Improper Grading
A roadway that is not properly paved or graded can allow pools of water to accumulate
and cause cars to hydroplane and motorists to lose control.
Lane changes, uneven pavement, and poor visibility at night or in snowy conditions can
render road construction zones as particularly hazardous.
Blind curves
Roads not properly treated for show or ice
Damaged or missing signs
Poor lighting
Broken guardrails
Steep or no shoulders leading to rollovers or drop offs
Landscaping which obstructs vision
Curves not graded properly
Poorly designed intersections
Road not maintained
Poor road conditions can lead to more than just a bumpy ride. Roads can deteriorate
to the level where they become dangerous. This includes potholes, uneven road
surfaces, broken concrete, exposed rebar, sinkholes, and road cracks. If a driver hits a
large pothole, it could burst the tire causing the vehicle to veer into another lane,
colliding with another vehicle. Uneven road surfaces can cause a driver to lose control
of their vehicle, leading to a crash or rollover accident injuring the driver, passengers,
and pedestrians.
Poor road quality can be a major factor in an automobile accidents. Even if they
were not the cause of the auto accident, they can make the accident much worse.
Roads can be affected by bad weather such as heavy snow and rain, which can cause
the roads to be very slippery, especially if they are untreated
Another common poor road condition that can contribute to an auto accident is that
actual condition of the road. Some roads aren't properly managed over the years
and that negligence can be dangerous and can lead to auto accidents.
Depending on where you live, another common poor road condition that can lead to
serious car accidents are ice patches. Ice patches can even form when there is no snow
or rain.
However, most roads are safe for ordinary travel, but all of us have seen roadway
locations that were dangerous due to the way they were built or maintained. At highway
speeds serious injuries, including those involving brain and spinal cord damage, can
occur when dangerous roadway conditions are not made safe.
The time it takes an average driver to adapt from one traffic situation to the next, or to
adjust to new requirements, is much longer than what is stated in many current
guidelines. Because humans are not constantly alert and searching for new information,
they need more time. This is especially true when information is difficult to find or is
unusual, or when the driver is confronted with complex decisions or when unusual
manoeuvres are required. Instead of one or two second (simple "stimulus-reaction
time") it takes the average driver at minimum 4-6 seconds to adapt to a new driving
requirement ("anticipation-response time." PIARC Report 2012R36EN). At 100 km/h,
the distance covered before the vehicle can be brought to a complete stop is up to 300
m, allowing for braking distance (note that this may take longer if braking is slow due to
a wet road or other circumstances).
A user-friendly road will give drivers a well-designed field of view with sufficient
contrasts to increase alertness. It will provide good optical guiding and orienting facilities
with symmetrical and orthogonal impression.
A good-quality field of view safeguards the driver and keeps him from drifting to the
edge of the lane or even leaving it. Misleading eye-catching objects in the periphery of
the field of view activate subconscious changes in direction. The most serious
consequences arise from eye-catching objects that differ from the road axis. These lead
in extreme cases to a horizontal swing of the complete field of view: The driver has the
feeling that the road and its surroundings are moving while he is in an unmoved
position. Such objects lead to gross mistakes in steering. At minimum they lead to
disturbances in lane-keeping, though these can mostly be corrected (for this reason
billboards near interurban roads that catch driver’s attention to a wrong direction should
be forbidden like in Germany).
An experienced and Human Factors trained designer will avoid monotony in curvature
and visual appearance. They will avoid optical illusions or misleading objects that
destabilise drivers and negatively impact their driving and will take advantage of the
optical perception to influence the driver's choice of speed.
Factors that are forming a safe field of view include the following characteristics:
If designers fail to take this fact into account, they may not make the right prediction
about how the finished design will influence lane-keeping. To hold balance on the road
(as on the balance beam) drivers need a clear orthogonal orientation out of objects in
their periphery. Orthogonal objects or structures calibrate the equilibrioception of road
users that is needed for lane-tracking. Equilibrioception is the perception of the position
of an organism in the space with the help of the eyes (visual system), ears (vestibular
system) and the body's sense of where it is in space (proprioception). Structures over
the road like bridges, advertising, signaling and toll facilities should be symmetrical, of
equal height, and the angle of skew to the own road should be less than 15° from
perpendicular.
