More traffic aids and controls will be installed along the
Donghai Bridge - the country's longest sea span - to reduce
accidents related to fatigue, the bridge managers said.
More than 70 percent of traffic accidents on the bridge were
caused by fatigue.
"One of the reasons for fatigue is the similar sea landscaping,"
Yang Zhifang, a manager of the bridge's operation company, said
yesterday.
He said the company has decided to install a batch of raised
speed-reduction lines and illuminant traffic signs to keep drivers'
awareness. Since the bridge is located outside the city's downtown,
Yang said, drivers have driven for hours before reaching the
bridge, raising chance of drowsiness.
The bridge spans 32.5 kilometers and takes about 30 minutes to
get through.
Wang Guofu, a taxi driver of the local Qiangsheng taxi company,
said: "Driving for 30-plus consecutive kilometers with the same
scenery is very dangerous."
Managers of the bridge said they have installed horns along the
bridge to alert drivers to hazardous weather. But that hasn't been
very effective.
(Shanghai Daily June 26, 2006)