News

WDM USA’s first SCRIM® road survey machine is back in the UK for independent accreditation trials. The machine, which was built by W.D.M. Limited on a US chassis to conform with emission regulations, was shipped back to Bristol for servicing prior to taking part in the trials, which confirm the reliability and reproducibility of the...

Crashes are not an unanticipated consequence in the U.S. transportation system. Fatalities on US roads have not fallen below 35,000 annually since 1951. Despite the hope from many that lower traffic volumes would lead to reduced road fatalities in 2020, the opposite appears to be true. The National Safety Council reports that as many as 42,060 people died in traffic crashes in 2020. If...

The RAC, a British automotive services company, says many roads ‘resemble the surface of the Moon’, after revealing a 37% year-on-year rise in pothole-related breakdowns. The motoring organisation said that in the first quarter of 2021 its patrols went to aid 4,694 drivers whose vehicles had most likely broken down after hitting a pothole. Cars showed the ‘classic symptoms’ ...

In early April, the Vision Zero Network published an article on how to reduce traffic deaths by 75% through a “combination of policy changes, modernized road designs, and advanced technologies [that] exist today can be implemented to save lives.” Friction data have often been left out of safety and design conversations – with serious consequence. More than 25% of all...

WDM’s team in New Zealand has completed the annual survey of all State Highways across the country. The team, led by manager Darren Newland and senior survey operator Nigel Scott, collected data from 23,600 lane kilometres. This latest annual survey was year eight of the contract, which started in November in Hawkes Bay and Waikato. The North Island was...

According to a major survey conducted for National Pothole Day, about 80% of local authorities believe that the pothole situation has become worse in the past five years. This decline in the network can be attributed to the funding cuts, which over half of the local councils have pointed out that their funding for repairs has reduced over the same...

Motorists in New Zealand have been asked to keep an eye out for the SCRIM® road survey machine from W.D.M.Limited. WDM has two SCRIM® machines, based in Wellington, which travel NZ’s state highways, mapping things like the road's skid resistance, texture, and curvature. Using that information, NZTA is able to respond to...

The state of local roads is the UK’s most widespread motoring concern in 2020 despite a dramatic fall in car use during the pandemic, according to research conducted for the RAC’s annual Report on Motoring. This year’s research highlighted a noticeable increase in the number of drivers who say local roads have deteriorated with 52% saying...