An extensive research was carried out during 2001 on the roads of the Province of Udine (Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Italy), to examine the relationship between driver behaviour and the geometrical characteristics of the road layout. Among the roads under consideration, this paper describes Provincial Road 49, the Osovana. The analysis of the road was carried out by checking whether its geometrical characteristics corresponded to the design standards and by constructing speed diagrams. A hidden camera was employed to record the trajectories described by vehicles and speeds: specific attention was given to the examination of manoeuvres executed by drivers when approaching a bend. The research showed that drivers tend to regulate speed in relation to the road characteristics on the whole, adapting with difficulty to the presence of sections that require lower speeds. At the conclusion of the study, general criteria and recommendations were obtained, aimed at evaluating the safety both of existing roads and of new roads. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Samenvatting