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Road Design will Eliminate Head-on CrashesA road that can virtually eliminate head-on crashes will be trialled in Tasmania to reduce road deaths and injuries.
At least six head-on fatal smashes have happened on the state's roads this year, including one that killed four young Hobart women on the Midland Highway.
The one-plus-two road originated in Sweden, where traditional four-lane highways have almost been abandoned, and head-on collisions are nearly extinct.
The 13-metre-wide, three-lane highways have a centre safety barrier that alternates to give an overtaking lane every couple of kilometres.
The barrier prevents head-on crashes and out-of-control cars crossing into lanes of oncoming traffic, but still allows plenty of opportunity to overtake.
Infrastructure Minister Jim Cox discovered the roads during a recent visit to Sweden, a world leader in road safety and design.
He has asked his department to find somewhere to trial the life-saving road and wants Tasmania to be the first place in the southern hemisphere to adopt the system.
"We build the roads so that if people make a mistake, people won't get killed," Mr Cox said.
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8/10/2006 | Viewed 15,397 time(s)
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