Verkehrssicherheit in Straßentunneln

In Germany a comprehensive investigation of traffic accidents in 91 road tunnels, both on motorways and rural highways, has been performed. As a result of this analysis, tunnels turn out to be rather safe parts of the road network compared to free highway sections. In addition to this summarising results, also accident data for individual tunnels are given. The higher risks exist in tunnels with ramps and when traffic congestion is rather frequently occurring inside the tunnel. The most frequent type of accident is the rear-end collision. All of the fatalities result from single-vehicle accidents. For an improved avoidance of mega-accidents the self-rescue of road users should be improved by better information and standardised tunnel equipment.