How to Make Two-lane Rural Roads Safer

How to Make Two-lane Rural Roads Safer
Author: Ruediger Lamm
Publisher: Witpress
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2007
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

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When accidents happen, drivers are blamed for the mishap. When drivers consistently fail at certain locations, it then becomes obvious that the problem lies not with them, but with the geometry of the road itself. Because accidents are not evenly distributed throughout the road network, locations with high accident rates are a clear indication that there are other factors involved, besides driver error, which are characterized by the road itself. In most countries, two-lane rural roads make up about 90 percent of rural networks and they account for over 60 percent of highway fatalities worldwide, approximately 500,000 people per year. The methodology described in this book will support the achievement of quantified measures of: design consistency; operating speed consistency; and, driving dynamic consistency. The safety criteria are then combined into an overall safety module for a simplified general overview of the safety evaluation process. The authors also encourage the coordination of safety concerns with important economic, environmental and aesthetic considerations. This book will be an invaluable aid to educators, students, consultants, highway engineers and administrators, as well as scientists in the fields of highway design and traffic safety engineering.

Prediction of the Expected Safety Performance of Rural Two-lane Highways

Prediction of the Expected Safety Performance of Rural Two-lane Highways
Author: Douglas W. Harwood
Publisher:
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2000
Genre: Low-volume roads
ISBN:

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This report presents an algorithm for predicting the safety performance of a rural two-lane highway. The accident prediction algorithm consists of base models and accident modification factors for both roadway segments and at-grade intersections on rural two-lane highways. The base models provide an estimate of the safety performance of a roadway or intersection for a set of assumed nominal or base conditions. The accident modification factors adjust the base model predictions to account for the effects on safety for roadway segments of lane width, shoulder width, shoulder type, horizontal curves, grades, driveway density, two-way left-turn lanes, passing lanes, roadside design and the effects on safety for at-grade intersections of skew angle, traffic control, exclusive left- and right-turn lanes, sight distance, and driveways. The accident prediction algorithm is intended for application by highway agencies to estimate the safety performance of an existing or proposed roadway. The algorithm can be used to compare the anticipated safety performance of two or more geometric alternatives for a proposed highway improvement. The accident prediction algorithm includes a calibration procedure that can be used to adapt the predicted results to the safety conditions encountered by any particular highway agency on rural two-lane highways. The algorithm also includes an Empirical Bayes procedure that can be applied to utilize the safety predictions provided by the algorithm together with actual site-specific accident history data.

Vehicle and Geometric Variables Related to Accidents in Rural No-passing Zones. Final Report

Vehicle and Geometric Variables Related to Accidents in Rural No-passing Zones. Final Report
Author: William C. Taylor
Publisher:
Total Pages: 214
Release: 1985
Genre: Road markings
ISBN:

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Previous studies on Michigan highways had identified a high rate of accidents in no-passing zones. This study was conducted to identify geometric features, roadside and vehicle characteristics, associated with these higher accident rates. A representative sample of two-lane, two-way rural roads in Michigan, containing 525 no-passing zones (245 with a high accident rate and 280 with zero accidents in three years) was selected for the study. Geometric and roadside environment information (i.e. shoulder and curve type, number of driveways, roadway obstacles and intersections) were gathered for each of these 525 no-passing zones. Regression analysis and discriminant analysis were used to describe the propensity of a no-passing zone to experience a high accident rate. Discriminant models were developed to predict which no-passing zone will experience "high" and "low" accident rates based on these variables. No evidence was found that the length of no-passing zones or the presence of curve warnig signs, chevrons or advisory speed plates are related to the rate of accidents in no-passing zones. The study also failed to find no-passing zones to be particularly hazardous for vehicles for any specific weight class. Small vehicles experience a higher than expected accident rate on rural roads in general, but this does not appear to be exacerbated in no-passing zones