This paper describes the road accident situation in the UK, and examines progress in improving the safety of vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Safety engineering measures are briefly reviewed. A description is given of a large-scale demonstration project conducted in the UK in the mid-1980s, to test a new `area-wide safety management' approach to accident reduction, especially for vulnerable road users. Instead of handling accident cluster sites, it aimed to impose a safer traffic system throughout the whole road network of an area. The new approach was tested in five towns, and reduced accidents there by about 13%. The following recent traffic calming developments are described: (1) 20mph zones; (2) road humps and raised junctions; (3) rumble areas and jiggle bars; (4) speed control measures buses and emergency vehicles; and (5) pedestrian crossings. Eight specific conclusions are presented about the effectiveness of engineering and traffic calming measures.
Abstract