On high speed roads, head-on and loss of control crashes can occur when drivers try to overtake other vehicles. Overtaking lanes provide a safe opportunity for one direction of traffic to overtake and can improve traffic flow.

Traffic congestion, especially in developing countries, is recognized as a challenge. Building additional lanes to increase road capacity is costly, but lanes can be added to short lengths of road to improve traffic flow and provide safe opportunities for overtaking at less cost. If provided with regular safe opportunities for overtaking, drivers will be less likely to make dangerous overtaking attempts.

Overtaking lanes are generally used on high-speed arterial roads where there is a mixture of slow and faster moving traffic. In mountainous terrain some vehicles (especially heavy vehicles) will be limited to low speeds. An extra lane on steep descents (descending lanes) or up-hill sections (crawler or climbing lanes) can be used by other vehicles to pass safely.

Another option is slow vehicle turnout lanes. These are short sections of paved shoulder or added lane where slow vehicles can pull over safely and be overtaken. Slow vehicle turnouts may be more appropriate than overtaking lanes where traffic volumes are low or where an overtaking lane would be too costly.

Case Studies related to Safer People Treatments

Related Case Studies	Project Leads	Description
Amend and Zoleka Mandela Cut the Ribbon on Lifesaving Infrastructure in Accra, Ghana	Amend	In March, 2020, Zoleka Mandela joined Amend at Oblogo Schools in Accra, Ghana – where recently two children have been killed and many injured in traffic – to cut the ribbon on lifesaving infrastructure.
Análisis de conflictos viales: metodología y resultados en el entorno escolar de BINE, Puebla	Center for Control and Disease Prevention (CDC)	An intersection adjacent to the Benemérito Instituto Nacional del Estado (BINE), was improved with low-cost infrastructure widening the pedestrian spaces through the implementation of bollards and markings, which reduced pedestrian crossing, reduced the exposure time of pedestrians crossing the road and rearranged the parking area. The intervention led to a 69% decrease in road conflicts compared to the situation before the intervention, and a star rating increase from 1 to 3 stars.
Belgaum – Yaragatti State Highway-20 in Karnataka	World Bank	Case study presents the infrastructure improvements and the resultant reduction in crashes on Belgaum – Yaragatti State Highway in Karnataka, India. Implementation of treatments such as intersection improvements, 2+1 lanes, pedestrian crossing facilities, roadside safety barriers, speed calming etc. showed significant improvement in Star Rating and over 50% reduction in fatalities.
Best Practice for Urban Road Safety: Case Studies	Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), City of Buenos Aires, City of Fortaleza, City of Rotterdam, New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), OECD International Transport Forum (ITF), Transport for London (TfL)	These case studies from Bogotá, Barcelona, New York City, Buenos Aires, Fortaleza, Rotterdam and London illustrate the diversity of approaches available to better understand and prevent serious road crashes in cities. They also include experiences of developing reliable traffic injury data, enforcing speed limits, implementing safer street design, and predicting and preventing road crashes. Each case study exemplifies best practice in one or more of the areas examined.
Better Data for Safer Roads in the Philippines: New legislation supporting nation-wide scale up of DRIVER in the Philippines	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS)	The Data for Road Incident Visualization, Evaluation and Reporting System (DRIVER) was integrated into the daily workflow of Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2020 through a legislation. Effective monitoring and trainings were established in regional, provincial, district and city levels to ensure faithful compliance. This is another strong milestone in establishing DRIVERS as the national crash data collection system in the Philippines.
Building Momentum for Seat-Belt Laws in Turkey	Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS)	In 2012, Turkey’s Prime Minister launched the Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan. This important government strategy set a goal of increasing seat-belt use from 44% to 70% in urban areas and 76% to 90% in suburban areas by 2015, and 80% and 100%, respectively, by 2020. Tactics in this Case Study include: engaging traditional media through press conferences and collaborating with partners to create a civil society declaration.
