Increased Safety—By Design

Abstract

The problem of highway safety involves the three related elements of the driver, the vehicle, and the road. Hu man nature being what it is, the first two seem less susceptible to improvement than the third. At present, therefore, the greatest potential for gain in safety seems to lie in better roads. Highway designers recognize that their objective is to provide for the movement of people and goods between origins and destinations of their own choice; that roads built now must carry traffic of today and of a reasonably distant tomorrow—swiftly, economically, comfortably, and safely. The accomplishment of these objectives lies in highway design, and this, in turn, must be based on human behavior and vehicle performance. If we are to build both adequate capacity and safety into our high ways, we must design them for the capabilities of the vehicles and the habits and wishes of the drivers as they exist, not as we might like them to be. Extensive observation and research over the years have produced the knowledge needed to develop such design, culminating in the standards for the Interstate System. Continued study should result in further refinement and improvement.