Today I learned that the shape of crossings might cause deadly incidents even when the landscape is flat, easy to overview and the doesn’t appear to be any traffic. An angled cross-road, means less than a 90 degree angle, can result in biker on the main road becoming invisible to car drivers while they slow down to approach the crossing, as the cyclists end up behind pillar that keeps the car’s roof up, preventing it from resting on your head. In worst case scenarios, this configuration also prevents the cyclist from noting the vehicle before it’s to late, because it approaches from an angle behind the cyclist.

I came across this while watching a video about “Why This British Crossroads Is So Dangerous” by Tom Scott, which also links to the article is based on, doing detailed research on the topic. I’m always fascinated by the influence of civil engineering on safety mostly by details that appear minor.