Speed and sight distance play an important role in road safety. Due to the differences between British and German guidelines and also guidelines from other countries (France, Italy, Russia, United States, ...) it is of interest to point them out because guidelines in Europe should be harmonised due to the fact that, for example, data describing the accident rates are generally better in England than in Germany. In general this comparison should not only be applied to the guidelines. Important are measurements at the different road stations. These should be made on roads which are built in accordance with the actual guidelines. So as not to have too much trouble with the measuring comparable roads were chosen. In Germany it was reduced to the Rhein-Main area. The roads for which the measurement was taken were examined concerning the road design, sight distance and the speed. Clear differences in the philosophy of the guidelines can be seen between the German and the British road design guidelines. But the results of the measurement of the driver behaviour at the different roads are similar in spite of the different dispositions. There is an enormous difference between these theoretic acquired data and those which were actually measured. The speeds which were actually driven are always higher than those calculated. The following statements can be made of these comparisons: (1) the theoretically acquired data are similar in the investigated countries although the inquiries are different; (2) they are below the measured value; (3) the influence of sight distances upon the choice of speed is underestimated; and (4) due to the importance of speed for the road safety old data should be updated in the countries more frequently. Including current partnerships in research and education, the investigation of roads in Italy, Russia and perhaps the United States shall be extended. In Germany, United Kingdom and France the measurements will be updated. The results are important for future models of design elements and also for the improvement of road safety. Especially Russia with a high increase of the car ownership rate needs a general revision of the guidelines. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD no 207828. The reprints are also available at the web -http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart1.pdf; http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart2.pdf and http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart3.pdf.
Abstract