Abstract
Keywords: road safety, driver warning, slippery sites
Accidents result from a combination of factors interacting in many ways and so it is almost impossible to identify a single cause. However, some knowledge has been gained from accidents with typical causal chains such as loss of control single car accidents. Very often, the precipitating factor is a driver command (sudden under or over reacting command) and secondary factors such as speed, road geometry, road environment and available friction influence the outcome. An increase in accidents due to lack of sufficient tire/pavement force is certainly possible at risky sites and most likely under wet pavement conditions. Analysis of accidents records has proved that tight curves and crossing/roundabouts approaches experience a higher level of accidents than straight an non events sections (US DT) (Dupré and al. 1998). For a significant proportion of cases (about 1/3rd) low friction or a sudden change in friction is the precipitating factors (Bar, Page 2002). Accidents are very often due to an inadequate appreciation of the degree of risk to be associated with a given curve in the current condition. Warning drivers in typical risky conditions would be certainly efficient in reducing accidents.