Experts have estimated that improvements in the safety of roads can reduce the fatality rates by as much as 43 percent, depending on the amount of money invested. The Council firmly believes that by developing safer roads, road accidents and their consequences will be greatly reduced. Physical road improvement measures are designed to prevent and reduce the consequences of serious crashes by treating sections of roads and road sides – highways and main roads – when major accidents occur, as well as improving intersections.

Corrective Work

In 2008, 102 sites were evaluated across Hong Kong, enabling the Government to identify potential problems and to ensure a safer environment for both drivers and pedestrians.  Using simple and cost-effective corrective work, the traffic accident black site Investigation programme helps to reduce the number of black sites from 140 in 1994 to 76 in 2008.

Engineering Measure

Following the success on trial use of Removable Concrete Barriers and Movable Steel Barriers at emergency openings in central divider of dual carriageways, Highways Department has commenced the replacement of tubular crash gates with these barriers at selected emergency openings in 2008.

Removable Concrete Barriers consist of a series of precast concrete units which can be removed within an hour by lifting plant to facilitate traffic diversions in the event of a major traffic incident. Unlike tubular crash gates, which have no containment capacity to prevent an errant vehicle from straying onto the opposite carriageway during a crash, Removable Concrete Barriers can significantly reduce the severity of an accident.

Movable Steel Barriers consist of robust movable and transition units providing a containment capacity comparable to normal barriers. Unlike Removable Concrete Barriers which require the assistance of lifting plant for removal and take time for mobilization, emergency openings installed with Movable Steel Barriers can be opened manually and much quicker for the passage of emergency vehicles.

Highways Department has programmed to install more Removable Concrete Barriers and Movable Steel Barriers in 2009 at selected sites to cope with their operational requirements.

Vehicle Testing

In terms of vehicle safety, all new vehicles are required to undergo a pre-registration inspection in accordance with road traffic regulations. Exemptions occur only when a vehicle manufacturer guarantees vehicle conformity. Additional vehicle safety measures include annual mandatory inspections of all commercial vehicles and of private cars that have been on the road for at least six years. Repairs can be made when defects are found. However owners must submit their vehicle for follow up tests.