According to articles 15, 161 and 211 of the Highway Code, drivers and the owners of the road are responsible for keeping the roads clean and are punishable with fines under the terms of said articles if they litter or are found to have obstructed traffic.
The same applies to organisations that own public roads. In fact, article 14 of the Highway Code establishes that such organisations are responsible for the maintenance, management and cleaning of streets, their appurtenant structures and furniture, and for ensuring the safety and smooth flow of traffic.
Cleaning the road surface after an accident is very important for the purpose of ensuring safe road traffic. When an accident occurs, the following are often left on the road:
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pieces of sheet metal
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shards of glass
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plastic structures
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fabrics
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tyres
In addition to these, accidents often result in leftover liquids such as lubricants, fuels, coolants, etc. Whereas solid waste is visible and thus easy to remove quickly, liquid waste can linger until it is dispersed in the air through vaporisation.
To facilitate their dispersion, they are sometimes treated with non-biodegradable material (e.g. sand, etc.), which in turn becomes a waste product that needs to be recycled and disposed of. Oil-based waste significantly affects the coefficient of adhesion, especially when the ground is wet, and involves a high level of risk, especially for drivers of two-wheeled vehicles
According to statistics, 7% of accidents involving deaths or injuries all take place in the same spot of the road, because the road’s compromised safety in those spots had not been restored properly.
Rhino’s special vehicles are designed to clean road surfaces after an accident and in almost all cases are efficient even without the need for degreasers, thanks to the high pressure water cleaner and the wet and dry vacuum cleaner with rotating brush, which helps to remove oily liquids such as oil and fuel that has been spilled on the road surface.