Impact of Road Checks on Compliance with Safe Following Distances Between Vehicles on Motorways in Austria

Abstract

This article deals with the issue of the impact of visible road checks, i.e. simulated radar speed measurement, on compliance with safe following distances on motorways in Austria. It contains a theoretical analysis of the characteristics of a safe following distance, explains the issue of safe following distances in relation to Austrian legislation and subsequently presents an experiment to ascertain the impact of road checks on compliance with safe following distances on a three-lane motorway in Austria and its results. Based on the results of the experiment, it was found that simulated radar road checks on motorways influence the behaviour of drivers, in particular by encouraging a slight speed decrease, but also a substantial increase in the distance between vehicles and therefore a substantial increase in traffic safety.