SAFETY EFFECTS OF RETRO-REFLECTING CONTOUR MARKING ON LORRIES: INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT DATA, LITERATURE, COSTS AND BENEFITS, AND OPINIONS OF PARTIES INVOLVED

Retro-reflecting contour marking can increase the perceptibility of the lorry. These markings can, therefore, contribute towards reducing collisions of vehicles against the side or rear-end of lorries. In this report, a number of questions are asked, for instance: (1) How many accidents are there involving flank and rear-end collisions with lorries during hours of twilight and darkness; (2) Can a positive effect of contour marking (and advertising) with retro-reflecting materials be expected; and (3) What is the economic efficiency of using retro-reflecting contour marking that can be expected? The problem is relatively small in terms of absolute size. There are approximately 1,800 accidents a year, as a result of which there are about 9 road deaths and 83 in-patients (estimated numbers). The number of registered accidents are 576. It can be estimated for the Netherlands that, with a large-scale introduction of contour marking on lorries, approximately the following safety increase could be realised: two to three deaths less, twenty to thirty in-patients less, and several hundred accidents less. The total costs that will have to be made for the introduction of the measure, applied to all lorries, is estimated at 57 million Euros. The result of the benefit-cost analysis made is positive. The estimated benefit-cost ratio is to be regarded as modest: not much greater than 1, which is the critical value for a socially profitable measure. The cost-effectiveness, in comparison with other potential measures, is rather low. At the investment level, seeing the benefi-cost ratio found, the measure is not profitable. With large-scale application, economic efficiency is an important criterion. There is not much support for aiming at large-scale or complete application; neither from the branch and interest organisations, nor from the government. This report may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.swov.nl/rapport/R-2002-16.pdf