1984•Australian Road Research Board Conference ProcRequires access
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHOULDER DESIGN AND ACCIDENT RATES ON RURAL HIGHWAYS
M Armour
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Abstract
The paper describes an analysis of accidents on rural roads with different shoulder designs. The accident data was obtained from the fatal report forms completed by engineers of the New South Wales, Department of Main Roads. The exposure data was obtained from the NAASRA data base road inventory. The analysis showed that the accident rate of roads with unsealed shoulders was between three and four times the accident rate for roads with sealed shoulders. This was true for straight road sections and for road sections with curve or grade. An examination of accident descriptions showed that losing control of vehicle on the gravel shoulder was suggested as a contributing cause in about 17 percent of fatal accidents. The inventory and accident data currently available in Australia is not sufficient to allow a more detailed study of accident rates. It is recommended that the next stage of the study be to examine the possible relationship between shoulder design and accident type.