SAFETY IN ROAD TRANSPORT AND ITS CONTROL

Of all transport systems road traffic is the oldest. With the introduction of the motor vehicle, about a century ago, demands were made on the quality of the road surface and the road network. Only a small part of the road network is adapted to the needs of modern motorized road traffic, which is the greatest part of all private and public transport. The factors capacity and safety are also the main factors for the road administrators as regards their budget. The transport modes are mostly owned by private persons. The road users have other aims than those of the highway administrators. Road traffic gives a high mobility for the private road user. As long as the available budgets, and the personal and technical means are unable to adapt the infrastructure in the short term to the needs of motorized traffic, the regulation of the operational use of the road traffic system remains one of the most important strategies in the battle against the hazards of traffic. This paper was presented at the Symposium on Safety of Transport Systems held at Delft University of Technology on March 17, 1978. (TRRL)