The aim of the current study was to describe the accident and injury situations associated with cyclists. The study was based on information obtained from STRADA (Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition), including the descriptions and details of the events leading up to the accidents. Travel data from the Swedish national travel survey was also utilised, enabling the risk situation for cyclists to be assessed. The most common accidents among cyclists were single accidents, accounting for 72% of all cyclists injured. Next most common, with 17%, were accidents involving motor vehicles, followed by accidents between cyclists, with 8%. The biggest influencing factor in the cause of single accidents was slippery surfaces, stated as a contributory cause in 23% of the accidents. Snow and ice were the main causes but loose grit, from winter maintenance, was also frequently given as a reason. Kerbstone edging, uneven road surfaces, collisions with temporary or permanent objects were also stated as the cause of many single accidents. Alcohol influence was another common contributory cause. The risk of being injured as a cyclist in traffic was as likely for both male and female genders. The highest risk groups were those of the young and the elderly.

A mandatory introduction course for all student drivers and their driving instructors came into effect on January 1, 2006 in Sweden. A new curriculum for a category B driving license came into effect on March 1, 2006. The aim of this study is to evaluate the overall effects of how the driving practice is managed concerning the structure of driving practice, what surroundings they are performed in, how much time is given to various driving exercises and what elements are practiced. Yet another aim is to discern the effects after the introduction course and the new curriculum have been implemented. Questionnaires were sent out in 2005, 2007 and 2008 to new license holders for category B (age 18-24). The results show that the student drivers took more theory lessons at a professional driving school in 2007 than in 2005. The increase can be traced to those having had an introduction course. Student drivers who attended the introduction course in 2008 spent less time studying theory than those who did not attend such a course. The introduction course helped the driving instructors to relate to theory during practice to a higher extent and to plan the driving practice better compared to the driving instructors who had not attended the introduction course. Disturbing activities such as car stereos, use of cell phones etc. increased each year during private practice, with largest occurrence among those who had had an introduction course 2008. The numbers of practice lessons, both private and at a traffic school, during difficult conditions such as darkness, wet roads and rain increased each year. Lessons during private practice on aspects such as speed adaptation and risk assessment as well as cooperation with other road users, increased during the years at the traffic schools. A larger proportion of the student drivers 2007 and 2008 compared with 2005 perceived themselves as better car drivers than car drivers in general with regard to avoiding critical situations, reacting quickly, making safe assessments and driving in wet road conditions. The conclusions on the basis of this study are that the introduction course had a small effect on the structure of the driving practice in 2007. The effects of the introduction course on the contents and the scope of the driver education were not, however, as clear. The study also shows that the new curriculum seems to have contributed to certain changes when comparisons are made between the years. Finally, the report points out the need for more knowledge in order to evaluate the overall effects of the driving education.

At the request of the South-Eastern Region of the Swedish Road Administration, VTI has evaluated the effect of a roundabout with a painted traffic island. The island was painted so that it appeared three dimensional. Safety was studied, as well as accessibility and behaviour. The intersection is situated in the central place in Söderköping Municipality. It is a fourway intersection, with Östra Rydsvägen as the primary road and Ringvägen as the secondary road. Before construction of the roundabout, motor vehicles on Ringvägen had to give way to traffic on Östra Rydsvägen. The spot speeds of motor vehicles were measured near the intersection and at points ca 100 m from the intersection. With a programme developed by VTI, based on information from the spot speed measurements, changes in trip times were studied. The intersection was video filmed daily before and after construction, between 6.30 and 18.30 hours. The videoed material was used as the basis in judging the safety effect, accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, and for the behavioural study.

An investigation of the safety effect of the regulation obliging drivers to give way to pedestrians on zebra crossings was carried out by VTI (the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute). The regulation came into force on 1 May 2000. The aim of the regulation was to improve accessibility of the pedestrians. The evaluation shows that the waiting times of pedestrians decreased by two thirds. In conjunction with the regulation, alterations were made to the traffic environment. Zebra crossings were removed, taken away, reconstructed or were combined with traffic calming measures, etc. These changes were charted in the investigation and their effects were assessed. The result of the investigation shows that the number of pedestrians injured on a zebra crossing as a consequence of the regulation increased approximately by 15-20%, and the number of severely injured pedestrians by 5-10%. There was also an increase in the number of injury accidents where pedestrians had not been hit. The most common accident type being that the vehicle observing the regulation was hit from behind. The number of this kind of injury accidents doubled.

