RECOMMENDED DELINEATION TREATMENTS AT SELECTED SITUATIONS ON RURAL STATE HIGHWAYS - PART I. FINAL REPORT

The objective of this preliminary study was to assess the feasibility of using before-and-after accident data to measure the safety impact of increased nighttime visual guidance provided by raised pavement markers. Accident data from 380 randomly selected horizontal curves on two-lane rural highways showed no improvement. Nighttime accidents represented a higher proportion and increased at a higher rate on these horizontal curves than on the Ohio Rural System in general. The highest increase occurred on wet pavement. The next step involved the selection of 23 sites which met the criterion of having at least a specified minimum accident history. Contrary to statewide trends, nighttime accidents were reduced at these sites at the same rate as all accidents. When width of roadway is taken into consideration, the reduction in accident rates on 18 foot wide roads was considerably higher than 20, 22, and 24 foot wide roads. Nine relatively straight sections of four-lane divided rural highways were also studied with total length of 66.5 miles. Nighttime accidents and accident rates increased relative to all accidents or accident rates. Fixed objects nighttime accidents increased almost three times as fast as all nighttime accidents. Snow and ice related accidents account for a large proportion of these accidents. Accident data from 100 interchanges was also investigated, but the results were mostly nonconclusive. It seemed, however, that delineation related accidents were reduced at the beginning of ramps but increased on the horizontal curve itself.

• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  Engineering Experiment Station, 2070 Neil Avenue
  Columbus, OH  United States  43210

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 889
  Columbus, OH  United States  43215

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Nemeth, Z A
  • Rockwell, T H
  • Smith, G L
• Publication Date: 1985-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 81 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Crash rates; Curves (Geometry); Divided highways; Four lane highways; Frost damage; Highway delineators; Highway design; Night; Rural highways; Snow and ice control; Two lane highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Horizontal curvature
• Old TRIS Terms: Highway delineation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00462441
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/OH-86/009
• Contract Numbers: 14353(0)
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 28 1987 12:00AM