The assessment of major hazards: The road transport environment for conveyance of hazardous materials in Great Britain

Abstract The assessment of major transport hazards creates a requirement for a wide range of data on the transport environment. This environment is specific to the country concerned. The present paper gives an overview of the road transport environment in Great Britain. It gives information on the frequency of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles generally and heavy goods vehicles carrying hazardous materials in particular, on the circumstances surrounding certain types of accidents and on the probability of certain outcomes of accidents. Certain limited information is also given for comparative purposes on the road transport environment in other countries.