SPEED AND HAZARD

MANAGEMENT
WITH RESPECT TO SAFETY
SH. ASHUTOSH ARUN
SCIENTIST
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AND SAFETY
DIVISION
CSIR-CRRI, NEW DELHI
CSIR-India

FOCUS OF PRESENTATION
SAFE SYSTEM
NEED FOR SPEED MANAGEMENT
EFFECT OF SPEED ON ACCIDENTS AND ITS SEVERITY
SPEED CONTROL MEASURES
ROADSIDE HAZARD ELEMENTS
HAZARD MANAGEMENT

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CSIR-India

WHAT ARE SAFE SYSTEMS?

SAFE
SYSTE
MS

Road crashes are not

independent chance events,
rather results of systemic
deficiencies
Two differences b/w safe
systems approach and
traditional policies:
Recognize human frailty (to
injury) and error (of
judgment)
Consider the road safety
system as a whole (no
individual sectors
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responsible)

SAFER TRAVEL
Safer Speeds
play vital role
Safe system which
leads to safe travel
involves various
activities
simultaneously

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WHY IS SPEED MANAGEMENT

IMPORTANT?
Safe and efficient travel is the cornerstone of a healthy
and prosperous society
Speed management relies on appropriate mix of:
Infrastructure
Education
Enforcement

Goal of speed management:

TO MAXIMISE APPROPRIATE TRAVEL SPEEDS AND
MINIMISE THE ROAD TRAUMA

One of available tools is speed limits

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SPEED AND CRASHES

Speed
Speed and
and Crashes
Crashes and
and their
their intensity
intensity are
are always
always correlated
correlated
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IMPROPER DESIGN RESULTS IN

ACCIDENTS

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TRAVEL SPEED, STOPPING DISTANCE

AND CRASH IMPACT SPEED

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TOLERANCE LEVEL
CHANCES OF SURVIVING A CRASH DECREASE
RAPIDLY ABOVE CERTAIN IMPACT SPEED, I.E.

CAR
CAR
CAR
CAR
CAR

/
/
/
/
/

PEDESTRIAN
20
MOTORCYCLE
20
POLE OR TREE 30
CAR (SIDE-IMPACT)
CAR (HEAD-ON) 70

TO 30
TO 30
TO 40
50
KM/H

KM/H
KM/H
KM/H
KM/H

Two cars
travelling
at 35 km/h
and headon collision

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PEDESTRIAN CRASH SEVERITY

BY
SPEED
Speed is killer for VRUs
Probability of fatally injuring pedestrian

With 10 km/h speed

increase, Probability
of fatality increases
by more than 60%

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SPEEDS ON INDIAN HIGHWAYS

Four-Lane
Six-Lane
Eight-Lane
Vehicle
HIGH Avg.
SPEED CORRIDORS
(MULTI-LANE
Max.
Avg.
Max.DIVIDED)
Avg.DURING
Max.
Type
*
Speed
Speed* CONDITIONS
Speed*
Speed*
Speed*
Speed*
FREE
- FLOW
Big Car
93.0
149
95.5
135
101.4
158
Small Car
92.4
161
93.1
136
98.0
163
TW
74.2
120
75.0
109
77.5
125
Auto
54.2
79
56.6
88
56.7
66
Bus
71.1
108
74.4
102
75.7
103
LCV
68.6
113
73.6
105
74.1
124
HCV
68.5
103
70.7
101
73.2
88
MCV
64.0
97
70.4
100
72.0
87
*kmph

All the vehicles

(except Auto) are
above 50 kmph

All the vehicles

(except Auto) are
above 70 kmph

All the vehicles

(except Auto) are
above 70 kmph

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ACHIEVING SAFER TRAVEL

SPEEDS
Speed limits are a management tool part of toolbox of
solutions to improve safety through safer speeds:
Infrastructure: setting speed limits to match the roads and
roadsides (i.e. Based on road features and crash rates)
Vehicle technology: top speed limiting devices and intelligent
speed assist (ISA)
Education: educating drivers about the speeding crash risks,
effects on pedestrians, cyclists, dispelling myths
Enforcement: compliance with speed limits, use of technology,
targeting high risk times and locations

