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home / centre for automotive safety research / Publications / List / Details Publication Details| Title | Evaluation of the accident marker post trial in Gumeracha | | Authors | Kloeden CN, McLean AJ, Cockington AT | | Year | 1999 | | Type | Report | | Abstract | In 1996, accident marker posts were installed in the Gumeracha area in South Australia. In an attempt to evaluate the effect of the posts on road safety and community attitudes, a number of evaluations were carried out. Measurements of the speeds of vehicles near the marker posts were made before and after the posts were installed. No change in either the average speeds or the 85th percentile speeds of vehicles was found suggesting that the posts had no effect on actual driver speeding behaviour. Phone surveys of local residents before and after the installation of the marker posts and focus group interviews of local residents after the installation of the posts indicated that they viewed the erection of the posts in a positive light and many thought that the posts had made driver's in the area slow down even though this was found not to be the case. While it cannot be said that accident marker posts make drivers safer, based on this study, it may be the case that they raise community awareness of road safety as an issue which could have follow on effects on road safety. The placing of marker posts may also have an effect on heightening road engineers awareness of dangerous parts of the road possibly leading to the earlier redesign of some road sections than might otherwise be the case. In conclusion, there is no direct evidence available that marker posts are an effective road safety measure and any justification of their continued use can only be based on a positive public perception and possible but unproven long term and indirect effects. | | Publisher | Road Accident Research Unit | | Publisher City | Adelaide | | Sponsor | Transport SA | | Page Count | 12 |
| Reference | | Kloeden CN, McLean AJ, Cockington AT (1999). Evaluation of the accident marker post trial in Gumeracha. Adelaide: Road Accident Research Unit. |
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