Influence of Road Infrastructure Design over the Traffic Accidents: A Simulated Case Study

The influence of road infrastructure over the severity of road accidents, in particular some specific features of it, represents the subject of this study. Generally, when an accident occurs, its causes are represented by a number of factors such as driver experience, fatigue, driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, road configuration, weather conditions, speeding, distracted driving, and unsafe road infrastructure. Road design is a key factor regarding the safety of all traffic participants. In this paper, the influence of unsafe roadside element designs on the incidence of traffic accidents, the degree of vehicle passenger injury, and the level of car damage were investigated. The present study was inspired by the high number of accidents produced on European route E68 (DN1) in Romania, a significant part of which was generated and accentuated by the effects of improper roadside design.