Ulykker på motorveje - HVU

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Crash barriers were installed on the right side of the road at 8 scenes of
accidents. In 6 accidents vehicles drove into the right-hand side and in 5 of
these the crash barrier did not work as intended. In 4 accidents, the crash
barrier had a negative rather than a positive effect.
Crash barriers are often mounted to protect road users against solid objects
or steep ditches. These crash barriers proved to be too short or not to extend
sufficiently backwards, which resulted in increased accident severity.
• Motorways are the safest type of road, but a number of elements outside
the carriageway can be improved.
Defective vehicles
In 9 accidents, 11 accident factors were vehicle-related. All these factors
were related to drivers’ insufficient or incorrect maintenance of their vehicles.
These factors are primarily poor or defective tyres, but manoeuvrability may
also have deteriorated due to poor maintenance and incorrect loading.
For injury factors, vehicle defects were considered to be an injury factor in
14 accidents. They were identified as, weak seatbacks, weak compartment
dividers between the driver’s front seat compartment and the storage
compartment, insufficient securing of goods and positioning of the rear
bumper on heavy goods vehicles.
Vans
Van drivers often drive as if their vans have the same driving characteristics
as a passenger vehicle. Drivers often drive at too high speeds and drive too
close to the vehicle in front. In an accident situation, vans show poor evasion
characteristics and in several cases insufficient strength of the cargo area.
Temarapport • ULYKKER PÅ MOTORVEJE