Existing Traffic Safety Problems of Expressways in China

Expressways have played an increasingly important role in the economic development in China. Although the accident rate and fatality rate are declining, and expressways have an advantage compared with other highways in safety, the traffic safety situation is still unoptimistic. The fatalities are growing, and the proportion of fatalities is still high. The existing safety- related problems are analyzed in this paper. Crossing-median-barrier accidents and run-off-road accidents, safety management issues of special sections, efficiency and safety issues, and congestions issues need to be solved. Solutions of these problems should depend on the further development of expressways, and the traffic safety should be paid more attention in the further development. Meanwhile, solutions of these problems will help to promote the sustained, rapid and healthy development of expressways.