The German motorway network with a length exceeding 11,000 km accounts for more than one fourth of the total kilometrage recorded in Germany. Although motorways are the safest roads, autobahn safety is in the focus of political interest. In response to a request by the German Bundesrat (Upper House of Federal Parliament) BASt has conducted a range of research projects in 1993 and 1994 on the following subjects: (1) Long-term development and changes in accident structure; (2) International comparison of the risk and structure of fatal accidents on motorways (IRTAD data); (3) Analysis of the structure of serious injury accidents on autobahns; (4) Investigation of how far the results of a microscopic data analysis (based on a regional sample of fatal autobahn accidents) can be transferred at federal level; (5) Safety evaluation of all autobahn segments; (6) International survey of experiences made with road safety measures on motorways in other countries; (7) Simulation study of autobahn traffic flow related to different local speed limits and "no passing zones" for lorries; and (8) German experiences with local speed limits, no passing rules for lorries, traffic management systems and police traffic control. (A)
Abstract