EFFECT OF RUMBLE STRIPS ON TRAFFIC CONTROL AND DRIVER BEHAVIOR

RUMBLE STRIPS WERE INSTALLED AT FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIF. ACCIDENT RATES WERE GREATLY REDUCED, STOP SIGN VIOLATIONS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED, AND VEHICLE SPEEDS AND DECELERATION RATES BEFORE A SHARP CURVE WERE REDUCED. BEFORE-AND-AFTER MOTION PICTURES OF VEHICLE PATHS SHOWED MARKED CHANGES IN DRIVER BEHAVIOR. THE RUMBLE STRIPS CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF SPACED OVERLAYS PLACED ON THE ROAD SURFACE USING 3/4-IN. STONES AND SEAL COAT TECHNIQUES. IN THREE LOCATIONS DURABILITY OF THE STRIPS WAS INCREASED BY USING SYNTHETIC RESIN FORMULATIONS TO HOLD THE STONES IN PLACE. EXPLANATIONS FOR REDUCTIONS IN ACCIDENT RATES AND CHANGES IN DRIVER BEHAVIOR ARE BASED ON THE ADDED VISUAL, AUDIBLE, AND TACTILE STIMULI PRODUCED BY THE RUMBLE STRIPS. THE NOISE LEVEL IN A VEHICLE WITH CLOSED WINDOWS WAS RAISED FROM 92 DECIBELS BACKGROUND TO 102 DECIBELS ON THE STRIPS. THESE STRONG SIGNALS HELP ALERT THE DRIVER TO CHANGING ROAD CONDITIONS. DRIVER REACTION TIMES ARE FASTER IN RESPONSE TO AUDIBLE AND TACTILE STIMULI THAN TO VISUAL STIMULI. IN ADDITION, ROADS WHERE DRIVERS ARE PRECONDITIONED TO EXPECT HIGH SPEEDS AND FEW HAZARDS, OR WHERE DRIVER BOREDOM MAY RESULT IN VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS, ARE ESPECIALLY IN NEED OF THE STRONG STIMULI PROVIDED BY THE RUMBLE STRIPS TO PRODUCE DESIRED BEHAVIOR. ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STRIPS IS ANALYZED IN TERMS OF ACCIDENT COST REDUCTION. OTHER STRIP DESIGNS ARE SHOWN FOR A VARIETY OF ROAD CONDITIONS. /HRB/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/HRBproceedings/41/41-028.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 41, pp 469-482, 11 FIG, 5 TAB, 17 REF. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • KERMIT, M L
  • Hein, T C
• Publication Date: 1962

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 8-12, 1962
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 41
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Crash rates; Drivers; Rumble strips; Traffic control
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226029
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 24 1972 12:00AM