AN OPERATIONAL EVALUATION OF TRUCK SPEEDS ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS

IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND DESIRABILITY OF A DIFFERENTIAL TRUCK SPEED LIMIT ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS, VEHICULAR SPEED AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENT DATA WAS COLLECTED AT 83 SITES EMBODYING A VARIETY OF GEOMETRIC DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS. ANALYSIS OF THESE DATA INDICATED THAT THERE IS POOR ADHERENCE BY BOTH CARS AND TRUCKS TO POSTED SPEED LIMITS. A LOCATIONS WHERE THE POSTED CAR AND TRUCK LIMITS ARE THE SAME, A COMPARATIVELY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE PASSENGER VEHICLES EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT, AND A SMALL BUT OBSERVABLE DIFFERENTIAL EXISTS BETWEEN CAR AND TRUCK SPEEDS. AT LOCATIONS WITH A POSTED SPEED DIFFERENTIAL OF 10 MPH, THE ACTUAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAR AND TRUCK SPEEDS IS LESS THAN 6 MPH. ALTHOUGH NO RELIABLE ACCIDENT RATES, A DECREASE WAS NOTED IN TRUCK INVOLVED REAR- END COLLISIONS WITH HIGHER OPERATING SPEEDS. EXCESSIVE SPEED OR SPEED TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS WAS CITED AS A PROBABLE CAUSE IN APPROXIMATELY 20 PERCENT OF THE TRUCK INVOLVED ACCIDENTS. THE LITERATURE SURVEY AND DATA ANALYSIS WHICH WERE CONDUCTED UNCOVERED SITUATIONS WHICH WARRANT FURTHER STUDY. THEY ARE: NIGHTTIME DRIVING, STRICTER LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE FAILURE OF EXISTING PROCEDURES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCITY PROFILES TO REPLICATE HEAVY VEHICLE OPERATION IN LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAYS. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE ON THE BASIS OF THIS STUDY. DETAILS ARE GIVEN OF THE STUDY PREPARATION, DATA COLLECTION, PRELIMINARY DATA

• Supplemental Notes:
  • AW-73-130-46 10 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Maryland, College Park

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  College Park, MD  United States  20742
• Authors:
  • Hall, J W
• Publication Date: 1974-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 115 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Data analysis; Data collection; Energy; Evaluation; Mathematical analysis; Operating speed; Rear end crashes; Recommendations; Reviews; Speed; Speed limits; Traffic crashes; Trucks
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Speed differential
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226915
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rpt
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 16 1974 12:00AM