Skip to main content

Report highlights cost effectiveness of crash reduction strategy

Local authorities in the UK needs an immediate injection of £200 million to tackle the high risk road sections, according to a new report from the Road Safety Foundation charity and Ageas UK. Called Cutting the Cost of Dangerous Roads, the report reveals that UK motorways and ‘A’ roads on the EuroRAP network make up 10% of the road network that contains half of all road deaths. It found that single carriageway ‘A’ roads have a risk factor seven times higher than motorways and nearly three times that of d
November 21, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Local authorities in the UK needs an immediate injection of £200 million to tackle the high risk road sections, according to a new report from the 776 Road Safety Foundation charity and Ageas UK.


Called Cutting the Cost of Dangerous Roads, the report reveals that UK motorways and ‘A’ roads on the EuroRAP network make up 10% of the road network that contains half of all road deaths. It found that single carriageway ‘A’ roads have a risk factor seven times higher than motorways and nearly three times that of dual carriageway ‘A’ roads while ‘high risk’ single carriageway roads are 67 times more risky than their low risk counterparts.

It identifies the most dangerous roads and says fatal and serious crashes on 10 ‘most improved roads’ roads was reduced by 74% (from 145 to 37) with an annual economic saving of £17m, or £149,000 per kilometre. The top six roads recorded reductions of 75% or above by implementing measures including reducing speed limits and improving enforcement, revised road markings and signage, increased lighting and resurfacing.

The largest single cause of death on the network was identified as run-off road crashes (30%) while crashes at junctions accounted for 30% of serious injury on the network. The report comes against a background of a 4% increase in road deaths (1,730 in 2015 to 1,792 in 2016) with half occurring on non-built-up roads (5% on motorways).

UTC

Related Content

  • April 9, 2014
    Study highlights regressive effects of road pricing and tolling
    Road pricing can have a detrimental effect on the mobility and employment levels of low income households. Colin Sowman talks to Floridea Di Ciommo to discover why. Since the road pricing and tolling were first introduced it has been acknowledged that such schemes could have a disproportional impact on low income households but a study in Madrid, Spain, has revealed just how regressive such measures can be. The findings revealed that the consequences of a proposed road pricing scheme would be a 17% increas
  • May 24, 2018
    ITF’s three-point plan to reduce road deaths
    A three-point plan to help countries reduce road deaths and serious injuries has been unveiled at the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany. The keynote address by Prince Michael of Kent, a member of the UK’s royal family, was presented to transport ministers at a summit focused on transport safety and security. Outside of the ITF, Prince Michael is known for establishing an award scheme that recognises innovation in road safety worldwide.
  • September 23, 2014
    Idaho adds human dimension to winter savings
    Idaho leverages the increased capability and reliability of its road weather sensor network to reduce costs and prevent accidents. Weather-related accidents can form a significant chunk of an authorities’ annual road casualty statistics. While authorities cannot control the weather, the technology exists to monitor the road conditions and react with warnings to motorists and the treatment of icy or snow-covered roads. However, with all capital expenditure now placed under the microscope of public scrutiny,
  • January 25, 2012
    Effectively tackle vehicle pollution
    In 2008, Italy's first traffic charge named 'Ecopass' was launched in Milan in an attempt to reduce road congestion and pollution levels as well as to boost public transport through the re-investment of the pollution charge revenues.