REDUCED VISIBILITY /FOG/ STUDY

THIS STUDY WAS INITIATED BY A REQUEST FROM THE STATE SENATE TO DETERMINE POSSIBLE MEANS OF REDUCING MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENTS IN PERIODS OF FOG. LESS THAN TWO PERCENT OF ALL ACCIDENTS OCCURRING ON RURAL STATE HIGHWAYS AND URBAN FREEWAYS ARE MULTIPLE VEHICLE FOG ACCIDENTS. HOWEVER, THOSE THAT DO OCCUR ARE QUITE SPECTACULAR WITH LARGE AMOUNTS ON NEWS COVERAGE. THE METHODS OF ATTACK ON FOG ACCIDENTS CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR GENERAL CATEGORIES' /1/ ROADWAY AND SIGNING, /2/ PATROL ACTIVITY, /3/ PUBLIC INFORMATION, AND /4/ VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT. OF ALL THE DEVICES AND TECHNIQUES TRIED ON THE HIGHWAY, ONLY THE POSTING OF SPEED LIMITS HAD ANY MEASURABLE EFFECT ON TRAFFIC. THIS EFFECT WAS LIMITED AND OCCURRED PRIMARILY WHEN TRAFFIC VOLUMES WERE UNDER 1,000 VEHICLES PER HOUR PER LANE. THE EFFECT WAS MORE PRONOUNCED ON EXPRESSWAYS THAN ON FREEWAYS. RESEARCH ON VEHICLE REAR- END LIGHTING, INITIATED BY THIS STUDY, IS CONTINUING. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr, B-1-9, SR 33/63
• Corporate Authors:

  California Division Highways

  /Traffic Department
  ,   United States 
• Authors:
  • Tamburri, T N
  • Theobald, D J
• Publication Date: 1967-1-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash investigation; Crashes; Fog; Highways; Reduction (Chemistry); Signs; Speed limits; Taillamps; Traffic volume; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Patrol
• Old TRIS Terms: Reduction
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219676
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 1 1994 12:00AM