While quality roads - well designed, constructed and managed - contribute much to the safety of users, the fallible human is still a central component in the operational success/failure of road engineering efforts. This paper examines the links between road engineering/traffic management and road users together with the implications for safety. It goes on to explore how much effort we should put into the human versus engineering related components to achieve reductions in accident risk/involvement on our roads. The need for an interdisciplinary approach is recommended to ensure that human abilities and the likely behaviour of road users are taken into account when planning and implementing changes to the physical road environment. For the covering abstract of this conference, see IRRD No. 843040.
Samenvatting