Child-Centering Road Safety: Making Sure It Works for Girls and Boys	Asian Development Bank (ADB), Shaanxi Provincial Department of Transportation	From 2015–2020, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported a project in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that made system-wide improvements to road safety,(link is external) including infrastructure, institutional strengthening, and education interventions. Child-centered and participatory methodologies were used in three primary schools and their communities along #102 Provincial Highway in Xunyang County, South Shaanxi.
Collection of reports on the investigation of severe road crashes in the web site of France’s Bureau of Investigation for Accidents of Surface Transports	Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau	The land transport accident investigation bureau (BEA-TT) performs technical investigations into serious crashes to prevent similar occurrences.
Creating and Implementing a Plan for Child Helmet Use in Vietnam	Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, Government of Vietnam	Through careful research and planning and working closely with the government, by a coalition initiated by the AIP Foundation, within one year helmet wearing has significantly increased. This Case Study’s tactics include drafting an action plan, coalition building, identifying and engaging key champions, launching a public awareness campaign, creating and distributing a school manuals, engaging with traditional media, and monitoring implementation.
Effect of the helmet act for motorcyclists in Thailand	Government of Thailand	After enforcement of the helmet act, helmet-wearers increased five-fold while head injuries decreased by 41.4% and deaths by 20.8%. Those who had head or neck injuries or died were less likely wearing a helmet.
Effectively Reducing the Number of Drink Drivers	Mexican Red Cross Society (MRCS)	The Mexican Red Cross Society teamed up with the local police in Guanajuato, Mexico to help garner public support and increase legitimacy for drink driving enforcement checkpoints. Tactics in this Case Study include: engaging traditional media through a kick-off meeting, utilizing volunteers to help convey the road safety message, and creating partnerships to bolster effectiveness.
Final evaluation of 80 km/h speed limit on single carriageway roads outside built-up areas in France	Cerema	To support a national target of a 50% reduction in road fatalities, speed limits on two-way rural roads with no central separator in mainland France. The initiative resulted in significant reductions in serious trauma and overall socio-economic benefits of more than EUR 700 million per year.
Forming a Coalition to Bring Attention to E-Bike Regulation in	Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP)	To help bring awareness and attention on the need for e-bike regulation, road safety advocates created the Tianjin Road Safety Alliance. Tactics in this Case Study include: engaging traditional media through awareness events, hosting joint media events and walk-a-thons, as well as, gathering and sharing data within a coalition.
From Legislation to Implementation in Cambodia	Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP)	In late 2014, after several years of discussion between advocates and the government, the Cambodian government passed comprehensive road traffic legislation. Tactics in this Case Study include: fostering partnerships, coordinating with other road safety activists, working closely with the government to commit funds for implementation, and conducting trainings and workshops on road safety.
Head First: A Case Study of Vietnam’s Motorcycle Helmet Campaign	Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, Government of Vietnam	Published to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Vietnam’s 2007 introduction of a universal helmet law, ‘Head First’ details the decade-long campaign to secure the legislations, and the decade-long implementation effort since.
Human lives need not be lost in road crashes—much less at current levels	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), Government of Karnataka, World Bank	The project supported the adoption of a whole-of-government programmatic approach to road safety, with activities focused on every stage: policy, planning, design, construction, and operation. The results have been striking: fatalities and injuries along the Belagavi – Yaragatti (62 km) State Highway corridor, that piloted the approach, were reduced by more than 50%. Approximately $9 million was invested, including approximately $6 million wo for safer infrastructure (~($100,000/km).
