In 1973 a working group of provincial and local road administrators in the Beemster, a Polder community in North-Holland reported a lack of traffic safety on that road network. Therefore research was carried out by the dutch institute for road safety research SWOV consisting of a retrospective study for the period 1968-1973 and a study in the period after 1973 into the effects on traffic safety of the successively realised countermeasures. The measures are classified into structural measures (the construction of a main road and a motorway) and measures for the improvement of unsafe locations in the old road network. A favourable effect is shown from the structural measures executed. The total number of accidents and victims has decreased in relation to the quantity of traffic. The increase in traffic, after the opening of the new roads has been attended with a decrease on the old network. With this decrease the number of accidents decreased proportionately. This does not apply to the number of victims: the severity of the accidents has increased. Increase of speed and decrease of attention level are possible causes. For earlier reports see IRRD 247037, 251252 and 252912.
Abstract