Tim Corbin
Road safety engineering measures are cost-effective
By Chris Sanders, Senior Vice President, Lindsay Transportation Solutions
[/column] [column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] [push h=”30″] [/column] [column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]In 2015, traffic injuries remained one of the leading causes of death and injury across the 15-39 year old age group, disproportionately impacting breadwinners and low-income groups. As road and highway professionals, this global epidemic gives us a special responsibility to learn, advocate and act.
In many developing countries, safe road and roadside management remains the exception rather than the norm. Unprotected utility posts, barrier ends or work zones are all routine problems which place road users at risk and trigger serious injury and death.
It all begins with training, and making the right design and treatment choices. There are too few qualified road safety professionals, and even fewer who possess a thorough understanding of, and the means to assess, roadside engineering issues and the means to remedy them.
It is true that road safety does cost money. However, many road safety countermeasures can be implemented at a very low expense and the benefit-cost ratio can be very high. Not knowing about these corrective actions is the only justification for not using them, and not using them could be one of the reasons people are dying on your roads.
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