Combating accidents on roads outside of built-up areas involving collisions with trees.

931 people died on German roads in 2008 after a traffic accident involving a collision with a tree. That accounts for around 20% of all road fatalities. The chance of road users dying after a collision with a tree is around 2.3 times greater than the chance of dying in an average traffic accident on a road outside of a built-up area (excluding freeways). The majority of collisions with trees happen at times when there is little traffic and at high speeds, and they have extremely serious consequences. Effective measures must therefore be taken to mitigate the consequences of these accidents (by ensuring roadside areas are „forgiving“ and by means of good vehicle design and safety features) and to enforce appropriate speed limits. It appears there are physical limits to the extent to which passive vehicle safety can contribute to reducing the consequences of serious accidents like these. (Author/publisher)