Cost Effective Safety Improvements for Two-Lane Rural Roads

Traffic accidents cause loss of life and property. Proper identification of accident causal factors is essential for composing countermeasures against traffic accidents and reducing related costs. However, two-lane rural roads have distinctive roadway characteristics compared with other types of roads. In order to find cost-effective countermeasures and prioritize roadway safety improvement plans for two-lane rural roadways, a better understanding of the relationship between accident risk and respective characteristics is necessary. This study focuses on accident analysis of two-lane rural roads in Washington State. Six representative state routes (SRs), SR-2, SR-12, SR-20, SR-21, SR-97 and SR-101, are selected as study routes based on their location, length, and geometric characteristics. Along with the six-year (1999~2004) accident data from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS), roadway video image data and geographical information system data retrieved from Washington State Department of Transportation are employed in this study. Econometric modeling methods are utilized to identify accident causal factors and evaluate their impacts on accident risk at roadway segments and intersections, respectively. Results from the statistical analyses and accident risk models not only help identify accident causal factors, but also provide valuable insights for developing countermeasures against two-lane rural road traffic accidents.

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• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/16306
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Washington, Seattle

  Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow)
  Box 352700, More Hall
  Seattle, WA  United States  98195-2700

  Washington State Department of Transportation

  310 Maple Park Avenue, SE, P.O. Box 47300
  Olympia, WA  United States  98504

  Office of the Secretary of Transportation

  University Transportation Centers Program, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Wang, Yinhai
  • 0000-0002-4180-5628
  • Nguyen, Ngan Ha
  • Levy, Atli Bjorn E
  • Wu, Yao-Jan
• Publication Date: 2008-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Final Technical Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 113p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash analysis; Crash causes; Crash risk forecasting; Econometric models; Geographic information systems; Geometric design; Rural highways; Statistical analysis; Traffic crashes; Two lane highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Video images
• Geographic Terms: Washington (State)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01089787
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TNW2008-04
• Contract Numbers: DTRS99-G-0010 (Grant)
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Mar 14 2008 2:49PM