Riders of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users. Risk of traffic accident fatalities for PTW riders is eighteen times higher than for the car drivers. Until 1996, PTW riders accounted for 9.5 % of all road accident fatalities in 2006, 6.200 PTW riders died in traffic accidents in the European Union (EU), what already represents 16 % of all road accident fatalities. On the other hand, PTW riders travelled only 2 % of total travelled kilometers. According to the report (ETSC, 2007) on "Road safety performance index" that ranked the safety of PTW riders in Europe, Slovenia "won" the first place: we have the largest number of PTW rider's deaths per billion travelled km in 2006 (more than 350, while the EU average was 86). Another very concerning fact is that we have the highest ratio of death rate per billion km ridden by PTW riders to corresponding rate for car drivers in 2006 (more than 50, EU average 18!). In Slovenia, the problem of PTW riders’ safety was detected and recorded very early. As a result — at the national, i.e. state level — measures were adopted relatively soon to remedy or at least improve the problematic situation as regards PTW riders’ safety on Slovenian roads. For example, the National Road Traffic Safety Programme for the period 2007—2011, which was adopted in 2006, discussed, in terms of expertise and safety, the most demanding and the most pressing problems in road traffic in the Republic of Slovenia. One of the "key actors" - in terms of implementing the infrastructure measures for improving (also) PTWs safety on Slovenian roads - were (and still is) Slovenian Roads Agency under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning. Measures, which were implementing by Slovenian Roads Agency on national road network, include: • installation of additional security elements for PTWs on existing guardrails; • installation of traffic signs which warn PTW riders on a dangerous road section; • installation of traffic signs which warn drivers on “black spot” location; • realization of a research project "Measures to improve traffic safety of PTW riders in Slovenia". The project aimed to identify the causes and reasons for critical traffic safety of PTW riders and identify potential locations with congestion of traffic accidents involved PTW riders on the national road network. In the project there have been also proposed measures for improving traffic safety of PTW riders in Slovenia. In the article the above listed measures implementing by Slovenian Roads Agency are described and analysed. Additional focus was made on survey research, with which we established the efficiencies of two types of infrastructural measures for improving PTWs traffic safety on Slovenian national road network. This publication may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.ictct.org/workshop.php?workshop_nr=35
Abstract