Crash point: focus on Switzerland

In 1998, the Swiss Federal Roads Authority, ASTRA, commissioned a project (project ZEB-NS) to inspect the condition of pavement surface characteristics and evaluate the level of safety on Swiss freeways. Accident black spots were identified and a grading system was devised for the severity of the black spots. The investigation, conducted by the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), was based on a five-year accident dataset. A map showing the distribution of the 961 accident black spots is presented. These showed that various road sections were more notable for having more accidents than average. Segments with several accident black spots needed to be assessed together. Half of accident black spots were concentrated in, before and after junctions and tunnels. The following measures for improving road safety were recommended: improved monitoring of speed limits and regulations concerning following distance; implementation of traffic management at heavily used junctions and tunnels; and the priority analysis of accident black spots at two-lane tunnels with oncoming traffic.