Best practice for road tunnel emergency exercises

Emergency exercises are an integral part of the planning process of road tunnel safety. Drawing on international experience in this area, this report is in the form of a detailed guide for defining objectives, prepare, implement and evaluate an exercise in the most efficient and productive as possible. It also contains practical information on the resources and personnel required for the organization of an emergency exercise, on the costs and outcomes. For non-yet experienced emergency exercise [...]

Taking advantage of intelligent transport systems to improve road safety

Intelligent Transport Systems 1 (ITS) have been used for more than 20 years. ITS is rapidly entering the marketplace and is likely to penetrate a greater part of the vehicle fleet in the next 10 - 15 years. Applied effectively, ITS can save lives, time, and money as well as reduce threats to our environment. The general message is that ITS should be applied for easing the task of the driver: ITS will also reduce the driver's risk of being involved in a crash. But one has to be careful because [...]

Recommendations regarding road tunnel drivers' training and information

A follow-up on the report « Human Factors and safety from the view point of users » that was published in 2008 by the World Road Association, this new work by Technical Committee C4 - Road Tunnel Operations - aims at giving key information and instructions to drivers in order to enable them to adopt the adequate behavior in the 3 situations they can face when travelling through a tunnel : during normal situation, minor incident or major incident. After describing the experience of driving [...]

Road tunnels: operational strategies for emergency ventilation

During normal operation, ventilation, whether natural or mechanical, is required to provide a clean air environment and to prevent the accumulation of pollutants. During emergency operation, ventilation is needed to influence the flow of smoke. Smoke control plays a key role to increase the chances of survival for tunnel users experiencing a fire, in particular during the self-rescue phase. After describing ventilation ant its essential role, the report provides a list of countries that have introduced [...]

Road safety audit guidelines for safety checks of new road projects

This guideline is a comprehensive catalogue of design safety problems and countermeasures that outlines the common types of design failures in a definitive guide for road engineers and professionals working in the road transport sector. With the UN Decade of Action soon to be launched by the World Health Organisation and a commitment to reduce road deaths through careful planning and innovative solutions the guidelines provide an excellent resource for road agencies and the private sector. The guidelines [...]