Driving reliably through a curve also critically depends on the quality of the field of view
and a clear distinguishable Gestalt of the curve. Best driving results are achieved when
the driver has an unobstructed view over the inner curve and the outer curve has a
closed optical framing that provides with its Gestalt a clear instruction that there is a
curve at all. It provides also clear information about the sharpness of the curve.
Figure 8.7 Complete frame of the outer curve and unobstructed view of the inner curve
stabilise the driver (Birth, et. al, 2004)
c) Depth of the field of view
The driver orientates themselves in the environment that surrounds them. To estimate
their position relative to the road and to their surrounding and to other drivers,
they depend on their changes of position, the changing view axis and the changing
points/lines of reference in the environment. The most serious consequences arise from
eye-catching objects that differ from the road axis. These lead in extreme cases to a
horizontal swing of the complete field of view.
eliminate the problem by redesigning the road and its field of view: create
sinuous “rhythmic” road alignment against monotony; create symmetry of
superstructures by constructive measures, etc.
correct the field of view (if the problem cannot be eliminated), e.g. by the use
attention guiding eye-catching objects along the view axis, cover eye-catching
objects that differ from the road axis, create a complete framing of outer curves,
avoid visibility barriers in inner curves, cover non-parallel optical guiding lines that
lead to optical illusions, etc.
minimise the risk by warning road users (if satisfactory correction cannot be
achieved) by installing traffic control devices such as speed limits, prohibiting
overtaking or pedestrian crossing facilities.
Additional good solutions and best practise examples can be found in the PIARC’s
Report (PIARC, 2012b)“Human Factors in Road Design. Review of Design Standards in
nine Countries”.
Drivers follow the road with an expectation and orientation logic formed by their
experience and recent perceptions. These affect their actual perception and reactions.
The same principle applies when climbing stairs. After only a few steps the motion
balance adjusts to the sequence of steps just perceived. In most cases, this is a
subconscious process. However, if one step is of a different height, the motion balance
will become considerably disordered - possibly resulting in a stumble or fall. Adjustment
of driving programme on the road is similarly subconscious.
The perception of the lane, the edge of the lane and the lane periphery produces a
general sensual impression. Drivers react to these road elements with their actions, in
the same way as the person climbing stairs reacts intuitively to the height, depth and
width of the steps. Unexpected objects disturb the automatic sequence of operations,
possibly causing the driver to “stumble”. After several critical seconds the disturbance
can be handled. Therefore, planners and designers try to keep road characteristics
flowing in a logical sequence. They should introduce inevitable changes as early and
clearly as possible and exclude any sudden changes that would confuse the driver.
Road design and safety have improved greatly in the past several decades, but
sometimes mistakes still occur. The hazard is often not in plain sight, and there is a flaw
somewhere in the design of the road. Car accidents caused by poor road design tend to
be extremely dangerous for drivers and often result in serious injuries to the driver and
passengers. These injuries range from broken bones, internal bleeding, paralysis, and
brain damage to death. These accidents are difficult to prevent because the hazard
goes unnoticed until a fatality occurs.
https://roadsafety.piarc.org/en/planning-design-operation-designing-road-
users/designing-safe-behavior
Fred J. Benson
https://www.britannica.com/technology/road#ref71881
University of Mindanao
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228310713_Occurrence_of_Traffic_Accidents
_in_the_Philippines_An_Application_of_Poisson_Regression_Analysis
https://burnsjainlaw.com/boston-car-accident-lawyer/poor-road-design-causing-car-
accidents/
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vehicle-deaths-in-ph/
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Poor Highway Design
https://www.callrainwater.com/causes/poor-highway-design/
https://www.newhampshireinjurylawfirm.com/causes-poor-road-design.html
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in-dc
https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/dangerous-road-design-causing-driver-and-pedestrian-
accidents-50414
Understanding the Link Between Unsafe Road Conditions and Car Accidents
https://www.makeroadssafe.org/understanding-the-link-between-unsafe-road-
conditions-and-car-accidents/
Poor Road Conditions
https://www.personalinjury-law.com/faq/poor-road-conditions