Portugal's traffic accident rate - the answer is 'more roundabouts'

Paul Rees 15 March 2017

accident125 Portugal’s vehicle accident rate in urban areas, "is much higher than in Europe," with excess speed being the main factor.

The president of the Portugal’s road accident prevention authority (PRP), commented, "We continue with a particularly serious problem within urban areas, particularly if compared to the other European countries. We have out-of-town accident claims that are below the European average, but within towns and cities the claims ratio is much higher than the European average."

At a seminar on "improving urban road safety" promoted by the PRP and the European Council on Transport Safety, the president of the PRP, José Trigoso, said that in urban areas, the European Union average is 19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, while In Portugal, that average is in 29 deaths per 100,000.

The PRP has conducted speed tests at various locations to assess whether drivers are speeding up, or slowing down.

The survey looked at average speeds on Portugal’s motorways and national roads, comparing the results with those of a similar study done ten years ago, "In ten years, in the same places, there was an overall reduction in average speed, although it remains very high," said Trigoso, adding that "this reduction is more visible outside urban areas, particularly on national (EN) roads."

The solution, claims Trigoso, is more roundabouts, even thought this a costly solution. So, more traffic lights is the interim and cheaper solution, even though “speed control traffic lights are not as effective.”

Comments

+1 #4 MCAPACHEY 2017-12-14 11:15

Tailgating and poor understanding or respect for hazzard perceptions are the main reasons for the accidents. Round a bouts only slows traffic down, which causes more congestion and exhaust pollution by driving in lower gears . There is no simple solution but better education and public awareness should be the start. Another idea could be a mandatory installation of black boxes linked to video cameras that are reviewed by the insurance companies every month, where poor reckless driving would be met with an increase of insurance that month and lowered again if the driving meets a good standard the next month. Insurance companies would also have the responsibility to report dangerous driving to the Police and licencing agencies for both prosecution and added points on the licences of dangerous offenders.

+2 #3 C. Collier 2017-10-13 15:55

I have just returned from 10 days driving in the Algarve and I am shocked by the aggessive and foolhardy driving standards. Tailgating is the norm and overtaking by crossing the central double lines very frequent.. Virtually every time I drove around a car park somebody shot out of an entrance only lane without stopping nor looking causing me to brake hard. I had a hire car covered in company stickers and very few drivers showed any regard nor consideration for an obviously foreign driver

+7 #2 Jack Reacher 2017-03-16 08:01

Ironically what the PRP is proposing by adding roundabouts is just more traffic related accidents to happen. Whilst roundabouts might slow traffic down, the two most common causes of crashes in Portugal are undoubtedly tailgating and a complete lack of road awareness surrounding roundabout etiquette. Portuguese mindset inside a car needs to be examined more closely.

+5 #1 liveaboard 2017-03-15 19:32

Roundabouts slow down traffic; slower traffic results in fewer accidents.
Does it therefore follow that roundabouts reduce accidents though?
The study doesn't seem to mention assessing the danger of the proposed roundabouts and adding that in.

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