På uppdrag av Kungsbacka kommun har VTI (Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut) följt upp trafiksäkerhetssituationen i Kungsbacka tätort. Undersökningen har begränsats till centrum. I undersökningen ingår också det så kallade Onsalakorset som

är beläget cirka 1 mil utanför centrum. Under den sista 5–10-årsperioden har omfattande åtgärder vidtagits i Kungsbacka centrala delar i syfte att öka säkerheten. Vallgatans anslutning till Varbergsvägen har stängts av för att minska genomfartstrafiken i centrum och Varbergsvägen har getts en ny sträckning. En gång- och cykeltunnel har anlagts under Varbergsvägens nya sträckning. Cirkulationsplatser har anlagts, korsningar och g/c-överfarter har höjts upp och 30 km/h har införts som hastighetsgräns i centrum. Institutet har tidigare på uppdrag av kommunen gjort en tillståndsbeskrivning och analys av trafik- och trafiksäkerhetsläget i de centrala delarna av centralorten. Den undersökningen genomfördes år 1991 (Thulin & Obrenovic, 1994) och lades upp som en förundersökning som skulle kunna användas som grund vid en framtida uppföljning.

Föreliggande, uppföljande, undersökning har genomförts med samma metod som användes i förundersökningen, vilket bland annat har inneburit videofilmning av trafiken i de centrala delarna. Totalt har ett 15-tal korsningar filmats. Resultatet av filmningarna har legat till grund för studier av samspelet mellan oskyddade trafikanter och motorfordon och av den därav betingade säkerhetssituationen. Resultatet har också

legat till grund för trafik- och trafikanträkningar. Videofilmningarna genomfördes under samma vecka och veckodagar vid före- och eftermätning och under samma tider på dagen. I eftermätningen, efter vidtagna åtgärder, mättes reshastigheterna på de gator som inkluderade de videofilmade platserna. Bedömning gjordes, baserat på den kunskap som finns, av den specifika åtgärdens effekt på hastighetsnivån. Hastighetsresultaten har

tillsammans med de resultat som framkom vid utvärderingen av videomaterialet utnyttjats vid klarläggandet av den säkerhetseffekt de vidtagna åtgärderna haft. Åtgärden att ta bort Vallgatans anslutning med Varbergsvägen omfördelade trafiken i centrum. Biltrafiken nästan halverades på Vallgatan och ökade på alternativa gator. Totalt minskade biltrafikarbetet med 2,5 % på de studerade gatuavsnitten, vilka kan

sägas täcka in centrumdelen. Minskningen berodde på en markant minskning av den tunga trafiken.

Hastighetsnivåerna minskade markant till följd av vidtagna åtgärder. Totalt minskade medelhastigheten med 9,5 km/h från nivån 34 km/h som gällde som medelvärde för de undersökta platserna innan åtgärderna. Nästan hälften av platserna kan efter åtgärderna sägas vara hastighetssäkrade dvs. att motorfordonens hastigheter ligger under 30 km/h. Ökad separering mellan g/c-trafiken och biltrafiken genom den omfördelning som skett av biltrafiken i centrum och genom anläggande av planskildhet samt minskade fordons- hastigheter har kraftigt förbättrat trafiksäkerhetsläget för g/c-trafikanterna. Resultatet visar att g/c-trafikanternas risk för att skadas svårt (inklusive dödas) i kollisionsolycka

med motorfordon till följd av åtgärderna har minskat med 67 %. Risken att dödas har minskat med 75 % och risken att komma till skada med 44 %.

At the request of Kungsbacka Municipality, VTI has monitored the traffic safety situation in Kungsbacka urban area. The investigation has been confined to the town centre. The Onsala Interchange which is situated about 10 km outside the centre is also included in the investigation. During the past 5-10 years comprehensive measures have been taken in the central parts of Kungsbacka to enhance safety. The junction of Vallgatan and Varbergsvägen has been closed to reduce through traffic in the town centre, and Varbergsvägen has been realigned. A pedestrian and cycle tunnel has been installed under the new alignment of Varbergsvägen. Roundabouts have been constructed, the level of junctions and pedestrian and cycle crossings have been raised, and a 30 km/h speed limit has been introduced in the town centre. The Institute has previously made a condition assessment and analysis of the traffic and traffic safety situation in the central parts of the town on behalf of the Municipality. That investigation was carried out in 1991 and was arranged as a preliminary investigation to be used as the basis in a future follow-up. The present, follow-up, investigation has been made by the same method as that used in the preliminary investigation, which involved, inter alia, videoing the traffic in the central parts. A total of 15 junctions have been filmed. The results of these films have been used as the basis in studies of the interplay between vulnerable road users and motor vehicles and of the safety situation this gave rise to. The results have also been used as the basis in traffic and road user counts. Video films were taken in the same week and on the same weekdays during the before and after measurements, and at the same times in the day. In the after measurements, after the measures had been taken, running speeds were measured on the streets that included the videoed places. An assessment was made, based on the knowledge available, of the effect of a specific measure on the speed level. Together with the results obtained from evaluating the video material, the results of speed measurements have been used in determining the safety effect of the measures that have been taken.

