Transportation Planner's Safety Desk Reference
The updated Transportation Planner’s Safety Desk Reference includes strategies derived from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program’s (NCHRP) Report 500 Guidance for Implementation of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Strategic Highway Safety Plan. All 22 emphasis areas are now covered, including five new ones (young drivers, bicycle collisions, speeding, head-on collisions on freeways, and motorcycles). Additional sections on collecting and analyzing highway safety data and developing emphasis area plans have also been added. This document discusses the planner’s role in transportation safety and the incorporation of safety into the transportation planning process. Each emphasis area section includes: overview of the problem; data defining the problem; descriptions of safety strategies that are most relevant to planners; crash modification factors that can be used to determine the reduction in crashes anticipated from specific safety improvements; and additional resources and best practices, where available. (US Federal Highway Administration report FHWA-HEP-10-001, February 2010, 133p.)
Evaluating Safety and Operation of High-Speed Intersections
This Final Report reviews a research effort to evaluate the safety and operations of high-speed intersections in the State of Oregon. In particular, this research effort focuses on four-leg, signalized intersections with speed limits of 45 mph or greater where the intersections are not in the immediate vicinity of other signalized intersections. This report includes a literature review of high-speed intersection safety treatment strategies, a description of the research methodology used in this project, and a summary of final results. The final results include crash conditions at these high-speed intersections, a format for evaluating safety at these and similar intersections, a hierarchy of safety treatment options, and a demonstration of the use of these tools through example analyses of eight Oregon intersections. (Oregon Department of Transportation Final Report SPR 660, March 2010, 146p.)
Analyzing the Effects of LED Traffic Signals on Urban Intersection Safety
The use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in traffic signals has become widespread over the past decade. Could improved safety be another, less obvious benefit? The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety benefits of LED traffic signals. The development and use of LEDs was discussed to identify additional impacts to safety that may not be fully recognized. (ITE Journal, April 2010, pp. 22-27.) (To obtain this article, please contact the TIS.)
Safety Evaluation of Improved Curve Delineation
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) organized a pooled fund study of 26 States to evaluate low-cost safety strategies as part of its strategic highway safety effort. One of the strategies chosen to be evaluated for this study was improving curve delineation. Geometric, traffic, and crash data were obtained at 89 treated curves in Connecticut and 139 treated curves in Washington to determine the safety effectiveness of improved curve delineation. Treatments varied by site and included new chevrons, horizontal arrows, and advance warning signs as well as the improvement of existing signs using fluorescent yellow sheeting. All sites were on two-lane rural roads. An economic analysis revealed that improving curve delineation with signing improvements is a very cost-effective treatment with the benefit-cost ratio exceeding 8:1. (US Federal Highway Administration report FHWA-HRT-09-045, September 2009, 56p.)
Effects of In-Vehicle and Infrastructure-Based Collision Warnings at Signalized Intersections
The potential effectiveness of warnings to drivers of the imminent threat of a collision with a red light violator was evaluated in an experiment that used a driving simulator. Three warnings were tested: (1) an infrastructure-based warning that immediately turned the traffic signal red and activated red wig-wag lights, (2) an in-vehicle warning that consisted of a brake pulse, voice annunciation, and activation of a red dashboard light, and (3) simultaneous activation of both of these warnings. In addition to testing three warnings with different groups of drivers, drivers in each group were exposed to one of three traffic conditions: (1) driving with no other vehicles ahead or behind, (2) following closely to another vehicle, or (3) being closely followed by another vehicle. (US Federal Highway Administration report FHWA-HRT-09-049, December 2009, 46p.)
Traffic Safety Data: State Data System Quality Varies and Limited Resources and Coordination Can Inhibit Further Progress
Traffic crashes kill or injure millions of people each year. High-quality traffic safety data is vital to allocate resources and target programs as the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and states work to improve traffic safety through data-driven approaches. To qualify for federal funding, states must submit plans which include fatality and crash data analyses to identify areas for improvement. This requested report provides information on (1) the extent to which state traffic safety data systems meet NHTSA performance measures for assessing the quality of data systems, and (2) progress states have made in improving traffic safety data systems, and related challenges. To conduct this work, GAO analyzed state traffic records assessments, visited eight states, and interviewed federal officials and other traffic safety experts. (US Government Accountability Office report GAO-10-454, April 2010, 58p.)
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