Accident blackspot

From ArticleWorld

The term accident blackspot is used to refer to an area, in a road system, where accidents are concentrated.

Treatment

For decades, treatment of accident blackspots included mostly speed restrictions, straightening bends, and placing extra signs. In many cases, it is believed that the benefits of these measures do not last over the long term. A combination of things are believed to be involved. One effect, regression to the mean, shows that when something is measured, in this case traffic accidents, and is found to be very high or very low, the next measurement taken will most likely be much closer to average. Another contributing factor is referred to as risk compensation. When studying human behavior, it is seen that individuals will behave less cautiously in situations where they feel safer, or more protected. Another problem when trying to treat accident blackspots is the possibility of accident migration. This ocurs when one area is treated, but the number of accidents increases in another area. In some cases, it has been suggested that treatment of an accident blackspot actually resulted in an increase in overall casualties. In one unique experiment, a number of accident blackspots were treated with what was referred to as a null treatment. According to reports, several garden gnomes were placed within the accident blackspot. Accident rates in these areas were found to have decreased significantly in the following period.