ROUGHNESS, HOLES, AND BUMPS, CHAPTER 3

This chapter reviews research on the effect on highway safety of road roughness, potholes and bumps. Road roughness has been shown to have an adverse effect on tire-pavement friction, steering, and traction. It also affects a driver's ability to collect information and carry out intended maneuvers. A person's ability to perform motor tasks has been shown to be reduced by vibrations, but it is not yet known to what degree the findings are applicable to vibrations encountered on a rough roadway. Regarding potholes, it appears improbable that any but the largest holes cause significant control problems. Exceptions may be a large number of holes in a small area that cause extreme roughness, especially where maneuvers such as braking or cornering are required. Under some highway conditions, the slower force for a given size hole. Although tire or rim damage may be more probable at lower speeds for deep holes, the result of such damage will be easier for the driver to accommodate. The greatest influence of holes on safety may be the hazard caused by drivers trying to avoid them. The literature and data reviewed strongly suggest that the hazards curbs present to errant motorists on high-speed facilities in terms of potential loss of vehicle control, potential overturning, and incompatibility with barrier performance outweigh those benefits that may accrue as a result of improved delineation, drainage, and traffic control. On most high-speed facilities, delineation, drainage, and traffic control can be treated better by other means.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/state-of-the-art/1/1-003.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08926891
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in the Transportation Research Board, A State-of-the-Art Report: The Influence of Roadway Surface Discontinuities on Safety. 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Wambold, J C
  • Zimmer, R A
  • Ross Jr, H E
  • Ivey, D L
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 5-10
• Monograph Title: THE INFLUENCE OF ROADWAY SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES ON SAFETY
• Serial:
  • State-of-the-Art Report
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0892-6891

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Curbs; Driver performance; Drivers; Driving; Handling characteristics; Human factors; Personnel performance; Potholes; Roughness; Steering; Traction; Vibration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bumps
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00391052
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309037026
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-038 006
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 30 1985 12:00AM