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Changes in the number of road crashes as well as casualty statistics have been observed in Italy and the Netherlands. For Italy, the long term trend is positive, although this may have been influenced by recession. Data reveals that commercial vehicle traffic fell by 11.2% on Italian highways between 2006 and the first half of 2015. This analysis was carried out by Continental Autocarro based on data provided by AISCAT. In the same period, the number of crashes occurred on highways and involving commercial

Plans are in hand in South East Asia for an improved road link connecting Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. A loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth US$100 million will help fund the work for the 66.4km section running between Kawkareik and Eindu in Myanmar. The highway will run for some 1,450km in all. The road will be called the East-West Economic Corridor and is of key importance to open up trade and transport between these nations. Talks for this project are underway at present.

A key road link is opening in in Costa Rica. The country's Ministry of Public Works and Transports (MOPT) says that a stretch of the widened Canas-Liberia road will open in December 2015. The project is now running ahead of schedule according to the MOPT and the new road link will help cut journey times and boost tourism in Guanacaste province during the summer season. MOPT guaranteed that the road would be 100% completed in January 2016. Of the 36 bridges included in the project, 35 are complete. Only the

Research from Algeria shows that its high rate of road crashes is having a damaging effect for its economy, as well as ruining lives. The data comes from the Algerian insurance and reinsurance union UAR. Its study shows that road crashes cost the country’s economy US$926.78 million/year. In all, there were 1 million crashes on roads in 2014, with drivers being at fault in 90% of cases. Insurance companies spent $415.2 million in compensations in 2014, up 10% from 2013. With the 30% depreciation of the Alger

The AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee on International Research Activities calls for closer cooperation between road authorities and the industry On 15 September 2015, the AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee on International Research Activities held its third European workshop in Istanbul, Turkey.

A new book by US domestic policy expert James P Pinkerton reveals that investing in transportation infrastructure will build America’s economic strength. In A Vision of American Strength: How Transportation Infrastructure Built the United States, Pinkerton observes that “the history of civilisation is the history of infrastructure.” He explains how societies have flourished as they developed better roads and other transportation systems. Pinkerton details how transport infrastructure fuelled the growth of

A new publication from the World Road Association will help boost road safety worldwide. The PIARC/World Road Association Road Safety Manual is authored by ARRB and was unveiled at the recent World Road Congress held in South Korea. This second edition of the Road Safety Manual is the outcome of a project undertaken by the World Road Association (PIARC) as a contribution to the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. It is intended to help all countries building capacity for managing road safety. A

The Brazilian Government has identified around 10,000km of new highway concessions. This programme will be achieved through a new road maintenance scheme called Programa Nacional de Manutencao de Rodovias (PNMR). The scheme will seek the replacement of existing road maintenance contracts with PPP or other concession arrangements in five years. Brazil has around 9,900km of privatised roads at the moment. Including blocks part of the PIL scheme, this figure stands at 17,000kms. The main aim of the PNMR plan w