Spat-en sproeiwater bij vrachtwagens.

Accidents caused by splash and spray are possibly underestimated in statistics, being classified, as they mostly are, as skidding accidents or rain and wet road accidents. In general such a specific problem has a relatively low rate in accident statistics. The problem often arises in critical circumstances such as rain, wind and overtaking. The splash and spray is caused by lorries mainly. Measures to prevent or decrease splash and spray can be divided into measures related to the road and measures related to the vehicle. Improvements for the road may be aimed at the prevention of the presence of water layers on the road. Changes to the vehicle can be divided into improvements for the tyres, aerodynamics and for the wheels. Besides energy saving, aerodynamic devices can be a means to diminish the spray and to prevent zones of low pressure at the wheels. For each type of vehicle different types of devices will be necessary. It is useful to make a difference between trucks and articulated vehicles. Shields on the wheels can be easily applied at low costs, and they can be of light weight material. Further research should be carried out on the effect of the development of heat in the brakes when such shields are applied. The relationship between the amount of splash and spray and visual hindrance has not been sufficiently studied. The relationship is not linear. A study on the improvement of the efficiency of windscreen wipers is also recommended.