Improved Pedestrian Facilities Around Ied Rodrigo Lara Bonilla	Bogota Mobility Secretariat	In 2018, as part of the city’s Vision Zero approach, the Bogota Mobility Secretariat launched their 2,000th safe school zone, around the IED Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Public School in Ciudad Bolivar.As part of the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), in partnership with the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility and NACTO-GDCI, the Mobility Secretariat started a pilot project in the area. The countermeasures were first tested with temporary materials to verify their impact. Cones and plants were introduced…
Improving road safety through speed management in Accra	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS)	With the support of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIRGS) 2015-2019, pedestrian footbridges, new speed limits, crosswalks, and installation of traffic lights were completed in an effort to make roads safer in Ghana. The BIGRS initiative surveyed and assessed 260 km of roads in In Accra; completed 74 km of construction based on iRAP survey recommendations; trained 164 professionals on road safety; which could prevent over 5,243 potential deaths and serious injuries over 20 years
Improving road safety through speed management in Bogotá	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), City of Bogotá, Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), iRAP	In Bogotá, a network of approximately 200 km of roads has been assessed for road safety risks in the BIGRS program. The results show that over 40% of this network has an iRAP star rating of 1 or 2 for bicyclists, and over 60% is 1 or 2 stars for pedestrians. Scenarios tested using iRAP, along with input from the BIGRS partnership, showed significant safety benefits from reducing the speed limit from 60 to 50 km/h in key arterial roads…
Increasing Road Safety in Argentina	Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)	A $38.5 million road safety initiative was launched in Argentina by the World Bank to reduce road traffic injuries, crashes and fatalities. The components of the initiative include institutional capacity-building, demonstration corridors with incentive fund program and road safety monitoring and evaluation. The initiative helped to achieve 35% reduction of fatalities in selected pilot corridors, 12% reduction in the national road traffic death rate, increase in seat belt and helmet usage rates etc.
Kazakhstan Safe Villages and Education	EASST, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)	In July 2016, in conjunction with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development’s South West Corridor Road Rehabilitation Project in the Martuk region of Aktobe, Kazakhstan, EASST Expertise consultants delivered a Safe Villages and Education Campaign in the local area where road improvement works had taken place.
Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand Trust	Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand Trust	Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand Trust (KRSD Trust), with the support of iRAP and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, has been working with the school and community leaders to improve road safety. The work of KRSD Trust and iRAP Star Rating for Schools to improve road safety for Lea Primary School students has been profiled in a moving video
Kyrgyzstan, Safe and Sustainable Streets	EASST	A targeted campaign was implemented between May-September to inform and urge the public to use seat belts and child car seats. The results revealed an increase in the number of drivers and front passengers choosing a safe ride by buckling up, and a significant increase (160% from the baseline) in the use of seat belts in the back seat
More schools in Mogale City to benefit from road safety project	South African Road Federation (SARF)	Working with our partners, we developed a Road Safety Risk Assessment Model, which includes a Road Safety Risk Index, to prioritise schools where the risk for accidents is high. We made use of the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) App to measure the road environment, road type, road features, school zone, sidewalks, crossings, flow of vehicles and pedestrians as well as intersections. To measure speed around the schools, we used a hand-held speed gun. Using these tools, we undertook a risk assessment of 50 schools in Mogale City. Those with the highest road safety risk were selected for the project. These included Athlolong primary school, Lengau primary school, Mosupatsela secondary school, Tsholetsega public school, WD Oliphant primary school and Bosele intermediary school. For each school, we looked at a surrounding radius of roughly one kilometre because some children have to cross major roads to get to school. Infrastructure, signage and road markings were also considered. Then, we implemented infrastructure upgrades and speed reduction tactics. These interventions took place alongside road safety education, law enforcement and data management. We also aimed to eliminate hazardous locations and mitigate risk
Mumbai – Pune Expressway Road Accident Study	JP Research India (JPRI)	JP Research India (JPRI) undertook a detailed 12-month crash investigation study on Mumbai – Pune Expressway in India. During the 12-month study period, in-depth investigations 214 crashes on the 94km expressway were conducted in a scientific manner involving detailed examination of the crash scene, crash vehicles and the injuries sustained by the victims. The study revealed that 63% of crashes on the expressway involved trucks. Cars and trucks are the most affected road user types in the collisions.
