Traffic accidents with fixed roadside obstacles: a study of the Greek rural road network

As the number of man-made obstacles alongside roads grows year by year, so does the number of collisions with them. Today, a significant number of fatalities involves accidents of this type. In this study Greek practice is thoroughly examined and compared to foreign experience. Reference is made to 2 569 kilometres that constitute 60 per cent of the Greek rural road network. In total, 477 accidents with fixed roadside obstacles were extracted from a sum of 5 722 accidents reported for the five-year study period (1979-1983). The analysis revealed that this type of accident accounted for 11 per cent of the total fatalities and 8.3 per cent of injuries. A series of conclusions were also drawn concerning the relationships of this specific type of accident with traffic volumes and with other factors such as type of vehicle, type of object struck, weather conditions, light conditions, etc. Most of the relations observed were critically compared to foreign experience.