The Role of Infrastructure Design in Improving Road Safety: A Review

Abstract

Road transport is more preferred because it is cheaper and quicker as compared to other modes of transport. The negative impact of this is seen through a delicate possibility of engaging in accidents. There was slight decline in crashes attributed to engineering treatments, safety programs, and car technology advancements though. However, road safety is one of the greatest problems affecting the world today. In this study paper, it was aimed at enabling the critical review of earlier researches that tried to explore the influence of road and traffic characteristics on the safety of users in a bid to contribute to this growing body of knowledge. The results were synthesized by incorporating a variety of risk variables into each of the four primary divisions of infrastructure risk variables: exposure, road geometry, pavement surface condition, and traffic control elements. Most of these traits affect road safety collectively (friction and pavement distress) rather than independently (speed, curvature, etc.). The study also found that changes to the infrastructure design or reallocation are rarely looked at in terms of how drivers adapt their behavior, which means that more research is needed.