In 2020, a lorry driver was hit and killed on the E 18 in Arendal. The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board, the Norwegian Road Administration and Nyveer determined that safety had not been observed on this extension.
On 29 May 2020, a 51-year-old lorry driver died in a collision with a Tesla on the E 18 in Arendal.
Photo: Ernest Bosvarva
Arendal: The lorry hit the driver as he stopped on the shoulder to fix the load strap. As the shoulder was narrow, a section was left on the lorry road. The lorry driver was standing near the car when the car hit him.
The National Accident Investigation Board has conducted an investigation into the accident and has now submitted its report.
IN Report The Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Nyveer are criticized for lack of safety.
“Insufficient road shoulder width, break pockets and lack of warning are the most important factors in the accident. The investigation shows that the Norwegian Road Administration and Nyveer did not pay enough attention to traffic safety during the design and construction of the road section,” writes the Accident Investigation Board.
Fædrelandsvennen has asked the Norwegian Road Administration and Nye Veier to respond to the criticism.
– We have received the report. We should read it carefully and familiarize ourselves with the safety recommendations. Once we’ve done that, we can make more complementary comments. We are happy that the Accident Investigation Board has done a thorough job. This is valuable and something to take into account in work on traffic safety in general and road standards in particular, says Kjell Bjørn Vinje, press manager at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
Nye Veier was not yet available for comment.
Got narrower road width
The stretch of road where the accident occurred was opened to traffic on 2 July 2019.
The Accident Investigation Board points out that Nye Veier applied to reduce the shoulder width from 3.0 meters to 2.0 meters when the road was designed. At the same time, the company proposed other measures to ensure safety.
“The Norwegian Road Administration approved this solution, with the expectation that the mitigation measures described would be introduced by Nye Veier on the road section in question. Nye Veier, on the other hand, chose not to install incident detection or high-crash pockets,” the report says.
The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board believes that traffic safety is “not adequately protected by the Norwegian Road Administration’s deviation implementation and the construction of the Nyveer road section”.
As a result of the investigation the Commission makes five safety recommendations:
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The Norwegian Lorry Owners Association (NLF) is preparing an information campaign aimed at professional drivers, which focuses on notifying the Swedish Road Traffic Center (VTS) where the vehicle is unlikely to pass completely on the expressway. Off road.
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Nye Veier AS introduces mitigation measures to ensure traffic safety on the E18 between Tvedestrand and Arendal.
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Norwegian Road Administration Vegnormal N100 “Road and Street Design” has revised the requirements regarding the reduction of shoulder width and includes requirements to document the mitigation measures and the risk reduction effect of these if narrow four-lane roads are permitted.
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The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is preparing a technical guide for mitigating actions on planned short four-lane highways.
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The Norwegian Road Safety Authority, within its mandate, works to ensure that accident frequency and damage costs do not increase on planned narrow four-lane roads, cf. Vegnormal N100 “Road and Street Design” is required.
Case updated.
A 51-year-old lorry driver died in an accident on E 18
A man in his 50s has died in a collision on the E 18
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