With the development of the motorway network in the Republic of Slovenia, an increasing number of motorway tunnels have been built to cross the rugged geographical terrain (Suban, 2016). The problem with tunnels is that the confined space increases the consequences of collisions and the consequences of fires. This limits the accessibility to the accident site, which hinders the assistance of emergency response services and self-rescue. Tunnels are thus subject to a trend of less frequent, but much more serious incidents (PIARC, 2019b).
The introductory part of the thesis presents tunnel safety principles, based on the interdependence between safety measures and risks. It presents specific hazards of tunnels specifically related to collisions and fires and describes safety management tools aiming to ensure safety in tunnels in the most effective way possible. This is followed by a description of general characteristics of tunnels on Slovenian motorways and the following road safety factors: humans, vehicles and the environment.
The main part of the thesis describes characteristics of road accidents that occurred in tunnels on Slovenian motorways in the 2011–2021 period, as recorded by the Ministry of the Interior – police. Through an analysis, I tried to identify the influence of drivers, vehicles, road infrastructure and the environment on the occurrence of traffic accidents in motorway tunnels.
The final part of the thesis presents traffic control centres in motorway tunnels, actions by firefighters and paramedics in the event of a traffic accident in a tunnel, proposed measures to improve safety in Slovenian motorway tunnels and future safety challenges in tunnels related to the development of road vehicles.
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