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SPEED LIMITS
The tolerance limit of the human body to forces is a
key factor in survivability of crashes
Speed is the single greatest influence on the forces in
a crash
Lower speed limits, with appropriate road design and
enforcement, will lead to lower speeds and therefore
reduced road trauma
Marginal reduction in the speed limit can result in a
quantum drop in the casualty crashes
Appropriate speed limits and safer travel speeds form
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CHANGES IN MEAN SPEED AND

CHANGES IN CRASH RISK
Fatal accidents are
highly sensitive

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EFFECT OF ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE ON DRIVER
SPEEDS
Infrastructure-related
factors
Design speed
Presence of constructed
median
Median width

Slowing

Accelerating

lower

higher

absent

present

narrower

wider median

Turn lanes

absent

present

Road width

narrower pavement

wider pavement

Shoulder width

narrow or none

wider shoulders

Number of lanes

2 or no lanes

more lanes

Lane width

narrow lanes

wider lanes

Data analysis confirmed and explained many

relationships between road features, speed and crashes,
e.g.: Safety effects of traffic lane widths, access control,
or frequency of curves.
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SPEED LIMITS
An integral part of safe system management
A traffic management tool to achieve road safety
outcomes
Need to be:

Consistently applied
Clear and unambiguous
In harmony with the (desired) road function
Sometimes supported with engineering treatments
Integral with police speed enforcement programs
Credible and compatible with road user expectations.

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DESIGN SPEED
VERY CRITICAL LOCATIONS REQUIRING STRICT SPEED
CONTROLS

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HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL

CURVES

Speed Limits at such locations

are highly advisable

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60

SPEED CONTROL DEVICES

TRAFFIC SIGNS

REGULATORY SPEED LIMIT SIGNS

VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT SIGNS
AREA SPEED LIMITS (URBAN/ RURAL)
SPEED LIMIT ZONES
REPEATER SIGNS
ADVANCE WARNING
ADVISORY SPEEDS

(NOT SPEED LIMITS)

TRANSITIONAL SPEED LIMITS

80

60

40
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SPEED CONTROL DEVICES

ROAD MARKINGS

PHYSICAL ROAD ALTERATIONS

STREET NARROWING
REMOVING PAVEMENT SURFACE LOWERS SPEEDS
CHOKERS ARE CURB BULBS OR MEDIAN ISLANDS
PAVEMENT MARKINGS

SPEED BUMPS, HUMPS, AND TABLES

INTRODUCING CURVES

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ROADSIDE HAZARD
MANAGEMENT
HIT OBJECT TYPE CRASHES
VEHICLES LEAVE THE ROAD FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS:
DRIVER - FATIGUE, INATTENTION, DISTRACTION
VEHICLE - TYRE OR STEERING FAILURE, UNSTABLE LOAD
TRAFFIC CONDITIONS - ANIMAL, PEDESTRIAN OTHER
VEHICLE ON THE ROAD
ROAD ENVIRONMENT - WEATHER, GEOMETRY, PAVEMENT
CONDITION
OR A COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE

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TYPES OF ROADSIDE HAZARDS

NATURAL FEATURES
PUBLIC UTILITIES
TRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE
DRAINAGE STRUCTURES
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS AND STREET FURNITURE

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A FORGIVING ROADSIDE
RECOVERY AREA - A TRAVERSABLE AREA ON THE
ROADSIDE WHICH ALLOWS A DRIVER TO REGAIN
CONTROL OF ERRANT VEHICLE
CLEAR ZONE - A ROADSIDE BORDER AREA BEGINNING AT
THE EDGE OF THE TRAVELLED WAY AND CLEAR OF ALL
HAZARDS AND OBSTRUCTIONS
CROSS SECTION - DESIGN ELEMENTS NOT HAZARDOUS
TO ERRANT VEHICLES

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CLEAR ZONE

As the speed increases, clear

zone widths increases

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CLEAR ZONE (CONTD)

