Exploring improvisations in road safety in a low-income setting

Abstract

Road collision types repeat themselves, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), where countermeasures are often improvised and implemented with little planning. At the Shahbag intersection in Dhaka, Bangladesh, speed bumps were quickly constructed at the exit of the intersection as an improvised road safety measure following the occurrence of a fatal collision, which eventually contributed to another collision between a truck and a car. The events influencing the improvisation decision, and that action's consequences, have been analysed using the Impromap methodology, a variation of the Accimap approach that focusses specifically on improvisation. The applicability of the Impromap as a systems-based approach to the road safety domain is assessed using the predictions described in Rasmussen's risk management framework, and corresponding countermeasures are proposed. The analysis shows that improvisation in the road safety domain is undesirable irrespective of the economic setting as it is likely to eventually contribute to secondary collisions.