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Citation
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Dixon K, Park ES, Brewer MA, Wu LT, Geedipally SR, Srinivasan R, Lan B, Zegeer CV, Das S, Rista E. Transportation Research Board, Natiional Cooperative Highway Research Program. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2022. |
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Abstract
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This research report provides state departments of transportation (DOTs) practitioners and other transportation professionals with comprehensive guidelines for the selection of cost effective countermeasures to address opposite direction crashes. These guidelines should be of immediate use to experienced practitioners working to reduce crashes and improve safety on the surface transportation system.
Crashes between vehicles traveling in opposing directions often result in severe injuries or fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), from 2014 through 2018 there were more than 16,500 fatal head-on collisions that occurred as a result of opposite direction crashes. Several safety treatments may be considered to help reduce the number of opposite direction crashes or to minimize the crash severity if a crash occurs. There is a need to better understand what factors will influence opposite direction crashes, which countermeasures are best suited for specific locations, and what adverse impacts may occur because of implementation of these safety treatments.
According to the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), from 2016 through 2018, there were more than 19,200 vehicles involved in opposite direction crashes that resulted in a fatality. Approximately 68 percent of these crashes occurred on two-lane road- ways. Countermeasures, such as rumble strips or stripes, delineators, and barriers have proven to reduce total crashes and serious injuries; however, there is limited guidance on the specific performance for many of these treatments as they directly relate to opposite direction crashes. Improved guidance was needed on when and what type of counter- measure is appropriate, and what roadway factors may lead to higher opposite direction crash frequency rates. For purposes of this study, an opposite direction crash occurs between two or more vehicles traveling in opposing directions before the crash and not attempting to execute a turning maneuver at the time of the crash.
Under NCHRP Project 17-66, “Selection of Appropriate Countermeasures for Opposite Direction Crashes,” Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was asked to develop guide- lines for the identification, prioritization, and selection of effective countermeasures to reduce or eliminate opposite direction crashes. TTI accomplished this objective by identify- ing existing databases that could be subjected to additional analysis. The analysis is therefore bounded by the available data compiled by other researchers.
The research identified the rare and random nature of opposite direction crashes creates challenges when statistically assessing the influence of a safety treatment on the reduction in opposite direction crashes. The results will be considered by the AASHTO Technical Committee on Roadside Safety for inclusion in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide.
In addition to the published guidelines, the research agency’s report that documents the entire research effort can be found on www.nap.edu by searching for NCHRP Research Report 995: Guidelines for Treatments to Mitigate Opposite Direction Crashes.
ISBN 978-0-309-68689-1 | DOI 10.17226/26586 |