STUDY OF RURAL FREEWAY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FOR STRANDED MOTORISTS

FURTHER INFORMATION IS PRESENTED ON THE OPERATION OF A MOTORIST-AID TELEPHONE SYSTEM ON A RURAL FREEWAY. STRANDED MOTORISTS' NEEDS AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THESE NEEDS ARE MET ARE EXAMINED. DATA FROM OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING THE SUMMER OF 1968 AND THE WINTER OF 1969 INDICATE ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF DRIVERS WHO NEEDED AID USED THE MOTORIST-AID TELEPHONES. THE RATE FOR VEHICLE STOPS OF 12 MIN OR LONGER WAS 1 STOP IN 26 MILES EACH 66 MIN IN THE SUMMER SURVEY AND 1 STOP EACH 99 MIN IN THE WINTER SURVEY. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER REPORTED FINDINGS THAT SHOW GREATER ASSISTANCE NEEDS IN SUMMER. ASSISTANCE RATES MAY CORRELATE DIRECTLY TO TRAFFIC VOLUMES, BUT THESE DATA HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ANALYZED. THE PERCENTAGE OF TRUCKS REQUIRING ASSISTANCE IS CONSISTENTLY LARGE COMPARED TO THEIR PERCENTAGE OF THE TRAFFIC STREAM. OF THOSE THAT STOPPED 12 MIN OR LONGER, 48 PERCENT WERE BY PASSING DRIVERS. DRIVERS OF PASSENGER CARS REQUIRING MECHANICAL AID ARE MOST LIKELY TO PHONE FOR AID. A COMPARISON OF THE DATA FROM THE CONTROL SECTION ON US-23 TO THOSE FROM THE STUDY SECTION ON I-94 SHOWS THAT TRUCKS ON US-23, AT LEAST, WOULD HAVE GREATLY REDUCED THEIR STOPPED TIME HAD AID PHONES BEEN AVAILABLE TO THEM. THE SURVEYS OF MOTORISTS PASSING THROUGH THE MOTORIST-AID PHONE AREA ON I-94 SHOWED APPROXIMATELY 87 PERCENT FAVORING SUCH A SYSTEM. SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE USERS OF THE AID PHONES TRAVEL THE STUDY SECTION ONCE A MONTH OR MORE OFTEN AND, NOT SURPRISINGLY. 97.4 PERCENT OF THOSE WHO HAVE USED THE PHONES THINK THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE EXPANDED. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/303/303-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Communications and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. 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:
  • Roth, Walter J
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 74-88
• Monograph Title: Freeway operations, surveillance and communications
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 303
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile drivers; Communication systems; Data collection; Disasters and emergency operations; Freeways; Hazards and emergency operations; Rural highways; Surveys; Telephone; Traffic incidents; Traffic volume; Truck drivers; Utilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disabled vehicles
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225797
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 21 1970 12:00AM