How can intersections be redesigned to lower car related accident rates

What makes a road safe

Context

Why is this important

One of the leading causes of car accidents is speeding (Investigating the impact low-cost traffic calming measures

In 2021 390 deaths from crashes were reported in Massachusetts (Masslive)

Speeding is one of the causes of deaths therefore by finding ways to decrease speeds through design, death or injury rates can decrease

This was the highest reported rate since the year 2012. The problem is only getting worse as time continues.

"Globally 1.24 million people are killed in crashes every year"(Cities Safer by Design)

What makes a road safe

fewer cars on the road

With fewer car on the road there will be less congestion and a fewer chance of accidents being with fewer cars. This can only be achieved by making mass and public transportation more accessible, reliable and appealing. (Cities safer by Design)

safer conditions for pedestrians (Cities Safer by Design)

Pedestrians are most at risk of being harmed on roads. Roads are built for motorists and therefore pedestrians and non-motorists are most at risk of being harmed. Pedestrians need a greater time to cross the streets or smaller road widths. Also, all road users need to be able to see one another (Intersections)

traffic calming methods

Speed bumps can be introduced to reduce speeds and can be utilized to provide more crosswalks for pedestrians.

Traffic calming reduced accident rates by 25%

Bulbous or wider sidewalks, or medians can reduce speeds because they make the roads more narrow and can give pedestrians shorter distances to cross.

Context

Car accident falities isn't only a United States problem but has

When speed humps were introduced in Washington, speed declined from being in the 85th percentile to be around 58 to 63 km/h to being around 39 to 43 km/h (The effects of traffic calming)

Speed bumps and humps are an effective way to decrease the speed of drivers. Driver speed will decrease resulting in fewer tragedies.

In Canada, when raised intersections and bulbous were introduced, the amount of driver to exceed the speed limit of 30km/h was 86% but after was only 20% (The effects of traffic calming)

Once bulbous were introduced speeding significantly decreased making safer conditions for the road users since there is less of a chance of an accident happening

Complete streets (Evolution of shared spaces)

If traffic calming reduces accident therefore it decreases injuries and deaths. Implementing traffic calming methods will save lives of all road user.

Compared to regular roads complete streets give all road users a space where they can operate the roads

The overall goal of complete streets is to make all road users occupy roads safely.

Including all different kinds of transportation methods on the streets gives everyone room to move around. This would reduce the number of tragedies that occur on the road.

Everyone has a space on the roads means less competition for space. Everyone could use roads their own way without others getting in the way. By giving everyone their own space and decreasing competition, accidents would decrease because the interactions on the road would be more precise.

Part of complete streets is making the roads their own environment this also means making roads more welcoming.

Feel as a big effect on drivers. When there is a lot of movement around the space they are driving they are going to be more c cautious in that space.

Intersection design! (NACTO)

Every intersection is different and therefore so are the guidelines that can make them safer. For example, roundabouts can decrease speeds but only until a certain point.

For big intersections making the roads more narrow and accommodating to road users besides motoristis.

In compact intersections the goal is to protect pedestrians and decrease speeds

Wider roads make drivers increase speeds so by extending sidewalks and adding medians makes the streets mor roads.

Motorists havean advantage over pedestrians , speed. This leaves the pedestrians with a risk and being exposed. Decreasing the speeds of motorists in these intersections illuminates pedestrians vulnerability. Traffic calming would save lives in these kinds of intersection.

Speed humps or bumps can also be used as raised crosswalks and it found that motorists tend to yield at critical points where pedestrians cross. (effects of traffic calming measures)

The speedhumps in this case serve a dual purpose to not only make drivers slow down but also give pedestrians a place to crosses where motorists will slow down. It will give pedestrians better crossing conditions and will make drives decresae their speeds.

Medians are the islands that break up the road and Evidence from crash frequency models in Latin American cities suggests that medians can reduce crashes, including severe crashes, by 30–40 percent (Duduta et al. 2015).
(global world design)

Medians were successful in decreasing the amount of accidents. Not only do pedestrians make drivers slow down since they narrow roads but it also means that pedestrians shorter distances to walks meaning less exposure and therefore more safety.

A non-motorists have space on roads it gives the space where they can use roads without worrying about anyone else. There woiuld be no competition for space. Instead everyone could use the roads safely. .

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