Skip to main content

Britain's white line road markings a safety hazard

White lines on nearly a third of Britain’s single-carriageway A-roads are so worn out they do not meet recognised standards, according to the LifeLines Report from the Road Safety Marking Association (RSMA).
February 21, 2012 Read time: 1 min
White lines on nearly a third of Britain’s single-carriageway A-roads are so worn out they do not meet recognised standards, according to the LifeLines Report from the Road Safety Marking Association (RSMA). The assessment of more than 2,400km of the network also reveals that Britain’s most dangerous roads have the most worn-out centre-line markings of all, leaving drivers “clueless when trying to read the road.” Two-thirds of all UK road deaths and serious injuries are on rural A-roads, and of over 1,600km of such roads surveyed, on average 14% of road markings are completely worn out, and 15% fall into the “amber” zone and should immediately be scheduled for replacement. Only 29% of lines reach the acceptable level of visibility.
George Lee, national director of the RSMA, said: “I believe that this year’s LifeLines Report presents evidence of sufficient public concern to merit an inquiry by Parliament’s Transport Select Committee, and that’s something we will seek.”

Related Content

  • HxGN Live 2014 attracts record event numbers
    August 28, 2014
    Attracting an HxGN Live event record-breaking 3,500 attendees, HxGN Live 2014 held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, US, June 2-5 showcased exciting new and in-demand design, measurement and visualisation technologies for industries including road construction and mining. Themed Great Stories Start Here, this year’s event also included a variety of exclusive presentations by industry experts, hands-on training, inspiring keynotes and international networking opportunities. Guy Woodford reports In
  • Safer roads needed for the gig economy
    May 14, 2019
    Roads everywhere are becoming high-pressure workplaces for millions of gig economy workers, meaning traffic police need a new way to regulate how highways are used. Geoff Hadwick reports from Manchester, UK The way in which the world’s highways are designed, built and used needs to change fast as the gig economy becomes a global phenomenon. Millions of low-paid and badly-trained freelance drivers are now using road as their workplace, all of them working hard under huge amounts of pressure. The tren
  • US pedestrian deaths fall but remain high
    June 27, 2024
    According to analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association - GHSA – annual US pedestrian traffic deaths fell for first time since the pandemic, but are still above the pre-pandemic level.
  • Tanzania’s new road safety programme launched
    October 6, 2022
    Tanzania has launched a new road safety programme.