Of the categories in the national road network, motorways are the safest type of roads, with accident risks only one third of those experienced on other road types. However, this does not mean that accidents do not occur. Unfortunately there are accidents but their proportion, compared to the amount of motorway traffic and number of vehicles, is smaller than on other road categories.

Over the past years additional expressways have been completed, which significantly increased the road network managed by our Company.

The volume of traffic on this expressway network had increased by an annual 5-10% until 2008 but in 2009, most probably due to the indirect repercussions of the global economic crisis, it basically stayed the same. Traffic volumes vary by motorway and motorway section. With the completion of shopping centres and the expansion of the built-up area, until 2008 the most significant increase in the volume of traffic had been concentrated on the motorway sections immediately outside Budapest (e.g. 113,000 vehicles/day on the common section of the M1 and M7 motorways). Due to the completion of new motorway sections, however, the most significant increase in traffic volume nowadays is recorded on the east section of the M0 ring road.

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Changing average daily traffic volume on the expressway network of SMMC Ltd. (vehicles/day)

Continuing the favourable trend of the past years, the relative accident index figure (the number of personal injuries/one million vehicle km) has again decreased. The index figure dropped by 6.2% in 2009, which clearly indicates an improvement of the traffic safety situation on the expressway network managed by our company.

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Relative accident index on the expressway road network of SMMC Ltd (the number of accidents with personal injuries per 1 million vehicle kilometres)

The weighted accident index, which takes the severity of accidents into account (the index that weighs the number of accidents per 1 million vehicle kilometres by the severity of the outcome) also decreased in 2009, by 10.9% compared to 2008.

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Weighted relative accident index on the expressway network of SMMC Ltd. The weighted number of accidents per 1 million vehicle kilometres (Weighting figures: Deaths=5, Severe=3, Moderate=2, Slight=1)

Due to parallel traffic and higher speeds, motorway accidents differ from those taking place on other roads.

One of the most common types of accident on expressways is driving off the road, in which a vehicle departs from its lane or collides with a roadside fixture. Causes include inappropriate choice of speed, relative speeding, negligence, falling asleep and sudden jerking of the wheel.

One of the high priorities of our company is to construct “forgiving roads”, where the road and its fixtures attempt to mitigate the severity of accidents caused by driver error. Within the framework of the passive protection programme implemented in 2008-2009, our company's main objective was to reduce the severity of accidents, their outcome and the risk of fatalities. Such types of passive protection include surrounding solid obstacles with collision-tested safety rails or installing energy absorbing equipment to protect consoles and bridge supports.

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Energy-absorbing structure to mitigate crash impact

Statistical data from previous years’ accidents indicate that 20-25% of all fatal accidents on motorways are due to rear-end collisions. In order to reduce the number of such accidents, we aim to enforce the following distance, whereby arrows painted on the road surface remind drivers of the safe following distance between two vehicles.

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Signs to help enforce safe following distances

SMMC Ltd continued its traffic safety campaign last year as well. In 2009 our Company installed a number of signs warning about the correct following distance, which we plan to continue this year.

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Traffic safety signs warning about the following distance along motorways

SMMC Ltd places high emphasis on the prevention of rear-end collisions. Traffic congestion is quite common on the motorway sections close to the capital every day and we warn motorists about this condition using smart signs with programmable displays.

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Warning about congestion using smart signs

Certain traffic diversions or accident scenes on crowded motorway sections may cause traffic congestion. The vehicles at the end of the queue in the congested area are at great accident risk. In order to reduce the number of rear-end collisions, we are planning to install mobile signals approx. 1-2 km from the end of the queue to provide a timely warning to motorists.

Some of the fatal accidents taking place on our expressway network are caused by pedestrians walking on the roadway and by inappropriate use of the hard shoulders. Some of the motorway accidents occurred on the hard shoulder; these typically include hitting a pedestrian, or a car travelling at high speed crashing into a stationary vehicle.

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Accident on the hard shoulder of the motorway

In order to reduce the number of accidents, our Company continues the traffic safety campaign of the past years to warn motorists about the dangers of staying on the hard shoulder.

If the vehicle is forced to stop at the hard shoulder due to vehicle breakdown or accident, use a breakdown bay if possible; otherwise park your vehicle as close to the right side of the hard shoulder as possible. In addition to turning on your hazard lights, the warning triangle should also be placed behind the vehicle at an appropriate distance (150-200 m), even if you expect the technical problem to be eliminated within a short period of time. Another key piece of information is that no one should stand on the roadway without wearing a high visibility vest. Passengers are also advised to find shelter behind the crash barrier.

