COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF ROADSIDE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Roadside safety improvment programs must compete with other highway construction and maintenance programs for limited funds. As emphasis on roadside safety increases, the need for methods by which administrators may evaluate alternative safety improvements becomes apparent. This paper concerns the develpment of an implementable procedure for evaluating safety improvements for hazards along controlled- and non-controlled-access rural highways by using a general computerized analysis model to accommodate both. A cost-effectiveness conceptual model developed in a recently completed NCHRP research study provides the basic technique for comparing recommended safety improvements. The conceptual model, developed specifically for freeway evaluation, was extended to accommodate non-controllled- access roadways, and the implementation procedure was developed to fit the particular needs of the Texas Highway Department. The implementation procedure comprises three functions: conducting a detailed inventory of a highway to locate and define each roadside hazard, recommending feasible safety improvement alternative for each hazard or group of hazards, and evaluating the recommended alternatives by using the computer model. A hazard inventory form on which to record information regarding the existing hazard and a hazard improvement form on which to record suggested improvements were developed. The data from these forms are transferred to computer cards to provide the necessary input information for cost- effectiveness analysis of the safety alternatives. Each phase of the procedure is discussed including composition of inventory team, methods to locate existing hazards, details of the two data forms, operation of the computer analysis model, and interpretation of the analysis results. Also included are case examples illustrating typical analysis results.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1975/543/543-001.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309023963
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Traffic Records. 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:
  • Weaver, Graeme D
  • Woods, Donald L
  • Post, Edward R
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 1-15
• Monograph Title: Roadside Hazards and Safety Improvements
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 543
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computers; Cost effectiveness; Evaluation; Hazards; Highway safety; Mathematical models; Roadside improvement
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00127669
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309023963
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 10 1976 12:00AM