Basic Road Safety Knowledge March 2006 qüé=~ååáçéåí==éêçåéëë= = Foreword: This series of information sheets is intended to provide a quick insight into various topics. The disadvantage of this is the risk of misinterpretation and the non-exhaustive nature of the document. This document does not commit its author or the administration. Readers requiring further information should refer to the text(s) mentioned in the bibliography. Objective: To demonstrate that the analysis of an accident involves a scientific process and that it is dangerous to reach conclusions about the reasons for an accident without a thorough analysis. Factors likely to change: The conclusions of studies of the human vehicle-environment. Target: All staff. Limits: This information sheet only presents an approach. Training is necessary in order to be able to apply it. Bibliographical reference: The "enquêtes pour agir" training package available from Préfectures.
In order to take the correct action, it is necessary to know about and understand accidents. The National Interdepartmental Road Safety Monitoring Service (ONISR) which is under the Interdepartmental Road Safety Delegate's authority, collects, formats, interprets and disseminates national road safety data and is also active in the sharing of international statistical data. At local level, the police and "gendarmerie" make accident reports. Some accidents, on the initiative of the "Préfecture", are subject to an ECPA (whose function is to understand the accident in order to take action) survey. The REAGIR surveys were conducted between 1983 and 2004. Each unit (Prefecture, County Infrastructure Directorate (DDE), Police, Gendarmerie) conducts its own analysis of the data in its possession with reference to its objectives. A comparison between these analyses shows the wealth of data collected after an accident. The useful information is not confined to the fixed picture that is observed on arrival at the accident scene but includes the route and prior activity schedules of those involved in the accident, their psychological state, etc. An accident? In the prevailing meteorological conditions, an accident is the result of a breakdown in the equilibrium of the system made up of three following independent components: the driver; the vehicle; the infrastructure. USAGERS GENERAL CONDITIONS ALARM, RESCUE TEAM, CARE VEHICLES INFRASTRUCTURE This systems approach to accidents is the outcome of INRETS research into accident process. It provides the basis for a large number of publications on road traffic accidents including the book named "Sécurité des Routes et des Rues" ( Road and street safety ). Most of the REAGIR surveys confirm this accident process, leading to the conclusion that human behaviour is involved in 90% of fatal accidents. This does not mean other factors are only involved in 10% of fatal accidents nor that the 90% in question are necessarily the driver s fault. The summary of the REAGIR surveys estimates that infrastructure factors (road equipment environment, etc.) play a role in about 50% of fatal accidents. Basic Road Safety Knowledge 2 The accident process
Likewise, it estimates that vehicle-related factors (under-inflated tyres, poor suspension, etc.) are involved in for 30% of fatal accidents. These values take in intrinsic failures in each of the three elements in the system but also the frequent interactions between these elements, the most deceptive of which being the pernicious effect of the quality which is generally expected (in particular, the comfort and safety of the vehicle and the infrastructure). Some examples: I am tired but nothing can happen on this short familiar journey! with ABS, I am safe and can drive a bit faster! with this new surfacing and the good road signing, it does not feel that I am driving quickly on this road! An accident has multifactorial causes. Frequently all that is needed is for one of the factors that were identified in the analysis to be absent for it to be possible to say that the accident could have been less serious, or even avoided. The accident process analysis is very frequently poorly performed when an obvious error on the part of one of the individuals actively involved (driver or pedestrian) determines responsibility. However, detailed analyses of accidents by trained individuals (see REAGIR, ECPA, INRETS, LAB, ) emphasize the importance of improvements in all areas. The conclusion of the in-depth analysis of an accident is : the accident could have been avoided. An example of the sequential analysis of an accident The accident as described in the press on the following morning: Yesterday evening at about 11 p.m. on the D.215 district road between PELTRE and CHESNY, a Peugeot 205 with two young men aged 18 and 21 and a young girl of 17 years of age on board, collided with the parapet of a small bridge at the side of the road. The two male passengers escaped uninjured, but the girl, who was