Number of accidents investigated to date by JP Research India as part of our India traffic studies : 679

SafetySpeak! SafetySpeak! is a publication of JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.is a publication of JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.

From the Editor’s Desk…

If you read this newsletter regularly, you know that JPRI has recently started collecting crash data along

the busy, fast-paced, 94 km Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In this issue, we present some preliminary

findings from that study, focused on influences and causal factors for Expressway crashes.

The issue also looks at how to protect yourself on rain-slick roads and presents the first part in a short

series on infrastructure problems that need immediate attention. This first part focuses on

accommodations that should be made in road designs to better protect pedestrians and more safely allow

for vehicle emergency stops and maneuvers. Part 2 will look at divided roads and lane delineators; raised

roads and elevated corridors; and medians, road marking and signage.

As always, we offer information on recent and upcoming conferences, where we hope to have the immense

pleasure of meeting you all one day!

Jeya

JPRI study looks for factors that most influence crashes on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Page 3

SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak!

The Monsoon season is upon us. Are you ready for wet roads? Page 4

When it comes to shoulders and footpaths, size does matter. Page 2

Road and Traffic Safety NewsletterRoad and Traffic Safety Newsletter Volume 8, No. 3 July 2013Volume 8, No. 3 July 2013

While horse-drawn carriages long ago gave way to technologically advanced vehicles,

the term “carriageway” still continues to be used for modern roads. Unhappily, evidence

suggests that, for too long, many in road construction and engineering merely paved old

carriageways rather than redesigning them to safely carry modern “carriages”. In India,

many roads are not safe for the vehicles that use them, and the task of overhauling such a

set-in-asphalt system is indeed herculean. In a two-part series, JPRI highlights some of the

current problems in India’s infrastructure that could use an upgrade from horse-and-carriage

days.

Wide Shoulders and Clear Zones That paved (or graveled) section that parallels the road and separates it from whatever lies

beyond is called a shoulder, and it serves a multitude of safety functions. One primary

function is to provide an area where a vehicle can pull out of a traffic lane, if necessary for

evasive action or in an emergency, and even come to a stop without affecting the flow of traffic. Given modern speeds and the numbers on the vehicles that use the roads, a vehicle

that juts into the roadway poses a potential threat to road environment. Hence, shoulders

must be paved, for ease in moving in and out of traffic (gravel

and dirt pose safety problems at speed), and at least wide

enough to accommodate the full width of a standard vehicle.

So, why do so many Indian roads have narrow paved shoulders only 1.5 m wide?

The 1.5 m shoulder width is considered more cost effective than a full-width (2.4 m or

more) option. “Cheaper” is not really the same as “cost-effective”, and in this case the

accounting does not consider the cost of lives lost as a result of shoulders too narrow to

park on. Our research has shown that roads with narrow (1.5 m width) shoulders have

more parked vehicle accidents than roads without any shoulder. Hence, it makes sense

that if a shoulder is to be provided, it should be paved and be able to accommodate a

parked vehicle completely. Adequate shoulder width also provides a lane for emergency

vehicles to get around heavy traffic, provides a buffer against landscape features such as

steep drop-offs, and allows room for water runoff between the road (which is typically

crowned) and restricting structures such as curbs. [See the hydroplane feature on page 4.]

In addition, a vehicle that moves off the road due to an accident often faces various deadly

man-made structures, trees and landscape features. At a minimum, international practice is

to maintain a completely clear zone on the sides of roads. The width of the clear zone is

decided by the speed of the traffic. Higher speeds require wider clear zones.

Pedestrian Paths and Crossings

Modern vehicles move much faster than the old carriages; putting pedestrians at greater risk

on modern roads. The most effective way to reduce pedestrian fatalities is to separate foot

traffic from vehicle traffic when possible. Well-designed and maintained walkways

significantly and effectively reduce pedestrian fatalities. Areas such as intersections and

crossings where pedestrian movement interacts with vehicles need to be clearly identified

and made pedestrian friendly. Although this task seems simple enough, pedestrian issues

have received a marked lack of attention from the road authorities, and when features are

added, they are often not well planned, as illustrated at right (sidebar). This is not a problem

unique to India, but we may more desperately need to solve it.

