The number of traffic fatalities reached a peak in many highly motorised countries around 1970. Some previous studies have suggested that the turning point in the number of traffic fatalities was inevitable and did not reflect a change in the underlying trends influencing the number of traffic fatalities. Other studies suggest that trends in traffic growth and fatality rate changed from before to after the turning point. This paper proposes two hypotheses about the turning point in the number of traffic fatalities. One hypothesis is that the long-term trends in traffic growth and fatality rate were the same before and after the turning point. The other hypothesis is that the long-term trends in traffic growth and fatality rate were different before and after the turning point was reached, in particular that the annual percentage decline in fatality rate became greater after the turning point than before. Such a change would suggest that road safety policy became more effective. Analysis of data for six countries (Denmark, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United States) lends stronger support to the latter hypothesis than to the former. The lesson for policy makers, in particular in countries where the number of traffic fatalities is still growing, is that they should not expect a turning point to be reached without policy interventions.

Under 2006 inledde Vägverket och Rikspolisstyrelsen satsningen på en modernare variant av automatisk trafiksäkerhetskontroll (ATK). Då infördes ett nytt system som via digital teknik medger betydligt högre grad av automatisering av hastighetskontrollerna. VTI har utvärderat alla 51 helt nya (där det inte tidigare fanns kameror) ATK-sträckor i en så kallad före-efter- studie. I en så kallad med-utan-studie ingår, förutom ovannämnda helt nya sträckor, även 45 av totalt 55 nygamla (som haft äldre system under åren t.o.m. 2005) ATK-sträckor som installerades 2006. Vid före-efter-studien jämförs här utfallet under föreåren 2003–2005 med utfallet efteråren 2007–2008. Med hjälp av med-utan-studier jämförs här de faktiska utfallen under 2007–2008 med normala eller förväntade utfall för samma år och samma typ av vägar utan kameraövervakning. Före-efter-studien och med-utan-studierna ger ungefär samma resultat vilket är en styrka. Resultaten pekar på att ATK reducerar antalet dödade med ca 30 procent och antalet DSS (dödade och svårt skadade) med ca 25 procent. Resultatet avseende antalet dödade är fortfarande inte helt statistiskt säkerställt (vad gäller effekt signifikant skilt ifrån noll). Detta kan dock mycket väl förklaras av att det statistiska olycksmaterialet fortfarande är litet.

During 2006, the Swedish Road Administration and the National Police Board began the introduction of a more modern version of automatic traffic safety control (ATSC). A new system, which enables a considerably greater degree of automation to be used in speed controls via digital technology, was introduced. VTI has evaluated all 51 first time ATSC sections (where there were no cameras before) in a before-after study. A with-without study includes, apart from the above first time sections, also 45 of a total of 55 upgraded ATSC sections (which had the older system during the period up to 2005) that were installed in 2006. In the before-after study, the results for the before years 2003–2005 are compared with the results in the after years 2007–2008. With the help of with-without studies, the actual results during 2007–2008 are compared with normal or expected results for the same years and the same types of roads without camera surveillance. The before-after study and the with-without studies produce approximately the same result, which is a strong point. The results suggest that ATSC reduces the number of fatalities by about 30 per cent and the number of fatatites and serious injuries by about 25 per cent. The result concerning the number of fatalities is still not fully statistically verified (as regards effect significantly different from zero). The probable explanation for this, however, is that the statistical accident material is still small

The primary aim has been to study whether the standard values for road links and intersections - number of accidents, risks, consequences, number of injured etc. - according to the Swedish Road Administration's The effects of roadworks 2000: New construction and improvements can still be regarded valid or whether modification is needed. Accident data have been extracted both from OLY/VITS for the period 2000-2002 and from STRADA for the period 2003-2005. One further objective has been to find whether data from the above accident data systems can be processed and treated in a similar way. The road network studied comprised all roads assigned numbers in VDB as per 31.12.2005. Information has been collected for a total of 55,591 injury accidents in OLY/VITS, and for 55,026 injury accidents in STRADA. Of these, 58,707 or 53 per cent can be referred to the VDB network, and 15 per cent have been classified as node accidents and 85 per cent as link accidents. The study primarily concentrated on motor vehicle accidents outside urban areas. The foremost reason is that here we have a comprehensive accident material and no interference from municipal streets which are not described in VDB.

På uppdrag av Vägtrafikinspektionen har VTI tidigare sammanställt "Basstatistik över olyckor och trafik samt andra bakgrundsvariabler", VTI notat 27-2005. Denna basstatistik kan användas av planerare, forskare, media m.fl. för att bedöma och granska utvecklingen och nuvarande tillstånd för trafiksäkerheten. Del av basstatistiken, den så kallade minibasstatistiken, har här uppdaterats med utfall och värden fram till och med år 2007. Dessutom redovisas här en uppdatering av listan över trafiksäkerhetsbeslut m.m. alltsedan 1960 och framåt.

