ABSTRACT
The road and the traffic system should be designed according to the concept of Self-Explaining Roads (SERs). This concept advocates a traffic environment that elicits safe behaviour simply by its design. Traffic systems which have self-explaining properties are designed in such a way that they are in line with the expectations of the road user. It is clear that the need for roads that fit the expectations of road users, so-called 'Self-Explaining Roads', is quite high. Although there is no empirical evidence regarding the time frame of these expectations, it is likely that once expectations are set they cannot be changed easily. A Self-Explaining Road (SER) is a traffic environment which elicits safe and consistent behaviour among road users simply by its design. In the Netherlands the notion of Self-Explaining Roads resulted in the redefinition of three road types: flow, distributor and access road.
