Safety Research on Highway Infrastructure and Operations: Improving Priorities, Coordination, and Quality
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) convened an expert committee to provide an independent review and assessment of the processes currently used to establish research priorities and to coordinate research activities in the area of highway infrastructure and operations safety. The committee was also charged with recommending an efficient and effective research priority-setting and coordination process and with commenting on strategies to improve research quality. The committee’s work built on the results of earlier initiatives by the National Highway Research and Technology Partnership, FHWA, and others aimed at bringing together the members of the diverse and decentralized highway safety research community. The committee proposes the creation of an independent scientific advisory committee (SAC) composed primarily of experienced safety program managers and knowledgeable researchers. The SAC would be charged with (a) developing a transparent process for identifying and prioritizing research needs and opportunities in highway safety, with emphasis on infrastructure and operations, and (b) using the process developed to recommend a national research agenda focused on highway infrastructure and operations safety. (Transportation Research Board Special Report 292, 2008, 169 p.)
Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: Safety Data and Analysis in Developing Emphasis Area Plans
This guide specifically addresses highway safety data, an emphasis area under the Management category in AASHTO’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, and was developed to aid highway safety analysts in using the other implementation guides to make decisions about how to appropriately allocate safety funds to get the best results. (TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 21, 2008, 107 p.)
Surrogate Safety Assessment Model and Validation: Final Report
Safety of traffic facilities is most often measured by counting the number (and severity) of crashes that occur. It is not possible to apply such a measurement technique to traffic facility designs that have not yet been built or deployed in the real world. This project has resulted in the development of a software tool for deriving surrogate safety measures for traffic facilities from data output by traffic simulation models. By comparing one simulated design case with another, this software allows an analyst to make statistical judgments about the relative safety of the two designs. The software tool and user manual (FHWA-HRT- 08-050) are available to the public at no cost from FHWA. (US Federal Highway Administration report FHWA-HRT-08-051, June 2008, 324 p.)
Pedestrian Safety Prediction Methodology
The objective of the work under Phase III of Project 17-26, as presented in this report, is to develop a methodology for quantifying the pedestrian safety effects related to existing site characteristics and/or proposed improvements on urban and suburban arterials. The scope of the Phase III pedestrian safety methodology includes signalized intersections and roadway segments between intersections, but does not include unsignalized intersections. (TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program Web-Only Document 129, 2008, 76 p.)
Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria: Updated Third Edition
The purpose of the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) is to provide a dataset for describing crashes of motor vehicles in transport on a roadway that will generate the information necessary to improve highway safety within each State and nationally. MMUCC represents a voluntary and collaborative effort to generate uniform crash data that are accurate, reliable and credible for data-driven highway safety decisions within a State, between States, and at the national level. MMUCC recommends voluntary implementation of a “minimum set” of standardized data elements to promote comparability of data within the highway safety community. It serves as a foundation for State crash data systems. (US Department of Transportation and Governors Highway Safety Association guideline, 2008, 152 p.)
Older Road Users
In March 2008, a team of nine transportation safety, traffic engineering, and human factors experts from the United States (U.S.) visited Australia and Japan to assess and evaluate infrastructure improvements designed to aid older road users. The scan tour members sought policy options and initiatives regarding transportation system planning, operations, and design as they relate to older road users. The group met with state and federal government transportation officials, University research centers, and staff from motorists clubs and other non-governmental organizations interested in the mobility of older people. While the focus of the scan was on infrastructure improvements, the team also learned about new policies for older road user training, assessment, and licensing. In addition, general road safety programs were discussed with all agencies visited. (US Federal Highway Administration International Scanning Program Summary Report, 17 April 2008, 23 p.)
Effectiveness and Safety of Traffic and Non-Traffic Related Messages Presented on Changeable Message Signs - Phase II
In Phase II of this investigation, we used a fully interactive PC-based STISIM driving simulator, to conduct two experiments which were similar to experiments in Phase I. The participants were 120 licensed drivers from three age groups—18-24, 32-47, and 55-65 years old—who drove, in free flow traffic, for approximately 20 miles on a four-lane freeway before encountering target messages on Changeable Message Signs (CMSs). The Phase II CMS messages were clearer and less complex than those used in Phase I. Some participants reduced speed on approaching the CMSs, suggesting similar reductions could occur in real world driving in free flow conditions. We conducted a survey which showed drivers think it is very useful to have information about traffic problems and roadway maintenance schedules on CMSs. Also, we analyzed real-world traffic speed data obtained when CMS messages were deployed. Finally, we conducted observations at Mn/DOT’s Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC), focusing on the decision-making processes involved when traffic-related CMS messages are deployed. (Minnesota DoT Report MN/RC-2008-27, August 2008, 84 p.)
Back to Top |