Roads rating system shows UK´s most dangerous roads

The most dangerous roads in the UK are to be made public under a new system that rates roads out of four stars depending on how safe they are judged to be.

The system rates individual roads out of four based on safety design of individual roads and their ability to protect motorists in the event of a collision.

Roads on which drivers were unlikely to be killed or seriously injured even if they lost control or were in a collision were awarded four stars while roads that offered drivers little protection and where a minor driving error could be fatal were awarded one star.

The study found that more than 40 per cent of A roads were inadequate and scored one or two stars. Two- thirds of all road deaths in Britain happen on rural roads; single-carriageways claim 80% of rural deaths and serious injuries; and 40% of rural car occupant casualties are in cars that hit roadside objects such as trees. The Trust aims to survey all UK roads by April 2010.

The roads were ranked according to three factors: the hazards such as trees and walls that drivers could hit after swerving off a carriageway; the risk of head-on collisions; and the safety of junctions.

Roads with trees and walls near to roads scored badly, but roads lined with hedges scored better as they absorb more impact.

Roads without sufficient marking to indicate junctions and central reservations also scored poorly.

No single-carriageway A roads were awarded four stars due to the lack of a central barrier that cannot prevent head-on collisions. Dual-carrriageways scored worse than expected, with only two sections achieving four stars over their entire length: the A66 Middlesbrough ring road north; and the A720 Edinburgh city bypass.

The system has been developed by The IAM Motoring Trust, which co-funded the assessments with the Highways Agency. Around 4,300 roads - a third of UK roads - have been judged under the system.

The star rating may be introduced on sat-nav systems and road atlases in the future. The IAM Trust also wants the ratings to be added to signposts.

Neil Greig, Director of the IAM Trust, said: “The star rating gives responsible drivers a valuable safety tool. Good driving and driver behaviour are key to avoiding accidents. But while errors cannot be eliminated, and may be the initial cause of a collision, poor design of the road itself is often the killer.

"When driving on inferior one and two-star roads, motorists must adapt their driving to compensate for the inadequate features of the road. Drivers who understand that the risk of death or serious injury changes with the star rating of different road sections will be better informed and ultimately safer.

“Cutting road deaths requires combined action to improve driver behaviour, to produce safer cars, improve vehicle crash performance and to provide safety features on the roads.”

Dr Steve Lawson, technical director of EuroRAP, the organisation which introduced the star system to the UK, says: “Dysfunctional one and two-star main roads, many not built to cope with today’s traffic, have death rates at least 10 times higher than other roads and are commonplace in the UK.

"On some roads, standards can be raised by installing safety fencing, improving junctions – sometimes only with better signing and lining – and removing roadside hazards or protecting them from errant vehicles."

Source - Motortorque.com

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