It is also important to note that the Hungarian Highway Code, KRESZ, includes a regulation that requires persons staying on the roadway or the hard shoulder of a road outside city limits at night or in limited visibility conditions to wear a high-visibility vest. Unjustified driving or stopping on the hard shoulder is also prohibited.

The proportion of motorists fastening their seat belts is very low by international comparison, even though seat belts must be used on all Hungarian public roads. According to a survey, seat-belt usage in all positions is the highest on motorways in Hungary. Seat belts are used by 71.6% of those in the driving seat, by 69.6% in the front passenger seat, and 24.3% of passengers in the rear seats. Seat belts are least frequently used within city limits in all positions, which translates to 6-10% less than on motorways.

According to an expert study commissioned by SMMC Ltd., most of the fatal accidents on the motorways managed by our Company could most probably have been prevented by using the seat belt. Only one in five of the victims of fatal accidents was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. According to expert estimates, nearly half of the fatalities could have been avoided if their seat belts had been fastened.

Our Company regularly displays traffic safety signs along motorways that encourage seat-belt usage. 
 
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Billboard warning motorists about the importance of using the safety belt along the M3 motorway

In order to reduce accidents due to falling asleep, we have replaced the optical markings between the service lane and the right traffic lane with “rumbling optics” on an increasing number of sections. According to our experience, the strong audible effects of the “rumbling” markings call the driver’s attention to the fact that the vehicle is about to leave the traffic lane. If the driver gets back his attention in due time, he can still correct his direction.

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Rumbling optics between the outside lane and the hard shoulder

In Hungary, 30-35% of accidents involving personal injury take place because of absolute or relative speeding. Even in accidents primarily caused by other factors, the inappropriate choice of speed is often among the secondary causes of the accident or the factors making personal injuries more severe.

It is a well-known fact that the severity of personal injuries is primarily determined by the crash speed. Accident analysis research has established clear correlations between the crash speed (kinetic energy) and the likelihood of personal injury as well as the severity of such injuries. However, even vehicles equipped with the most advanced safety systems cannot provide protection that could keep pace with the risk of personal injury increasing exponentially with the crash speed.

Over the years a number of fixed speed cameras have been installed in cooperation with the police department on the M1 motorway and, in late 2008, in the southern sector of the M0 ring road. The police expects that as a result of these devices the number of speeding drivers will drop and speed on motorways will be reduced and become more uniform.

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Speed measuring device on the M1 motorway

We also consider “non-sanctioned” speed measurement as an important tool in reducing average speed. These devices display a visual warning to speeding motorists, either on a special speed display unit or on smart signs; we hope that speeding motorists will reduce their speed as a result.

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The default and warning status of the speed warning on a smart sign

Our company also places great emphasis on the elimination of frequent accident junctions. One such example is the Soroksár terminal point of the southern sector of the M0 ring road (M0 28 km section), where we have implemented a number of traffic safety measures to reduce the number of accidents.

Additional traffic safety markings (road prisms, yellow rumbling cross painting, plastic guides etc.) have been installed at the high accident risk section of the junction. In order to prevent accidents resulting from changing lanes, we have installed fluorescent warning signs on a yellow background, painted double white lines and have installed road markings emitting light at night.

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Traffic safety measures taken at the Soroksár junction of the M0 ring road

We have taken actions that are unique in the country. One example is the motorcycle paramedic team, operated in cooperation with the Hungarian Paramedic Service. Through the use of motorcycles, the paramedics can access the site quickly, even in dense traffic or in the event of traffic jams, and can provide first aid and stabilise the condition of the injured person until the emergency team arrives. The ambulance motorcyclists’ up-to-date equipment (medicine, bandages, drips, ECG, defibrillator, etc.) allows them to provide emergency care at almost the same level as that of a traditional ambulance. The service is provided by properly qualified, highly trained paramedic officers and ambulance doctors who have valid motorcycle driving licenses. The ambulance motorcycle service is based at the Szigetszentmiklós engineering bureau on the M0 ring road, and the Gödöllő engineering bureau on the M3 motorway. The typical accident spots can be accessed from these bases.

Over the years our company has implemented a number of significant traffic safety measures including the installation of energy absorption equipment at motorway junctions, painting lasting profiled road surface optical elements to help prevent accidents due to falling asleep, and constructing crash barriers to reduce the number of accidents due to driving off the road. Despite all these measures, the main emphasis is still on driver attention, since most of the accidents occur due to motorist errors.