Citation

Mak KK, Sicking DL. Transp. Res. Rec. 1994; 1468: 19-24.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

As part of a study to evaluate and validate the performance-level selection criteria contained in the 1989 AASHTO Guide Specifications for Bridge Railings, it was found that the Benefit Cost Analysis Program (BCAP), which was used to develop the performance-level selection criteria, was dominated by the frequency and severity of accidents involving trucks penetrating or rolling over the bridge railings. Contrary to results of previous accident studies, BCAP predicted a very high incidence of penetration or rolling over the bridge railings. In an effort to better estimate the extent of bridge railing accidents in which impacting vehicles penetrated or went over the bridge railings, Texas accident data for the years 1988 through 1990 were analyzed. Also, the dates of construction or latest reconstruction were determined for a sample of the bridge accidents so that the performances of bridge railings designed to the current specifications and older bridge railings might be differentiated. Finally, hard copies of accident reports for those bridge railing accidents involving trucks penetrating or going over the bridge railings were manually reviewed.

RESULTS of the analysis indicate that passenger cars and light trucks accounted for more than three-quarters of the accidents in which vehicles went through or over the bridge railings. Also, the incidence of going through or over the bridge railing happened mostly on rural highways. For bridge railings constructed to current specifications, the proportion of accidents involving single-unit and combination trucks going through or over bridge railings was found to be 4.4%, which is in line with that found in previous studies. There is a significant difference in performance between bridge railings constructed after 1965 that met current design specifications and those constructed before 1965. A review of hard copies of the accident reports of the accidents involving heavy trucks going through or over bridge railings indicated that the magnitude of the problem with trucks going through or over bridge railings is much smaller than that indicated by the accident data. Only 6 of the 53 accidents actually involved heavy trucks going through or over bridge railings, and only 1 of the 6 accidents involved a bridge railing constructed after 1965. The remaining accidents were miscodes on object struck, vehicle type, or bridge railing performance.

Record URL:
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1994/1468/1468-003.pdf

Language: en

Keywords

Automobiles; Highway accidents; Trucks; Specifications; Bridges; Performance; Motor transportation; Railings; Structural design