Clear Zone Concept for High Speed Road

Corridors
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BARRIER
WARRANTS

Barrier is required for the fill

section height is more than 3
m and slope more than 1:3

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ROADSIDE HAZARD
MANAGEMENT
LESSENING THE RISK BY

REMOVING THE HAZARD

RELOCATING THE HAZARD
MODIFYING THE HAZARD
PROTECTING ROAD USERS FROM THE HAZARD
ALERTING ROAD USERS OF THE HAZARD

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HIERARCHY OF TREATMENTS
REMOVE THE HAZARD ALTOGETHER
RELOCATE THE HAZARD TO A SAFER LOCATION
MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THE HAZARD TO REDUCE THE IMPACT
SEVERITY
INSTALL IMPACT ATTENUATION OR REDIRECTION DEVICES TO
GUARD THE HAZARD
IMPROVE DELINEATION WIDER AND/OR TACTILE EDGE LINES,
CHEVRON ALIGNMENT MARKERS, ERECT WARNING SIGNS, MAKE
THE HAZARD MORE CONSPICUOUS.

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ROAD CROSS SECTION

TERRAIN THROUGH WHICH ROAD PASSES IS VARIABLE

PAVEMENT ALSO NEEDS TO BE DRAINED
AFFECTS THE DESIGN OF ROADSIDE ELEMENTS EMBANKMENTS
CUTTINGS
ROADSIDE DRAINAGE

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ROADSIDE DESIGN ELEMENTS

EMBANKMENTS
SHOULD BE TRAVERSABLE AND SMOOTH
BATTERS CAN BE FLATTENED (DESIRABLY GREATER THAN 5
Roadside Hazard - embankment
TO 1)

Recovery area or
safety barrier required
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ROADSIDE DESIGN ELEMENTS

CUTTINGS

ALLOW FOR RECOVERY SPACE

ALLOW FOR EMERGENCY STANDING
SMOOTH ROCK FACES TO AVOID SNAGGING OF VEHICLES
PROVIDE TRAVERSABLE GUTTERS

DRAINS
KEEP DRAINAGE BANKS FLAT
PROVIDE TRAVERSABLE CULVERT HEADWALLS
PROVIDE TRAVERSABLE KERBS

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Driveway Culvert headwalls are potential hazard to

errant vehicles

PARALLEL ROADSIDE DRAINS

Culvert head-wall to side street is

potential hazard to errant vehicle

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DRAINAGE
STRUCTURES

Safety Barrier or
clear zone required

Safety Barrier or
better delineation
required

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ROADSIDE OBJECTS
POWER POLES

RELOCATE POLE(S) OUTSIDE CLEAR ZONE

REMOVE POLE(S) - PUT SERVICES UNDERGROUND
PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR VEHICLES
DELINEATE - ONLY A TEMPORARY MEASURE

LIGHTING POLES
INSTALL SLIP-BASE POLES
INSTALL IMPACT ABSORBING POLES

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RELATIVE RISK VERSUS POLE

LATERAL OFF-SET
Risk Index is high
if the pole offset
distance is less
than 2m

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ROADSIDE OBJECTS
SIGN SUPPORTS
Remove from the clear zone
Protect with safety barriers

TREES
REMOVE LARGE TREES FROM CLEAR ZONE WHENEVER
ENVIRONMENTALLY POSSIBLE
PLANT ONLY FRANGIBLE SPECIES WITHIN THE CLEAR
ZONE

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DANGERS OF FELLING TREES

ON ROADS

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Roadside obstructions can be

fatal

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ROADSIDE OBJECTS
SAFETY BARRIERS
Poor design and installation can make
Safety Barriers a hazard
Would impact with the barrier be more
severe than with the object it is
protecting ?
End treatments - location, transition to
other structures
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BRIDGE SAFETY BARRIERS

Barrier not of sufficient length to stop
errant vehicle
End treatment of barrier a hazard to
errant vehicle

Inadequate junction between W-beam

and Bridge Rail barrier will not
contain an errant vehicle

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BARRIER END TREATMENT

Barrier end treatment is critical for road
safety.
These should be located outside the Clear
Zone.

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BARRIER END TREATMENT

The consequences could be severe

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OTHER ROADSIDE OBJECTS

BRIDGE ABUTMENTS
PEDESTRIAN FENCING
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DEVICES
ENTRY STATEMENTS
STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS
PARKED VEHICLES
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ROADSIDE HAZARD
MANAGEMENT
It is preferable to modify the design to
take cognisance of existing utility poles
and trees so that they are safely
located outside the clear zone, rather
than erect safety barriers which
themselves constitute a roadside hazard.

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