Designing Safe Roads (Part 1)

Page 2 SafetySpeak! Volume 8, No. 3

Walking the WalkWalking the Walk

Talk to any international road Talk to any international road safety consultant working in safety consultant working in India, and a question they are India, and a question they are sure to raise is, sure to raise is, “With so many “With so many people on foot in India, why people on foot in India, why are Indian roads NOT designed are Indian roads NOT designed to accommodate pedestrians to accommodate pedestrians on roadways?”on roadways?”

This problem exists not only in This problem exists not only in urban areas, but also on our urban areas, but also on our national and state highways in national and state highways in rural areas, where people are rural areas, where people are often found walking alongside often found walking alongside traffic on the busy roads. traffic on the busy roads. Although in developed Although in developed countries it is rare to find countries it is rare to find people walking along a people walking along a highway, in India this is a highway, in India this is a common event. common event.

In apparent blindness to this In apparent blindness to this truth, India continues to build truth, India continues to build roads only for vehicles (aping roads only for vehicles (aping the developed countries). India the developed countries). India is is not not the UK, it is itself and the UK, it is itself and should be proud of, designing should be proud of, designing for, and for, and showcasing showcasing its its differences, not pretending differences, not pretending they do not exist.they do not exist.

The above photo shows a The above photo shows a footpath, raised above streetfootpath, raised above street--

level and made at some expense level and made at some expense —— but not being usedbut not being used. .

Although the footpath is smooth Although the footpath is smooth and level, it is not wide enough and level, it is not wide enough (that is, does not offer enough (that is, does not offer enough

distance from the wall) for distance from the wall) for anyone to comfortably use it. anyone to comfortably use it. JPRI recommends a minimum JPRI recommends a minimum

width of 2.2 meters for footpathswidth of 2.2 meters for footpaths. .

For more information on footpath For more information on footpath assessments:assessments:

SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak! Dec2008Dec2008

Clean Air InitiativeClean Air Initiative

———————— See See Part 2 Part 2 in the next issue of in the next issue of

SafetySpeak!SafetySpeak!

Top: Highway with narrow paved shoulder. Left: Tree at the very edge

of a shoulder-less road and a truck deformed by impact with the tree.

— Continued next issue.

There often seems to be a blissful illusion that crashes are caused by outside factors. That is, a vehicle may malfunction, a driver in another lane may inexplicably swerve or brake, a meteorite may explode all over the road, etc., thereby creating for the hapless driver an unavoidable hazard. To those who hold such views, the initial results of JPR India’s in-depth data collection and analysis project on the high-speed, six-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway are likely to come as somewhat of a surprise.

Identifying Causal and Contributing Factors JPRI is performing on-site crash investigation and accident data collection to determine causal and contributing factors influencing road traffic accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This pioneering accident study is being conducted with the cooperation of Maharashtra State Highway Police, and its primary objective is to identify the influence of these factors.

Causal and contributing factors can generally be classified into three main components: human (i.e., driver), vehicle and environment (in this case, infrastructure), or any combination of any of the three. Of these, driver factors have the dominate influence on Expressway crashes.

That’s right — early results show that, during the period from October 2012 through May 2013, 78% of the accidents on the Expressway were influenced, either wholly or in part, by drivers.

Influence of Driver Factors Contributing factors for the accident cases included in this study were determined based on police and victim statements, scene inspection,

and vehicle examination.

Of the 78% of crashes determined to have been influenced by human factors (driver error or failure), 44% were judged to have been caused by driver factors alone, 24% by driver plus infrastructure factors, 4% by driver plus vehicle factors, and 6% by all three.

The major driver influences seen in the results to date are sleep/fatigue

(influenced 29% of Expressway crashes examined), over speeding (22%), loss of control (11%), and improper lane change (10%).

