A trial of French-designed "Chevron" markings has taken place at two sites on the M1 motorway, one in Leicestershire and one in Northamptonshire. The markings are arrow heads (inverted "V"s) laid at 40 metre intervals on the nearside and centre lanes of the motorway. They are designed to improve close-following behaviour and hence safety. Roadside signs advise drivers to "Keep apart, 2 chevrons". This study reports a statistically significant reduction in accidents on and near the Chevrons, of 56% relative to control data. There is evidence that the effect persists for 18 km from the start of the pattern. Although the Chevrons were specifically designed to influence multi-vehicle collisions, the largest reductions were found in the numbers of single-vehicle accidents. (A)
Abstract