Life Saving Roads

The Mercury Newspaper reports that Jim Cox (the Minister for Infrastructure) recently visited Sweden to examine their road system, which has long been held up as a model of excellence in reducing road deaths and injuries.

The Swiss view a road accident as a failure of the system in which the car, road, driver, conditions, design, engineering and maintenance all form a part. By shifting their focus from blaming the individual (speed, carelessness, recklessness, inattention, etc) to examining why someone made a mistake, what design errors contributed to the crash and what can be done to reduce the probability and consequences of such an event in the future they have had dramatic effects on the road toll.

The proposed road design has three lanes which separates oncoming traffic and allows alternating overtaking lanes every few kilometres (see the article for a picture). This is the kind of simple engineering solution we have long advocated in an attempt to reduce the carnage on our roads and will prove far more effective and reliable than just telling people to slow down, obey the law and be more careful will ever do!

Well done Mr. Cox!

Update:

Here is my letter to the editor that was posted in the Mercury on the 5th October 2006.