9% of the people killed on roads outside of built-up areas are the victims of overtaking accidents. These accidents are thus among the accidents with the most serious consequences on roads outside of built-up areas. The purpose of this now completed UDV research project was to ascertain the infrastructure-related, traffic-control and traffic-related factors influencing overtaking behaviour and overtaking accidents in order to be able to identify suitable measures to prevent these severe accidents. 500 sections of road in five different German federal states that were found to have the highest numbers of accidents served as the basis for this study. It was ascertained where overtaking was prohibited (by means of road markings and signs) and what speed limits were imposed. On 100 of these sections of road, the sight distances at the accident locations were ascertained and included in the analysis of the accidents. In a detailed investigation, overtaking manoeuvres were recorded on video and analysed. This compact accident research report summarizes the findings of this study. You can obtain more detailed information from research report no. 24, entitled „Untersuchung von Maßnahmen zur Prävention von Überholunfällen auf einbahnigen Landstraßen“ (a study of measures designed to prevent overtaking accidents on single-carriageway roads outside of built-up areas). You can download this report free of charge at http://www.udv.de. Around 75,000 accidents involving injury on roads outside of built-up areas were reported to the police in 2012. 2,151 people were killed in them, and a further 25,766 people were seriously injured. Around 6% of these accidents and 9% of the fatalities occurred as a result of an overtaking maneuver. Overtaking accidents are thus particularly serious. The UDV therefore carried out a scientific investigation to find out how, where and why overtaking accidents happen on single-carriageway roads outside of built-up areas, and whether these accidents happen despite the fact that overtaking is prohibited or in areas in which overtaking is permitted. Above all, the aim was also to ascertain what can be done to prevent these accidents. The basis of the study was a comprehensive analysis of sections of road outside of built-up areas where a disproportionate number of overtaking accidents in five selected German federal states occurred. The road information databases and accident databases were prepared and combined with this purpose in mind. Based on the calculation of the accident indicators, 500 sections of road were identified in the area covered by the study that were most affected by overtaking accidents. A survey vehicle was driven along these sections of road. The sections where overtaking was prohibited (by means of road markings and signs) and speed limits were set up were ascertained. The overtaking accidents were assigned to these different sections of road. In addition, for the 100 sections of road with the most conspicuously high numbers of accidents, the axes were redesigned both in horizontal and vertical plan, and the sight distances were ascertained, in order to analyse any effect they might have on the accident occurrence. Finally, in a total of 50 selected stretches of road with conspicuously high numbers of accidents, a microscopic detailed analysis of overtaking behaviour was carried out by means of video observations. (Author/publisher)
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