Editing Road (section)

==Safety considerations==
{{see also|Road traffic safety}}
[[File:Autostrada A20 Torregrotta.jpg|thumb|The [[Autostrada A20 (Italy)|Autostrada A20]] ([[Italy]]) with large central median]]

Careful design and construction of roads can increase [[road traffic safety]] and reduce the harm (deaths, injuries, and property damage) on the highway system from traffic collisions.

On neighborhood roads [[traffic calming]], [[safety barriers]], pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes can help protect pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

Lane markers in some countries and states are marked with [[Cat's eye (road)|Cat's eyes]] or Botts dots. Botts dots are not used where it is icy in the winter, because frost and snowplows can break the glue that holds them to the road, although they can be embedded in short, shallow trenches carved in the roadway, as is done in the mountainous regions of California.

For major roads risk can be reduced by providing [[Limited access road|limited access]] from properties and local roads, [[Grade separation|grade separated junctions]] and [[Dual carriageway|median dividers]] between opposite-direction traffic to reduce the likelihood of head-on collisions.

The placement of energy attenuation devices (e.g. guardrails, wide grassy areas, sand barrels) is also common. Some [[road fixtures]] such as road signs and [[fire hydrants]] are designed to collapse on impact. Light poles are designed to break at the base rather than violently stop a car that hits them. Highway authorities may also remove larger trees from the immediate vicinity of the road. During heavy rains, if the elevation of the road surface is not higher than the surrounding landscape, it may result in flooding.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Neteler|first1=Markus|title=Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach|url=https://archive.org/details/opensourcegisgra00nete_842|url-access=limited|date=2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/opensourcegisgra00nete_842/page/n163 149]}}</ref>

[[Speed limits]] can improve road traffic safety and reduce the number of [[Epidemiology of motor vehicle collisions|road traffic casualties]] from [[traffic collisions]]. In their ''World report on road traffic injury prevention'' report, the [[World Health Organization|World Health Organization (WHO)]] identify speed control as one of various interventions likely to contribute to a reduction in road casualties.