Killer Roads

[Halo Jones]

Download of map showing the dangerous roads in Britain.

I was surprised that the M25 is deemed safe, have they not seen the loons that drive there?

[MyUserName]

Download of map showing the dangerous roads in Britain.

I was surprised that the M25 is deemed safe, have they not seen the loons that drive there?

Yeah but most of the time you cannot go fast enough to hurt anyone because of the traffic - believe me, I have tried.

[cojak]

The M1 around Sheffield green - really?!?

[vetran]

The M25 etc are designed for high speed and bringing you more or less safely to a stop.

Compare hitting a Crash Barrier and a tree.

Crash barriers you are likely to walk away from, they are designed to crumple and slow your speed.

Trees/Walls/Bridges/Streetlights etc tend to be less forgiving.

Also the M25 doesn't allow Pedestrians or Cyclists, just people encased in metal designed to save their occupants.

Opposing traffic Flows minimises speed differential.

Multiple lanes and you have somewhere to go.

[Scrag Meister]

Download of map showing the dangerous roads in Britain.

I was surprised that the M25 is deemed safe, have they not seen the loons that drive there?

Just had a look at the map, and have ridden a few of the red and black ones.

Maybe it should be renamed the best motorcycling roads in the UK.

[OwlHoot]

The M25 etc are designed for high speed and bringing you more or less safely to a stop.

Compare hitting a Crash Barrier and a tree.

Crash barriers you are likely to walk away from, they are designed to crumple and slow your speed.

Trees/Walls/Bridges/Streetlights etc tend to be less forgiving.

Also the M25 doesn't allow Pedestrians or Cyclists, just people encased in metal designed to save their occupants.

Opposing traffic Flows minimises speed differential.

Multiple lanes and you have somewhere to go.

WHS - Twisty turny A roads are _way_ more dangerous than motorways.

One hiccup on a foggy might or a slippery corner, and you're in a head on

[northernladuk]

Big difference between 'Killer Roads' and 'Accident Prone Roads'.

Am surprised the A65 to Kirkby Lonsdale is only Amber though.

[DaveB]

It's worked out as a scale of death and serious injury against volume of traffic carried. The motorways may have more accidents on them, but for the volume of traffic they carry the ratio of accidents per vehicle journey is a lot lower.

[Howser]

It is indeed volume which makes motorways look all fairly safe. The Fosse way, in parts, and some of the Cotswolds have the worst records as they are twisty and carry far slower machinery, like tractors and such like. It encourages a bit of bravado in getting past them. I recall one road north out of Oxford featuring high on deaths/volume because of that.

I once read a P J Rourke book* in which, iirc, he said he gauged the difficulties of bends in 3rd world countries by seeing how many crosses were up as you approached the apex, the only time to worry he said, was when it was a double apex and more crosses appeared. It's bouquets of flowers in the UK.

*Holidays In Hell.

[VectraMan]

The Fosse way, in parts, and some of the Cotswolds have the worst records as they are twisty and carry far slower machinery, like tractors and such like.

Roman roads are famous for their twistyness.