Helping improve road skid resistance

Can we reduce the road toll by making our roads more skid resistant?

Australia’s national transport research organisation ARRB has introduced new guidelines to assist local councils and road asset managers in properly using High Friction Surface Treatments.

High Friction Surface Treatments are compounds designed to make roads more skid resistant. Used appropriately, they can help stop vehicles from skidding on or off roads, and increase a vehicle’s ability to brake more effectively at critical times.

ARRB says known accident blackspots, approaches to intersections and pedestrian crossings, and tricky-to-negotiate corners can all benefit from proper use of High Friction Surface Treatments.

Utilising polymer resin, the High Friction Surface Treatment can be applied to existing roads that are in good condition.

“These guidelines will enable those responsible for maintaining road networks to make informed decisions, and to select the right treatment for the right spots, with the aim of improving road safety,” says Steve Patrick, ARRB Senior Professional Leader, Future Transport Infrastructure, who compiled the guide.

With 50% of urban crashes occurring at intersections, and a high percentage of rural crashes involving cars leaving the road, discovering roads where skid resistance should be improved is vital.

“ARRB’s Intelligent Safe Surface Assessment Vehicle (iSSAVe) is a unique tool that can be used to determine where High Friction Surface Treatments may be beneficial,” said Richard Wix, ARRB Principal Professional, Strategic Enablers Group.

“The iSSAVe measures skid resistance at the same time it collects asset imagery and other safety related parameters such as road geometry, texture, roughness and rutting.

“Local government authorities can ask ARRB to measure the condition of their road network with iSSAVe, and we can determine a prioritised list of sites which could benefit from High Friction Surface Treatments.”

You can download ARRB’s High Friction Surface Guide to Good Practice here.

To discuss with ARRB how the National Transport Research Organisation can help with skid resistance measurement, contact Richard Wix at richard.wix@arrb.com.au