This report considers road safety at urban at-grade junctions and evaluates methods used to assess safety at junctions as well as means of reducing road accidents. A detailed list of factors affecting safety at junctions is given and the most important variables are defined. Current techniques to assess safety-accident statistics, operational and behavioural studies and cost/effectiveness are discussed. A special section of the report is devoted to an appraisal of the research methodology to be used. Methods of reducing road accidents, including urban planning, road and traffic engineering, road user information and education, and regulations are described. Proposals for future co-operative research are made in the following areas: relations between types of accidents and traffic engineering measures, effects of right of way designation on junction safety, conflict analysis, relations between geometric design features and accidents, road user response to countermeasures, network planning. (Author/publisher)
Abstract