Observing pedestrian-vehicle traffic conflicts in school zones to evaluate the effectiveness of road safety interventions and reduce injuries in Ghana, Vietnam, and Mexico, 2019-2021	Amend, Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, Center for Control and Disease Prevention (CDC), FIA Foundation, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)	Three non-governmental organizations in Ghana, Vietnam, and Mexico applied three Traffic Conflict Techniques (TCT) to collect pre- and post-intervention traffic conflict data. Results indicated a decrease in traffic conflicts between pre- and post-intervention data collection periods. As predicted from the pre- to post-intervention period, the safety of each site increased (as indicated by increased star ratings in Ghana and Mexico, and decreased risk score in Vietnam) while traffic conflicts decreased, illustrating the utility of the iRAP SR4S tool in complimenting TCTs to effectively assess the level of pedestrian risk on roads
Por Amor – Costa Rica’s Seat Belt Campaign	FIA Foundation	‘Por Amor Seat Belt Campaign’ was a pilot project in Costa Rica based on the principles of ‘best practice’ developed in the FIA Foundation seat belt toolkit, which identifies the best methods to raise levels of seat belt usage. The target of the campaign was to achieve a seat belt wearing rate of 70%.
Road safety action pays off, and “demonstration corridors” are here to prove it	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), Government of Andhra Pradesh, World Bank	The 138.6-km-long Kadapa to Renigunta safety demonstration corridor was implemented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh under the Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Road Sector Project (APTRSP). Locations where curves and junctions were improved saw a 53% reduction in road crashes and 42% reduction in fatalities. Approximately $5 million was invested in the demonstration (around $36,000/km).
Road Traffic Injuries in Malawi: With Special Focus on the Role of Alcohol	Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)	The objective of this study was to generate new knowledge about road traffic injuries in Malawi and the extent of traffic accidents related to alcohol use, to increase capacity to conduct alcohol-testing, and develop a database for the findings, which in turn will form the basis for future policy making to reduce traffic accidents.
Safety Improvement for National Highway G109	iRAP	This case study describes the upgrades which were implemented on a 96km stretch of National Highway G109 in Beijing, China. Several treatments and upgrades were implemented on the section at an overall cost of 1.4 million dollars.
Sakhalin Seatbelt Campaign, Russia	Sakhalin Road Safety Partnership	Seatbelt campaign through publicity and enforcement in Sakhalin Island, Russia has shown significant improvement in compliance. Campaign used media outlets such as television, radio, billboards, internet etc. along with enforcement. Success measurement using video sampling revealed that seatbelt wearing rate increased from 3-4% to 80%.
Saving lives with car seats in the Philippines	Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)	With the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, we at GHAI joined international partners, including the World Health Organization and the Global Road Safety Partnership, to support a small group of non-governmental organizations in the Philippines who identified the need for legislation that promoted road safety, specifically protecting children on the road.
School Zone Safety Improvement using SR4S	Government of Haryana, Trax	Case study presents the pedestrian facilities implemented around selected schools in Haryana, India.
Slow Zones, Safe Zones in pilot project in Vietnam	Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation	Two pilot schools (Phan Dang Luu school and Nguyen Luong Bang school) were selected to receive infrastructure upgrades, speed reductions and education awareness campaign.
Speed management in Philippines	Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), UN Road Safety Fund	The UNRSF project trained more than 170 speed enforcers in best-practice speed enforcement, supported high-level officials in developing speed enforcement plans, and raised awareness among more than 75,000 people through social media engagement on the importance of appropriate speeds.
Speed Variation Analysis: A Case Study for Thailand’s Roads	Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)	The importance of speed in influencing road user risk is highlighted in two case studies on different road types in Thailand — the Outer Ring Road and Hathai Rat Road in Bangkok — to demonstrate the effects of different speeds on the iRAP Star Ratings.
Speeding Campaign: “COVID-19 Speeding” in Brazil	Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Government of Salvador, Vital Strategies	Driving is down, but speeding, especially among motorcyclists, is up during the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil. To address this, the city of Salvador launched a mass media campaign in May 2021 with doctor testimonials calling on riders to obey the speed limit, paired with increased enforcement operations.