Road tunnels today, because of their technological and traffic characteristics, belong to the group of highly complex structures. Tunnel safety is primarily a social and then an economic category. It is determined by the relations between road users, vehicles, transportation infrastructure and other factors in its dynamic system. Fire and other major accidents that can occur in road tunnels not only cause direct costs due to the resulting damages and closure, but also threaten human communities and markets related to tunnels. Therefore, it is evident that a high level of safety in tunnels provides a wide range of benefits. This paper will analyse basic safety elements that should be taken into account when designing road tunnels. It will provide an overview of the basic traffic safety elements which are implemented in road tunnels in Croatia.

road tunnels, traffic safety, tunnel design