Other Factors While human factors, by themselves, show the greatest influence on Expressway crashes, they were frequently paired with infrastructure. Infrastructure alone influenced only 2% of crashes, but when considered with driver and vehicle factors, it influenced 37% of crashes on this major roadway, with lack of median barriers, lack of traffic control and lack of road signage being the major problems.

Vehicle factors, in total, influenced 30% of the accidents, with brake failures, tire defects and steering malfunctions topping the list.

The Driver Factor The Driver Factor

Page 3 SafetySpeak! Volume 8, No. 3

Injury and the ExpresswayInjury and the Expressway

Using detailed methodologies comparable to those Using detailed methodologies comparable to those used in the United States, United Kingdom and used in the United States, United Kingdom and

Germany for conducting and coding crashGermany for conducting and coding crash--scene and scene and

vehicle examinations, a total of 124 accidents on the vehicle examinations, a total of 124 accidents on the

Expressway have been studied to date. The findings Expressway have been studied to date. The findings show that, on this fast, modern, designedshow that, on this fast, modern, designed--toto--bebe--safe safe

thoroughfare, approximately thoroughfare, approximately 30% of the crashes 30% of the crashes

examined resulted in grievous or fatal injuryexamined resulted in grievous or fatal injury. .

In fact, the 21 fatal accidents examined resulted in 45 In fact, the 21 fatal accidents examined resulted in 45

fatalities, and, due to the controlledfatalities, and, due to the controlled--access nature of access nature of the tollthe toll--way (which does not allow farm tractors or way (which does not allow farm tractors or

twotwo--wheelers), the vast majority of the road users wheelers), the vast majority of the road users

involved in the fatal crashes were cars (52%) and involved in the fatal crashes were cars (52%) and

trucks (35%).trucks (35%).

Sleepy driving is a difficult problem to combat. No one plans to fall asleep behind the wheel or other-wise become inattentive to driving, but early morning or late night hours, combined with being fatigued or ill can lull even the most conscientious driver into a dangerous condition. Add the repetitive motion of the road and the hypnotic effect of lights and road stripes at night, and the situation can turn deadly in an instant.

Solutions?

One inexpensive solution to sleep/fatigue would be to add “rumble strips”, longitudinal grooves cut into the shoulder to alert drivers when they stray dangerously off the road.

Possible solutions to over speeding include increased enforcement as well as infrastructure designs that are somewhat forgiving of sudden impact. Similar solutions may be helpful in reducing the number of crashes due to improper lane changes. Infrastructure changes may also be one means of reducing the number and severity of injuries due to loss of control crashes—subjects we’ll take up in future issues.

EEVERYTHINGVERYTHING YYOUOU NNEEDEED TOTO KKNOWNOW AABOUTBOUT HHYDROPLANINGYDROPLANING - Sankha Das

Monsoons are approaching and that means rain. Lots of rain, coming down in a hurry. This onslaught of rain will result in water-clogged roads and subways, and water on the road means a loss of friction for vehicles. In other words, the tires may be going around and spraying up water, but they are not connecting to the road in the way drivers may have expected and—worse—may not be controllable at all.

While heavy rain is not an everyday scenario in India, it isn’t exactly rare, either, so all drivers should understand the basics of tire-to-road interaction and know how to react if a vehicle begins to hydroplane.

Factors that Influence Hydroplane Start with the tire. Its tread pattern is designed to effectively disperse whatever separates it from the road, thus providing good traction for vehicle control in almost all conditions. But when the water in front of the tires builds up faster than the car's weight can push it out of the way, the vehicle loses this traction and hydroplanes. Essentially, the built-up water between the tires and the road surface causes the car to rise up and slide, much as it would on ice. If this loss of traction occurs on all wheels simultaneously, the vehicle becomes an uncontrolled sledge until it either collides with an obstacle (not a desired outcome) or slows enough that one or more tires contact the road again and traction is regained.

Road infrastructure (drainage culverts, crowned centers, etc.) and road furniture can be designed and installed to effectively drain away water under most conditions, and tire manufacturers offer innovative tread patterns and materials to address this phenomenon. However, these approaches assume that all of these work as designed and have been properly maintained. (All drivers do check tread depth and inflation at reasonable intervals, don’t they?)

