STRATEGIC DIRECTION SESSION ST3 THE JOURNEY ROAD ADMINISTRATIONS ARE MAKING TO MAKE SAFETY ROADS

摘要

China has seen a rapid growth of motorized traffic since it started reform and opening up to the outside world in late 1970s, which has led to a sharp increase of road traffic accidents. The Chinese government then took a series of targeted measures to turn around road traffic safety situation, and by early this century, the number of deadly traffic accidents had been dramatically reduced.Highway traffic safety in China has also been greatly improved. Thus both the absolute number and the proportion of death and injuries from traffic accidents are going down. The accident and fatality rate per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) on national highway and expressway has also been sharply reduced. But compared to road traffic in cities, the proportion of accidents on highway is much higher. Meanwhile, the proportion of accidents on trunk highway is going down while the number for rural road is going up.Over the past decade, the transport department in China has rolled out a series of measures to make highway safer. Work has been done to promote highway intrinsic safety from improving highway construction concept, revising and perfecting highway safety standard and specification, upgrading highway infrastructure, and publishing Highway Safety Protecting Regulations. Projects have also been carried out to eliminate safety risks from Highway Safety Enhancement Project, Dangerous Bridges Enhancement Project, Highway Disaster Prevention Project, Tunnel Safety Hazard Checking and Handling Project. Highway safety service level have also been improved by accelerating expressway development, adjusting the naming and serial number of expressway network, providing accurate highway information service, enhancing emergency management and effective disposal ability, and strengthening inspection and handling of overloading. Meanwhile, more attention is being paid to advanced technologies in order to improve highway safety.