This study has been performed by VTI by commission of the Road Traffic Inspectorate in Sweden. The objective has been to scrutinise, discuss, compile and comment on measures, changes in conditions and effects concerning both the road, the vehicle and the road user. One further objective has been to relate, as far as possible, the effects/changes to the actual development of fatalities in traffic, in the first place over the period 1996-2006. It is found that for many factors, the conditions, measures and associated effects are insufficiently known. This is especially true for changes over time. This is unsatisfactory since, at the same time, there is strong evidence that these factors have, or may have, a considerable impact and that it is a high proportion of all traffic fatalities which are affected - either positively or negatively. We do not know about changes in conditions regarding speeds, person km travelled by age and gender, alcohol in traffic, use of mobile telephones when driving, and attitudes and deliberate traffic violations. There are no data for changes concerning risk for car drivers of different ages and genders. Effects concerning fatalities are insufficiently known for changes in traffic mileage (all other factors being constant), changes in economic conditions (effects apart from impact on traffic mileage), automatic traffic safety control speed cameras, certain physical measures, the aggregate effect of more recent vehicles, measures to influence alcohol in traffic, and attitude modification. There are no data for simultaneous analysis of accidents/injuries/fatalities, as well as for exposure, speed, road, vehicle and road user.

This study has been performed by VTI for the Swedish Road Traffic Inspectorate. The aim was to collect data which will make it possible to describe, analyse and try to explain the changes in the number killed in traffic over the period 1996-2005. Previously it was possible to observe long term changes on the basis of a breakdown by state/ municipal road management authorities and a breakdown by accident type. This was no longer possible after the introduction of a new accident data system in 2003. In this project, an alternative breakdown and description of the development in the number killed is proposed. For each individual year (1996-2005) a "collision matrix" is constructed. This matrix shows which road user categories have been killed and whether this has occurred without a collision (single vehicle accident) or in collision with some other traffic element. Breakdowns by "urban/rural", sex and age group are also made in the matrix. Both the assessment of the police and the definition of urban areas by Statistics Sweden SCB have been used as regards the urban/rural breakdown. The breakdown urban/rural is a substitute for municipal/state road management authority, and the breakdown non-collision/collision is a substitute for accident type.

By commission of the Swedish Road Administration, VTI has carried out a study of the literature in order to bring up to date the knowledge concerning the design of road junctions from the standpoint of traffic safety. Mainly junctions of less advanced design and roundabouts have been studied. The measure that has predominated in recent years is to convert junctions into roundabouts. Many studies point out that this is a cost effective measure which reduces both accident risk, injury risk and accident cost. For pedestrians, roundabouts appear to be as safe as other types of junctions, while for cyclists the safety may be either as good as, or worse. It is also shown that reduction of speed has a positive effect on both crash and injury risk. As regards turning lanes, several of the studies confirm earlier results that a left-turn lane is a measure that enhances traffic safety in junctions. New results also points at that even right-turn lanes can reduce both the total number of accidents and the number of injury accidents. Several studies indicate that the angle between the primary and secondary road should be as near 90° as possible, the data in this respect are however contradictory. It is further confirmed that two staggered three-way junctions are preferable to one four-way junction.

By commission of the Swedish Road Traffic Inspectorate, VTI has produced these basic statistics which can be used by planners, researchers, the media etc in assessing and examining trends and the present state of traffic safety in Sweden.

På uppdrag av Vägtrafikinspektionen har VTI tagit fram denna basstatistik som kan användas av planerare, forskare, media m.fl. för att bedöma och granska utvecklingen och nuvarande tillstånd för trafiksäkerheten.

På uppdrag av Vägverket har VTI närmare försökt belysa frågan om regleringar i korsningar och huvudledsbegreppet. När en väg klassas som huvudled följer automatiskt att korsningarna skall vara reglerade. Detta gäller hela huvudvägnätet. Det är också möjligt att klassa andra vägar eller vägavsnitt som huvudled. I det senare fallet är det primära syftet att införa reglering av anslutande vägar genom väjningsplikt eller stopplikt. Länsstyrelserna som fattar beslut om en väg skall vara huvudled får därför ansökningar om att införa huvudled på vissa vägar eller vägavsnitt. Om detta beslut överklagas görs detta till Vägverket VTI har försökt beskriva kunskapsläget, studerat körbeteendet vid olika regleringsformer i tätortskorsningar, analyserat kör- och hastighetsförlopp vid passage av reglerade korsningar och analyserat miljöeffekter av olika korsningsregleringar