Build roads with a better view to keep drivers alert
MAJOR new roads will be designed to offer drivers panoramic views to reduce the number of crashes caused by fatigue, says Highways England.
Far from being worried about drivers being distracted, the governmentowned company believes a stimulating view may ‘help them stay awake’.
Yesterday it announced plans to make beautiful landscapes visible to motorists as it designs £15billion improvements to major routes by 2021. Although it has not specified how it plans to do this on existing roads, new routes could be designed to give drivers a better view of the countryside.
Smaller changes could also be made to make drivers’ immediate surroundings more attractive.
Highways England cited the example of the use of traditional dry stone walls to ‘ reinforce the A590’s connection to the Cumbrian landscape’. It says even tunnels can stimulate tired drivers by changing their surroundings.
Chief engineer Mike Wilson said interesting views can help motorists stay awake ‘Creating different vistas, different environments for people to consider, is a way of stimulating the road user,’ he said. ‘You might argue they’re safer because of it.’
Asked if he was concerned that drivers could be distracted, Mr Wilson replied: ‘They should be focused on the road. But fatigue is a real challenge for road users.’
Sixty- seven people were killed and 479 seriously injured in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2016 when driver fatigue was a contributory factor, Department for Transport figures show.
Enabling drivers to see ‘statement structures’ such as the Angel of the North in Gateshead and the Willow Man in Somerset gives them ‘a sense of location and how you’re making progress on your journey’, Mr Wilson said.
Having said all this, the government is still pressing ahead with the construction of a controversial dual carriageway tunnel past Stonehenge, depriving motorists on the A303 of one of the most famous views of all.
Campaigners have protested that this will cause ‘irreparable damage to the landscape’
Highway’s England’s plans received a mixed reception from motoring campaigners.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, praised Highways England for ‘ showcasing the nation’s natural beauty to drivers’ and agreed that ‘a moment or two of stimulation along the journey’ can help keep them focused.
But Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, warned that improving views could distract drivers and said it was ‘a surefire way to increase accident rates’. He called for the money to be spent on badly-needed road repairs.