The impact of climate change on winter road maintenance and traffic accidents in West Midlands, UK

Winter weather can be a significant cause of road traffic accidents. This paper uses UKCIP climate change scenarios and a temporal analogue to investigate the relationship between temperature and severe road accidents in the West Midlands, UK. This approach also allows quantification of the changes in the severity of the winter season over the next century in the region. It is demonstrated that the predicted reduction in the number of frost days should in turn reduce the number of road accidents caused due to slipperiness by approximately 50%. However, the paper concludes by warning against complacency in winter maintenance regimes. A warmer climate may result in budget cuts for highway maintenance which in turn may well reverse declining accident trends.

Research highlights▶ The length of the winter season will be reduced over the next 80 years. ▶ The number of accidents caused due to slipperiness will decrease by 43%. ▶ Reduction in the quantity of salt required in the winter road maintenance.