Abstract
Several statistics concerning the occurrence of accidents on the most important fraction of the Mexican highway system (basic network) are given. The involvement of cargo trucks in these accidents is discussed. The factors that contribute most to the occurrence of accidents are identified. Among these factors, those related to the speed of the vehicles that make up the traffic flows stand out. An economic analysis to determine the optimum speed limits and highway design speeds is provided. This analysis is based on depicting, for a given road section, the trend of vehicle operating costs (VOCs), accident costs, and the sum of both with respect to speed. The trend of accident costs is determined from assessment of the average cost per accident in the basic network and prediction of the variation of accident rate with respect to mean flow speed. The VOC trend is obtained by using the World Bank VOC model, calibrated for Mexican conditions. Some recommendations for improving existing speed laws and the enforcement of the regulating system are presented. Other actions for generating a national road safety program are mentioned.
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