PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN OF INTERSECTIONS

The operation and safety characteristics of the road system depend more on intersections than any other single element under the control of the road or traffic engineer. It is at intersections that the majority of vehicle and pedestrian conflicts occur and therefore where delays, accidents and congestion are likely to occur. The importance of intersections in respect to road safety is emphasised by accident statistics which show that about 60 per cent of all casualty accidents in urban areas occur at intersections. In rural areas some 25 per cent of all casualty accidents occur at intersections. This section deals with a number of aspects of the design and layout of intersections. For the covering abstract see IRRD 878474.