A new survey carried out in the UK reveals that male drivers are more likely to risk lives by overtaking blind and speeding on rural roads. As a result male drivers are being urged to be more careful. The survey was carried out jointly by safety body Brake and insurance firm Direct Line. The data reveals that 24% risk catastrophic head-on crashes by overtaking blind, while 44% admit speeding at over the national speed limit of 96km/h (60mph) on rural roads. Men are much more likely to take these deadly risk
New research carried out jointly by the Lighting Research Center and Penn State have identified links between visibility and safety from roadway lighting. The results are said to hold promise for predicting the safety benefits of new lighting configurations. Identifying when and where to install roadway illumination is a challenge for transportation agencies. Estimating nighttime crash reductions from roadway lighting is difficult in part because lighting tends to be installed along with other improvements
Progress is being made on a study being carried out in North America of the risk to road users from wildlife. The study is being carried out by Leonard Sielecki at the University of Victoria and covers Canada and the US. This investigates the risk to road users posed by animals entering the roadway and considers the benefits of technologies to warn drivers of such risks. According to Sielecki, over 500 people have so far responded, considerably in excess of the number expected. Of these respondents, around
