'Dangerous' Roads?
Discussion
Can a road accurately be described as dangerous?
Thus can some roads be described as being more dangerous than others?
I suggest the inherent danger levels vary massively, and in many cases the odds in the users' favour may only be ameliorated to a certain degree by cautious, knowledgeable or skilful use.
Question prompted by a post or two in a thread on at the moment that I would rather not drag off topic.
Thus can some roads be described as being more dangerous than others?
I suggest the inherent danger levels vary massively, and in many cases the odds in the users' favour may only be ameliorated to a certain degree by cautious, knowledgeable or skilful use.
Question prompted by a post or two in a thread on at the moment that I would rather not drag off topic.
jagnet said:
It's very rare that there's anything so unexpected when driving that you can't do anything about it or couldn't have seen it coming with better observation
Hundreds upon hundreds of hazards on the roads right here in the UK that are in extremely dangerous places, and entirely unpredictable.We cannot take every corner at five mph, nor 'walk the course' before negotiating windy hillside roads in the dark, to ensure there is not a chunk missing that our headlights won't pick up, or a new area of water crossing that may render an entire section impassable with black ice.
In using a vehicle to drive on the roads we have a certain level of expectation about the condition and predictability of those roads.
Wrongly or rightly, when the road does not adhere to these norms it is indeed a dangerous road.
In this respect danger is the description of the risk it poses to us, and just like the knives in your kitchen, roads are only dangerous when in use. Respect knives and you will not suffer, respect roads and you will not suffer.
Will the avid cook go a lifetime without suffering a knife wound?
Will the avid cook go a lifetime without suffering a wooden spoon injury?
Are wooden spoons then inherently safer than sharp knives?
I think so.
A road with sleeping policemen, barriers and a flat, grippy surface would be safer than a road, running along a ridge, with an excessive camber to a steep drop with no barrier, with a worn and slippery surface.
Simple.
heebeegeetee said:
And yet the roads in surburbia, which have sleeping policeman but almost no natural hazards, will have by far the highest accident rates.
Are all Japanese roads dangerous because occasionally Japan suffers earthquakes?
Well you could take the statistics regarding earthquakes and give a safety rating accordingly. Are all Japanese roads dangerous because occasionally Japan suffers earthquakes?
Suburban roads may have the highest number of accidents, but I am not sure about rates.
I agree with the general concept that roads can be much safer places given appropriate levels of concentration and technique.
However you look at it, some roads are far more dangerous than others.
Seems some have a different view on the meaning of dangerous, but I can only speak subjectively.
It would be helpful for some to remember that 'road' does not refer to tarmac, nor any other surface material
When we say the 'road' from A to B, for example, we are talking about the route. If there are a lot of accidents on that route due to the road having a high speed and/or lots of hazards, we may suggest another route that is safer.
To suggest all roads are equally safe, or equally dangerous is unrealistic and illogical.
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