At the request of the Swedish Road Administration, VTI has carried out a review of the experiences gained by local authorities and the Swedish Road Administration in relation to the regulation obliging traffic to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings, and of the way in which groups of road users or, as the Swedish Road Administration calls them, groups of customers, have interpreted the regulation and the experiences they have gained. The investigation also focused on the procedures adopted by the local authorities and the regional agencies of the Swedish Road Administration to create a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, and on the guidelines and criteria that have been applied. The investigation has been mainly conducted in the form of interviews. These interviews were held with municipal and State road management authorities and groups of customers such as elderly pedestrians, the visually impaired, drivers of heavy vehicles and drivers of emergency vehicles. Around twenty of the municipal road management authorities were selected for interviews. The objective was to investigate both local authorities who have been active, and those that have been less active, as regards action in connection with the introduction of the regulation, such as removing zebra crossings and making crossings safe.

VTI har via enkät till landets kommuner följt upp förändringar som skett på det kommunala väg- gatunätet. Bland annat har enkäterna behandlat frågor som gäller gång- och cykelpassager samt skyltad hastighet. Den första enkäten skickades ut årsskiftet 1999/2000. Den fokuserade på förhållanden som gällde åren 1998 och 1999. Enkäten upprepades, något modifierad, vid årsskiftet 2001/2002 och avsåg då förhållanden under perioden 2000 och 2001. En ytterligare enkät skickades ut i årsskiftet 2003/2004 och avsåg förhållanden som gällde för perioden 2002 och 2003. Den sista enkäten var betydligt förenklad jämfört med de två tidigare och fokuserade enbart på gångpassager med eller utan övergångsställe, deras antal och förändring samt på gatunätets fördelning på skyltad hastighet. Huvudsyftet med dessa två enkäter har varit att följa upp vad som hände med de obevakade övergångsställena i samband med att regeln om väjningsplikt mot gående på obevakat övergångsställe infördes maj år 2000. Resultaten redovisas idenna rapport. Enkäterna har en hög detaljeringsgrad. Då det gäller gångpassagen ställs frågor om hur många obevakade övergångsställen som togs bort respektive tillkom och i vilken miljö detta skedde, vidare frågades om hur många som hastighetssäkrades, signalreglerades och i vilken utsträckning skyltad hastighet ändrades. Enkäten som skickades ut i årsskiftet 2003/2004 besvarades av drygt 150 kommuner. Men alla dessa besvarade inte enkäten fullständigt eftersom man saknade information. De tidigare enkäterna besvarades av cirka 120 kommuner.

På uppdrag av Vägverket har VTI undersökt användningen av moped och den risk- och olyckssituation som då råder. Bakgrunden till undersökningen är att mopeden uppmärksammats alltmer dels beroende på hur den används, men också på grund av att det inträffat uppmärksammade olyckor. Olika åtgärder för att åstadkomma förändring diskuteras till exempel krav på föraren, registrering av alla mopeder och restriktioner vid skjuts av passagerare. Avsikten med undersökningen har varit att ta fram ytterligare underlag i denna diskussion baserat på de statistik- och informationskällor som finns om hur mopeden används och vilka skadetal och riskförhållanden som råder. De officiella resvaneundersökningarna RiksRvu och RES, VTI:s trafiksäkerhetsundersökning TSU92- och Vägverkets olycksdatabaser har legat till grund för undersökningen.

This investigation is part of the project Effect models for road traffic

installations (EMV) which is financed by the Swedish Road Administration. The

aim has been to explain and predict, with models and empirically, the risk

levels of groups of road users on street links. Risk levels refer to being

injured or killed in a traffic accident. The data obtained by local

authorities in the traffic network analyses performed according to the

procedure described in the planning handbook "The quiet street" have been

used as the basis. Among other things, the results highlight the strong

relationship that exists between death rate and injury rate and the speeds of

motor vehicles. The empirical results are in good agreement with the

relationship between the probability of fatal injury and collision speed

according to the probability of pedestrian injury - impact speed curve. The

results of the investigation are interesting and capable of development, and

there are therefore strong reasons to do further work on a more refined model

that explains and predicts the risk levels in the street system in urban

areas in a more flexible manner.

Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut har fått i uppdrag av Vägverket

att undersöka hur trafiksäkerhetssituationen har påverkats av införandet av

regeln om motorfordonsförares väjningsplikt mot gående på obevakat

övergångsställe. Regeln infördes 1 maj år 2000. I en tidigare undersökning

har VTI undersökt regelns effekt på framkomligheten - se VTI rapport nr 468

från 2001. Resultatet av den undersökningen visade bland annat att

fotgängarnas väntetider minskade med två tredjedelar i och med regelns

införande. Resultat visade också att den minskade väntetiden för fotgängarna

svarade mot en lika stor tidsmässig fördröjning för motorfordonen sett i

absoluta termer. I det uppdrag som VTI nu fått av Vägverket ingår förutom att

studera säkerhetssituationen också att studera de förändringar som skett i

den fysiska trafikmiljön. Särskilt gäller detta platser där gående korsar

gatan. En mängd övergångsställen har tagits bort, en del har signalreglerats.

Nya obevakade övergångsställen har tillkommit. Skyltad hastighet 50 km/h har

i många fall ändrats till 30 km/h. Hastighetsreducerande åtgärder har

vidtagits för att få ned bilarnas hastigheter.