When It Is All Down to You When the drains are plugged, the road dips into a long trough, and your bald tires start to slip, the only thing to fall back on is your skill as a driver. No problem, right?

Right—because now that you understand what is happening under your tires, you know that the simple act of slowing (without braking, if possible) increases the contact of the tires with the road.

That’s it. Increased traction increases your chances of surviving a hydroplane incident without damage or injury.

Now that is a rule to live by.

Page 4 SafetySpeak! Volume 8, No. 3

Potential Hydroplane Potential Hydroplane

Conditions:Conditions:

When water depth is over When water depth is over

three tenths of a centimeter three tenths of a centimeter

(0.1 inch) and the vehicle's (0.1 inch) and the vehicle's

speed is over 80 kilometers speed is over 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour).per hour (50 miles per hour).

——————————————————————

A steady speed of ≤80kph A steady speed of ≤80kph

pushes most water away and pushes most water away and

tires make good contact (tires make good contact (top, lefttop, left). At ). At

higher speeds, less contact is made higher speeds, less contact is made

((centercenter), and when hydroplaning ), and when hydroplaning ((right), right), there is almost no tread there is almost no tread

“grabbing” the road. These phases are “grabbing” the road. These phases are

also shown below.also shown below.

Good tire tread and inflation are only Good tire tread and inflation are only

part of the solution. Infrastructure part of the solution. Infrastructure needs to be designed to remove needs to be designed to remove

water quickly, and drivers should water quickly, and drivers should

reduce speeds and know how to react reduce speeds and know how to react

safely when planing.safely when planing.

If Your Vehicle Hydroplanes—

Remain CALM.

Ease your foot off the gas pedal and carefully steer towards the desired direction of travel.

If your car does not have ABS, do not brake or turn suddenly. Instead, let the weight of the vehicle slow it. If you need to brake, do it gently, with a light pumping action.

If your car has ABS, brake normally and, if necessary, steer into the skid.

Adjusting speed to wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures is the best response of all!

Staying ‘In Touch’ With the RoadStaying ‘In Touch’ With the Road

In June, JPRI participated in the Safe Road Engineering & Maintenance Workshop in Bangalore. The workshop was organized by

World Bank with the help of Global Road Safety Workshop (GRSF), Bloomberg Philanthropies and the International Road

Assessment Programme (iRAP). The three-day workshop plus field visit was attended by government officers from 12 states and

various countries.

Topics covered ranged from road safety issues in India, to road design challenges and data collection. Effectiveness of applying

various engineering solutions to Indian road

conditions was discussed, and the baseline

data collection effort completed in Karnataka

and Gujarat for iRAP by JPRI was presented.

The field visit on Day 4 was to various

locations on State Highway 17 (Mysore road).

The Karnataka State Highway Improvement

Programme had identified locations where

the existing road design needs to be changed

to improve road safety. In this on-site, open-

air workshop, proposed road design changes

were presented and debated with great

enthusiasm!

Field trip to Mysore road. A chance to see, and discuss

solutions to, some real-world design problems.

The JPRI team, and Mr. Greg Smith of iRAP, were sure not to miss more upscale destina-tions, such as Mysore Palace!

EventsEvents

JPRI at the Safe Road Engineering & Management WorkshopJPRI at the Safe Road Engineering & Management Workshop

Page 5 SafetySpeak! Volume 8, No. 3

11-13 September, 2013:

2013 IRCOBI Conference

International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury

Gothenburg, Sweden

http://ircobi.org/conference.php

22-25 September, 2013:

AAAM 57th Annual Scientific Conference

Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine

Quebec City, Canada

http://www.aaam.org/annual-meeting.html

EMBARQ India's first annual conference, CONNECTKaro, took place on 15EMBARQ India's first annual conference, CONNECTKaro, took place on 15--16th April 16th April

2013. Experts from the fields of urban transport and planning gave presentations and 2013. Experts from the fields of urban transport and planning gave presentations and

offered discussions on the current scenario of mass transit and urbanisation in India, offered discussions on the current scenario of mass transit and urbanisation in India,

and the opportunities and challenges in moving forward.and the opportunities and challenges in moving forward.

