ANALYSIS OF THE CAPITAL BELTWAY CRASH PROBLEM. FINAL REPORT

Sixty-four miles (103 km) of interstate highway surrounding Washington, D.C., is known as the Capital Beltway. Police reports were provided by Maryland and Virginia covering all crashes (N=4,447) on this roadway system for the years 1993-94. The most common type of crash was Stop/Slowing (36% of all Beltway crashes) in which one vehicle stops or slows, typically for congestion, and is rear-ended. Ran Off Road (23%) was second. Sideswipe/Cutoff (18%), third overall, was the most common type for tractor-trailers. Crashes were most prone to occur in close proximity to interchange locations. A cluster of Ran Off Road or Stop/Slowing crashes occurred at specific ramp locations within three Virginia interchanges. Ten percent of mainline Beltway crashes were followed by subsequent crashes. Crash risk increased for up to one hour and up to one mile (1.6 km) approaching the site of a previous crash.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 89 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00725634
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: HS-808 393
  • Contract Numbers: DTNH22-94-D-05044
  • Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
  • Created Date: Sep 23 1996 12:00AM