Sadly the state road toll keeps going up as news today shows. This is despite efforts to save lives through speed cameras. However, it is also in the absence of better road design, better driver training, and obstacles to safely slow vehicles. Here is a comparison of road fatality statistics with one potentially telling figure among them. A question is below these figures at the very end. German Road Traffic Fatalities 2013 Road type and total figure including pedestrians Motorways (including unlimited speed on autobahns): 346 Country roads: 1,860 Built-up areas: 934 Figures so far for 2014 show a small decrease in the road toll as at September. Source: Statistisches Bundesamt South Australian Road Toll 2013 Total fatalies Rural: 55 Urban: 35 Figures to 30 November 2014 Rural: 29 Urban: 59 Source: DPTI South Australian Road Fatality Update How is it possible that German autobahns with no speed limit have such low fatality rates by comparison to other road types? Do they have speed cameras to save lives? No, of course not because there is no speed limit. So how can this low fatality rate be? Better road design! Ive said it countless times before but money still does not end up being spent where it should be here in SA. - Autobahns have a double-sided guardrail in the middle. - Some sections have a concrete barrier which sounds harsh but it is effective. - Verges have trees removed and are sloped upwards on an angle. - Lanes are wider and there are more of them. There are also long acceleration and deceleration lanes. - Curves are well banked. - There are frequent parking areas with some having toilets. There are roadhouses and even hotels along the side of parts of the autobahn. - There are wildlife protection fencing, crossover tunnels and green bridges. - Defects in the road surface are fixed promptly. - And so on. Can you list how many roads in South Australia feature multiple examples of better road design? One example is the Northern Expressway to an extent. What others can you think of? The road toll in SA will continue to increase no matter how many cameras try to save lives. Only better road design, better designed cars with a lower centre of gravity, better driver training, and obstacles safe enough to navigate and slow traffic will genuinely save lives.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 07:03:49 +0000
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