at the back of the car, was thrown out. She is in a serious condition at Bons Secours Hospital after treatment at the scene from the emergency medical team and the fire service. The gendarmerie made a report, which will make it possible to establish the causes of this dramatic accident. The gendarmerie secured this road which has already been the scene of many accidents. The same accident after a detailed survey (following the INRETS approach): On Saturday 22 November at about 11 p.m. an accident took place on the D. 215 district road between PELTRE and CHESNY. A Peugeot 205 with two young men aged 18 and 21 and a young girl aged 17 on board left the road and collided with a stone parapet 2 metres from the side of the carriageway. The young girl was seriously injured and the two young men were uninjured. The scenario : (General situation) it was the 21 year old male s birthday ; the 3 young people met at his home in CHESNY at about 6 p.m. to celebrate this and drink a bottle of champagne ; at about 8 p.m. they decided to go to a restaurant in PELTRE ; Basic Road Safety Knowledge 3 The accident process
at the restaurant they had another aperitif ; it was the "Beaujolais nouveau" season and they drank a bottle during the meal ; at the end of the meal, the 21 year old male finished with a liqueur ; (Driving situation) On leaving the restaurant, the 21 year old male, the vehicle owner, realized that he had drunk too much and asked his 18 year old friend, who passed his driving test a month before, to drive back to PELTRE ; the journey was only 3 km and the young man of 18 accepted, even though he had never driven a "205" car before ; the night was cold and the car windows were wet on the outside. They cleared the windscreen by running the windscreen wipers briefly and the vehicle started up straight away. (Accident situation) with the three persons in the car, the inside of the windscreen misted up and the young driver bent over to his right to find the button to turn on the ventilation which was on the central console ; doing this made him turn the steering wheel slightly to the right. (Emergency situation) the car veered towards the verge without him, or the other passengers, realizing; unfortunately, before being able to correct the vehicle s path, he hit a stone parapet, which was not protected by a safety barrier at about 60 km/h. (Impact situation) The 205 came to a complete stop at an angle of 45 after its impact with the parapet ; the girl who was seated at the back of the car without a seat belt was thrown out through the hatchback which opened during the impact ; she fell into the ditch, hit her head on a large stone and fell unconscious. (Alarm, rescue team, care) her boyfriend remained next to her while the other young man, who could not use an emergency callbox or a mobile phone, returned to the restaurant on foot in order to raise the alarm. Running quickly, he was there in ten minutes ; The restaurant owner dialled 17 to tell the gendarmerie about the accident and the young girl s injury ; 20 minutes after the accident, the firemen arrived with their rescue vehicle and the SAMU doctor arrived 3 minutes later ; the young girl had sustained a head injury and a large number of fractures and was hospitalized for 15 days. She was able to return to school 2 months after the accident while undergoing re-education. In each situation, it is possible to state the accident factors and propose initiatives to overcome them. Basic Road Safety Knowledge 4 The accident process
This series of documents has no other purpose than to provide a summary of experimental findings. These experiments were performed under precise conditions and should only be reproduced if all necessary precautions are taken. Neither the author nor the Administration can be held liable for the use made of this document. These information sheets can be downloaded from the Certu and Sétra websites : - internet: http://www.certu.fr http://setra.equipement.gouv.fr - intranet: http://intra.setra.i2 The information sheets in the Basic Road Safety Knowledge series has been published in the framework of the Road Safety Management and Practice initiative by working groups within the French Ministry Scientific & Technical Community led by Sétra for the case of interurban roads and by Certu for the case of urban roads. Authors: Pierre de GONNEVILLE - CETE DE L 'EST Tel: (33)3 87 20 45 07 Email: pierre.degonneville@equipement.gouv.fr Guy MARTIN - CETE DE L'OUEST - Tel: (33) 2 40 12 85 00 Email: guy.martin@equipement.gouv.fr This document may be consulted and downloaded at the Sétra website: http://www.setra.equipement.gouv.fr The Sétra is part of the Scientific & Technical community of the French Public Work Ministry (RST) This document is not for sale. It can be freely reproduced in its entirely. The prior approval of Sétra must be sought for partial reproduction. 2007 Sétra - Reference: 0764A ISRN: EQ-SETRA--07-ED55--FR+ENG