Threats and possible approaches of vulnerability assessment of natural hazards on road infrastructure

Natural hazards are frequently causing disturbances for different types of infrastructures, in particular for transport systems. Flooding and storm are considered as major threats to these systems. Based on examples of natural hazards’ impact on roads, possible approaches of vulnerability assessment are described. In order to reduce the threats resulting from natural hazards on road transport, appropriate technical countermeasures to increase resilience and robustness for continuous road safety and mobility are necessary. Moreover, the behaviour of the driver is also an important factor to avoid accidents in case of specific weather conditions. Autonomous driving may support a reduction of accidents in the future and, in particular, necessary evacuation processes in cases of wildfires or hurricanes.