Ravishankar Rajaraman of JPRI was invited to give a presentation on “Road Safety in Ravishankar Rajaraman of JPRI was invited to give a presentation on “Road Safety in Indian Cities Indian Cities –– InIn--depth accident data collection”. The talk focused on the importance depth accident data collection”. The talk focused on the importance

of accident data and provided a template for accident data collection in urban areas. of accident data and provided a template for accident data collection in urban areas.

The presentation also offered details on performing accident data collection with the The presentation also offered details on performing accident data collection with the

help of intersection/CCTV cameras. Background on and findings of some of JPRI’s help of intersection/CCTV cameras. Background on and findings of some of JPRI’s

accident research studies, such as the Chennai MTC bus fatal accident study, were accident research studies, such as the Chennai MTC bus fatal accident study, were presented to give an understanding of how inpresented to give an understanding of how in--depth data helps identify root problems depth data helps identify root problems

so that costso that cost--effective solutions can be provided.effective solutions can be provided.

The full presentation can be viewed at this link:The full presentation can be viewed at this link:

http://24framesdigital.com/embarq/connectkaro/160413/index.html

CONNECTKaro: Conference NotesCONNECTKaro: Conference Notes

Upcoming Conferences and Events

ENDNOTEENDNOTE

‘Wide’ and ‘Off-Street’ are not all it takes to make a pathway ‘Safe’.

Building a pathway is a lot like building a roadway—the needs of the users and the

restrictions of environment need to be planned for, just as they are for roads. The examples

below are from a town in the USA and show that even the so-called “developed countries”

still have room for development. In this town, sidewalks are so bad that older residents and

children often walk in the road because they are less likely to stumble there, especially in

the dark. Although the original goal was to create safe, flat pedestrian pathways, over time

these have become dangerously uneven, and now the choices for fixing the problems are

difficult, often unpopular (for example, removing huge trees) and expensive.

Here, as in other ways, India can learn from mistakes made in other countries, and since we

are just starting out, we can do better from the beginning. Long-term design solutions for

pedestrian infrastructures can be as challenging as those for roads, and like road building,

can focus as much on designing for what is underneath as what is on top.

The culprits here?

Trees and water. Trees can

be a major problem for city

planners. The shade is nice,

but roots can lift concrete.

One exciting solution is

flexible sidewalks, often

made from recycled

materials. Another is to plant

trees with deeper root

systems and place them

further back from the paths.

And starting with gravel

bedding or culverts could

prevent washout issues

where alleys and driveways

cross the footpaths.

SafetySpeak!

____________________

Editor in Chief:

Jeya Padmanaban,

President, JP Research, Inc.

JP Research Editors/Writers:

M. Bhuvanesh Bharath Alwar (India)

Sheryl Siebenborn (USA)

Ravishankar Rajaraman (India)

____________________

MISSION STATEMENT

To mitigate accidents and injuries to

road users in India by helping local

automotive safety organizations,

government agencies, and

manufacturers through accident and

safety research and training, and

creating public awareness of traffic

safety issues.

____________________

CONTACT US

JP Research India Pvt. Ltd.

583/1,1st Floor, Sri Kumaran Salai

Civil Aerodrome Post, Avinashi Road

Coimbatore 641 014, Tamil Nadu, India

Phone: +91-422-440-0100

reachus@jpresearchindia.com

www.jpresearchindia.com

____________________

© JP Research India Pvt. Ltd. 2013

The name SafetySpeak! and distinctive

design and logo features of this

publication are the exclusive property

of JPR India, and all contents are

protected by copyright. Technical

articles may be reproduced, in whole

or in part, ONLY with full attribution

and written notification to:

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Page 6 SafetySpeak! Volume 8, No. 3