59% of road accident fatalities and 43% of road accident costs in Great Britain result from rural (speed limit greater than or equal to 50 mph) roads. The report presents the results of an analysis of STATS19 injury accident data for rural single-carriageway roads for the years 1994 and 1995 (updating a previous study which used 1988 and 1989 data, Taylor and Barker, 1992). This latest study was undertaken to compare accident data between the two periods and determine whether there have been any changes in rural single=-carriageway accident characteristics. The statistics are based on 81515 accidents which involved 151787 vehicles and 130312 casualties. They are presented with respect to accident severity, road type, carriageway type, junction type, numbers of vehicles and pedestrians involved, lighting and weather conditions, time of day, vehicle type, vehicle manoeuvre, vehicle performance, driver age and sex, alcohol involvement, and for various combinations of these factors. Comparisons are also made with corresponding results for built-up roads. The analysis highlights some of the most commonly occurring groups of accidents, which are examined in greater detail. (A)
Abstract