Report on head-on collision accident in Møre og Romsdal 19 February 2006

The passenger car was heavily compressed and deformed in the collision with the truck. The driver and three passengers of the car were fatally injured. The passenger in the left back seat, farthest from the point of impact, sustained serious injuries. The truck driver was physically uninjured.

The accident occurred on a road with varying road surface conditions, narrow road width, demanding sight conditions and geometry, and thus small safety margins. The AIBN (Accident Investigation Board Norway) considers that the driver’s short driving experience, that he was unfamiliar with the car which had unfavourable driving characteristics in relation to tyre equipment, weight distribution and axle base, and also that the speed was not sufficiently adjusted to the situation, contributed to the car skidding and to the driver not managing to recover from the skid.

The AIBN has pointed to the unsatisfactory road conditions for a trunk road with a relatively high percentage of heavy vehicles. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has also in the trunk road review of E136 characterised the road standard on the east side of Tresfjord as “very poor”. During winter time the safety margins are further reduced with changing road surface conditions. The AIBN thus considers that The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, in anticipation of possible road improvements, should implement compensating safety measures on E136 in Tresfjord.

The investigation also raises principal questions concerning driver education, and also approval and supervision of young drivers. Investigation of the driver’s progress in driver training and driving activity before the accident indicates that the driver did not have sufficient driving skills to handle the prevailing driving conditions. The AIBN considers that the driver educational system lacks sufficient barriers to identify deviations between attainment of the curriculum goals and the driving licence candidate’s actual skills.

The AIBN believes that there is a need to combine several measures to reduce the number of youth traffic fatalities. Establishing barriers in the traffic educational system should therefore be strengthened by control and information campaigns towards youths. In addition, introduction of graduated driving licences and driving restrictions for young drivers should be considered.